Should there be a VG Museum?

[Coldguy]

In all honesty, would you like to see someone's collection be turned into a museum for all to see? Have one of every console, and of every game, add some dupes for plaibility as well as background history of the hobby/games. Would you want to go?

[Viraneth]

Too true.

[otaku]

yeah. I agree. I'd go. Should have lots of variations to though (of systems especially) and really rare stuff. And some arcade machines (or lots of em) and lots of memoribilia collectibles and signed stuff to. I believe there are some museums of sorts out there

[RetroYoungen]

Can you honestly imagine how huge a place like that could potentially be though? I agree, it'd be a blast to see and visit... but I honestly don't want to see it, just because if someone/some group put that much effort into putting it together, I can't see it turning enough of a profit in the long run to stay afloat, and it could hurt the people involved big time.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

i'd love to see a vg museum take on the task of preserving the software that was saved on magnetic media; either by emulation or porting to another format like carts.

it's a shame how much software from the 70's and 80's has been lost already.

but the sad truth about a vg museum is as retroyoungen said, it wouldn't turn a profit. someone would just have to be dedicated enough to the hobby (and rich enough) to eat the cost of it.

[boatofcar]

i'd love to see a vg museum take on the task of preserving the software that was saved on magnetic media; either by emulation or porting to another format like carts.

it's a shame how much software from the 70's and 80's has been lost already.

but the sad truth about a vg museum is as retroyoungen said, it wouldn't turn a profit. someone would just have to be dedicated enough to the hobby (and rich enough) to eat the cost of it.

The closest we will ever come to a vg museum is the one that's at CGE. Plain and simple, the hobby isn't big enough to support a permanent exhibit anywhere.

On a related note, is there a VCS or NES in the Smithsonian?

[digitalpress]

Working on it. One of my very long-term objectives and has been for the last ten years or so.

With a little help from some friends, hopefully we'll see exactly what you're looking for in our lifetime.

[outofkeyslightly]

I saw an exhibit on video games at the museum of science and industry in Chicago in '05. It was really fun actually, although kind of small. Any museum with a japanese Saturn hooked up for play is perfect in my book. I would love to see a museum, and although I agree it probably wouldn't turn a profit (what museum does?), I wouldn't be so quick to say the hobby's too small to support it. Didn't VG revenue beat music and the movies last year? Somebody's playing the games, but I guess not everyone cares about the old and rare. I think around the time video games are legitimized as a real art form, a museum will already exist. Ah, to dream...

[swlovinist]

The closest we will ever come to a vg museum is the one that's at CGE.

And last years museum was friggin awsome

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

On a related note, is there a VCS or NES in the Smithsonian?
Dunno, but Ralph Baer's Brown Box, other prototypes and related documents are.

[The 1 2 P]

They actully have these in Japan already and I believe Nintendo has a traveling one. If there was ever one here in md I'd love to go.

[chrisbid]

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/projects/videogamearchive/index.html

not quite a for-profit museum, but a good idea

[tom]

Yes, there is a Nintendo museum in Japan, and I think Sega has something along those lines?

[HYB]

http://pelikonepeijoonit.net/

They have an exhibit in Tampere soon, I wish I could go see.

[G-Boobie]

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/projects/videogamearchive/index.html

not quite a for-profit museum, but a good idea

Yeah, this was what I was thinking when the OP said 'museum', actually. I don't honestly care if the exhibit is always open to the public just as long as the actual software is being preserved somewhere.

[GaijinPunch]

I would be more interested in focusing on something a bit more realistic, like archiving things. Yeah, a picture/scan isn't the same, but at least it's something, and there's a TON of shit out there that doesn't exist in well-documented digital form. Seems like I can always come across some weird promo piece of shit from 15 years ago on Yahoo.

I use this philosphy when adding things to gamengai. I just need more time. I wouldn't gawk at another dick and pair of hands either.

EDIT:
Although with a museum, you could see things like this (http://www6.airnet.ne.jp/tera/sega/datas/2003tgs_ps_1.jpg) and this (http://www6.airnet.ne.jp/tera/sega/datas/2003tgs_ps2_1.jpg). Not my pictures, but I saw them at that show. The one time I debated breaking the glass and making a run for it.

[BydoEmpire]

I would like to do that with my collection. It's not going to happen unless I win the lottery or something, but if I ever have more money that I know what to do with I'd set that up.

[mailman187666]

you know I've actually thought about this for the past few years on and off. I think I came to the conclusion that videogames as a mainstream form of entertainment has not been around long enough. Videogames have been around for 30+ years and all, but for there to be a meuseum, I think we'd probably have to go past the 50+ year mark. Sure back in the 50s they experimented on that sorta thing, but that would be a small "In the Begining" section of the place. There would have to be things that could be done or seen there that couldn't be done anywhere else. You'd also have to throw in some of that virtual reality crap they tried for a while for people to see and try. You'd also need one of a kind items there such as the machine they originally created "Tennis for Two" on and stuff like that. Just to get something like that alone would cost a shit ton of money, not to mentionwhat it would cost for upkeep and preservation. We should all just start playing the lottery and whoever wins first starts buying up everything they can to get it started. I know I'd have a personal game meuseum if I were to hit it big.

[robotriot]

I think as a museum, it also should have some sort of educational value and teach you something about games, not only show the rare stuff collectors care about, since I guess a lot of people wouldn't understand what's so special about that. Of course it would be awesome to have the option of playing every game in the museum.

There was a permanent computer games museum (http://www.computerspielemuseum.de/english.html)from 1997 to 2000 in Berlin. They still plan on re-opening it, but the city doesn't really see games as cultural assets to preserve, so I guess they're in funding trouble. They are still preserving software though.

[Bojay1997]

This will absolutely happen. Video games are as large as the movie industry today and look at how many different museums there are dedicated to movie history and preservation. Here in Los Angeles, there are those run by the trade organizations, some run by colleges and others run by private entities. Even computers have a museum or two here in California. What the museum looks like and what it does (i.e. just display stuff or actually try to preserve software, etc...) remains to be determined, but I know as I continue to work in the entertainment industry as a producer and lawyer, it's something I am going to try to move forward as I meet more and more people with the financial ability and interest to make it happen.

[Adol]

Although with a museum, you could see things like this (http://www6.airnet.ne.jp/tera/sega/datas/2003tgs_ps_1.jpg) and this (http://www6.airnet.ne.jp/tera/sega/datas/2003tgs_ps2_1.jpg). Not my pictures, but I saw them at that show. The one time I debated breaking the glass and making a run for it.

?

I have all these Phantasy Star Artbooks & guides at home?

[James8BitStar]

I once dreamed of doing this. Sadly I'd say its a million years off.

[BocoDragon]

Most definitely I would like to see this!

I think this is a great idea actually. You could still have everything behind glass, set up like a room of doom, grouped by console and library with all sorts of accessories, books and items from the era. I would get doubles of some of the gimmicky systems like Vectrex and Virtual Boy, and let people play those at stations, since those would be the unique consoles normal people could only play at such a museum. ;)

Yeah.... set up vignettes like classic living rooms from the 70s, 80s, 90s (OMG Super NES games and Nintendo Powers strewn about :D :D ) and 2000s.... Do a Japanese living room with a Famicom unboxed from under the bed and hooked up in front of the TV with multicolored carts stacked next to it....

I would die. This would be nerd mecca.

[koster]

The Computer History Museum (http://www.computerhistory.org/) currently has an exhibit of sample items from their rather extensive computing-related collection (including gaming items like an Atari 2600 prototype (http://www.computerhistory.org/virtualvisiblestorage/artifact_main.php?tax_id=04.05.02.00#1)).

Unfortunately (for me), Spacewar (http://www.computerhistory.org/pdp-1/index.php?f=theme&s=4&ss=3) wasn't running when I visited last week.

[miaandjohnrule]

?

I have all these Phantasy Star Artbooks & guides at home?

Maybe the question is what don't you have at your home?

[Adol]

Kids. Yet. :)

[rbudrick]

Imagine all the original drawings and paintings for game artwork that could be framed onthe walls...just like real art museums.

Anyway, I've always thought there shoul be a VG museum. I always said if I was rich enough I'd have done it already.

-Rob

[kainemaxwell]

I'd go. Here's a question: if someone (or group of people, company, etc) offered to start one, would you contribute?

[Iron Draggon]

I've always thought that I would donate my collection to such an effort upon my demise... that would certainly be enough to get a game museum started!

[PapaStu]

I'd go. Here's a question: if someone (or group of people, company, etc) offered to start one, would you contribute?


I'd donate to the museum IF it was run by reputable people and I knew that i'd be able to get my stuff back should I ask, or should the museum fold for some reason.

[Trebuken]

Adol and DreamTR simply need to combine their collections and the museum would be finished...

It would be great to see a museum of this sort, but I wonder if it could be profitable enough to stay open. The hobby continues to gropw so maybe it will be more realistic down the road.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'd donate to the museum IF it was run by reputable people and I knew that i'd be able to get my stuff back should I ask, or should the museum fold for some reason.
This would be the key to getting me to donate to it (me and a lot of other folks, I should imagine).

The one gigantic stumbling block I can imagine with such a project would be down to three words: location, location, location. Take the CGE 2008 thread, where people are suggesting alternate locations other than Vegas. Multiply by a thousand, stir the potatoes, calm the beef min, rinse and repeat.

Dumb question: whatever happened to the traveling arcade exhibit that would set up in museums across the country? Keith Feinstein's baby? (I forget what it's called - my brain keeps saying Retrotopia* except I know that's the Blue Sky Rangers' merchandise site.)







* but my spleen says "Buttafuoco."