We now finally live in a world where stuff from the 80's is actually considered "cool". How did this happen?

I remember being a kid and obsessing over the next trip to the local arcade, just to give pac-man another go. It is absolutely amazing to see how video games are now a part of our culture. They aren't just for kiddies anymore folks! You see, as we grew up, so did the video games...

These teens are now adults looking back with a hint of nostalgia at their youth, despite the fact that it was only 15-20 years ago. But technology changes quickly and so these icons of the 80's are now being featured in art galleries like Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in Hollywood.

The gallery features pieces that take a contemporary look at video games and is possibly helping to create a new genre in the field.

A painting depicting Pac Man as over-the-hill and on a drip of pellets went for $3000 according to a Reuters press release.

The artist, Greg Simkins, claimed he started out by painting graffiti in back alleys before working with canvas. And he's not the only one bringing this strange combination of video and art to the public.

So what should we expect in the next five years? Well, for the art world change is always good, although often criticized in its formative years. So we may have to wait and see if 'video-game art' will make a solid stand in the art community. What we do know is that the original game players are now coming into their 40's and anyone under that age will have grown up with video games as a part of their childhood, just as 'I Love Lucy' was a part of another generations'. Because of that, the images will likely have an emotional pull and impact on new and existing collectors today.