WASHINGTON >> The Smithsonian American Art Museum is holding its first major exhibit exploring the art and evolution of video games.

The unusual exhibit opens March 16 and will be on view in Washington through Sept. 30.

“The Art of Video Games” will focus on the graphics, technology and storytelling of some of the best games for systems ranging from Atari to the PlayStation 3. It will include 80 video games that were selected with help from the public, which voted online last year.

The museum announced Tuesday that the exhibit will also tour to several sites across the country.

Chris Melissinos, former chief evangelist and chief gaming officer for Sun Microsystems, is guest curator for the exhibit.