Are these games art? Well, it’s important to note they were acquired as examples of “design” — not “art” — and as Wired readers may know, I believe there’s a difference. So I think Jonathon Jones misses that point when he decries MoMA’s actions because art has to be an “act of personal imagination.” John Maeda An artist, graphic designer, computer scientist, and educator, John Maeda is president of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Prior to that, he served as associate director of research at MIT Media Lab. Maeda was named one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century by Esquire. Videogames are indeed design: They’re sophisticated virtual machines that echo the mechanical systems inside cars. Would anyone question a Ferrari or Model T or even a VW bug being acquired by MoMA?