ICHEG has the world's largest museum collection of video games and related materials, at more than 60,000 items and growing. ICHEG collects, studies, and interprets electronic games and related materials and the ways in which they change how people play, learn, and connect with each other.
ICHEG is located at The Strong in Rochester, New York. The Strong is a highly interactive, collections-based educational institution devoted to the study and exploration of play. The Strong is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. The Strong explores play and the ways in which it encourages learning, creativity, and discovery and illuminates cultural history.
Operating as usual
SATURDAY ONLY at The Strong Museum! Step into the esports and gaming scene with Great Lakes Gaming at the OnCore Esports Invitational, featuring PGA Tour 2k.
View and play alongside OnCore partnered celebrities. 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Put your skills to the test with games provided by Playerzzone #ROC 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Help us celebrate the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees! Watch to find out which games were inducted.
Which games will be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame this Thursday, May 6?! Tune in here on Facebook at 10 a.m. EST.
Which games will be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame this Thursday, May 6?! Tune in here on Facebook at 10 a.m. EST.
Now featured in the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences exhibit at The Strong Museum: Hades, by Supergiant Games!
Hades received the Game of the Year award, joining past winners including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Halo: Combat Evolved, God of War, and last year's winner, Untitled Goose Game! Congratulations to everyone at Supergiant Games!
We invite you to join The Strong National Museum of Play’s Jon-Paul Dyson and Lisa Feinstein for an exclusive evening with video game industry legend Nolan Bushnell—and a behind-the-scenes look into the museum’s collections.
In this episode of Cocktails with the Creators, you’ll meet Nolan Bushnell co-founder of Atari, Inc. and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. You’ll hear firsthand how Nolan helped launch the video game industry, how Atari spurred the craze for arcade gaming and brought consoles into millions of homes, and the many ways he has shaped our entertainment experiences and continues to influence the video game industry and tech world today.
Attendance is limited. The Cocktails with the Creators series is a "donate what you can" online experience that supports the museum’s educational mission and programming. The suggested minimum donation is $25 per screen/login code. Additional donations are gratefully welcomed.
Cocktails with the Creators featuring Nolan Bushnell Thursday, June 3 6 to 7 p.m. EST From the comfort of your own home— via Zoom In this episode of *Cocktails with the Creators, you’ll meet Nolan Bushnell co-founder of Atari, Inc. and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. You’ll hear firsthand ...
The transformation of downtown Rochester and The Strong museum is moving forward in big ways! Today, the museum broke ground on the second phase of its major expansion (to be completed Summer 2023) that includes a new welcome atrium, immersive video game exhibits, and an outdoor play space. Thank you to all the elected officials, museum donors, trustees, and special guests that helped us celebrate this important moment!
Learn more about The Strong’s expansion at museumofplay.org/expansion-campaign.
The transformation of downtown Rochester and The Strong museum is moving forward in big ways! Today, the museum broke ground on the second phase of its major expansion (to be completed Summer 2023) that includes a new welcome atrium, immersive video game exhibits, and an outdoor play space. Thank you to all the elected officials, museum donors, trustees, and special guests that helped us celebrate this important moment!
Learn more about The Strong’s expansion at museumofplay.org/expansion-campaign.
OnLive gave players the ability to instantly boot a game and play it on nearly any device, so long as an Internet connection was available. With companies like Google, Microsoft, and Sony, the latter of which acquired OnLive, experimenting with game streaming technologies, we are thrilled to accept a donation of OnLive hardware, including a prototype of the microconsole itself!
OnLive gave players the ability to instantly boot a game and play it on nearly any device, so long as an Internet connection was available. With companies like Google, Microsoft, and Sony, the latter of which acquired OnLive, experimenting with game streaming technologies, we are thrilled to accept a donation of OnLive hardware, including a prototype of the microconsole itself!
To celebrate the upcoming World Video Game Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 6, join The Strong for virtual trivia night!
Participants will be asked questions related to games previously inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
https://www.museumofplay.org/calendar/virtual-trivia-night
To celebrate the upcoming World Video Game Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 6, join The Strong for virtual trivia night!
Participants will be asked questions related to games previously inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
https://www.museumofplay.org/calendar/virtual-trivia-night
Today is the last day for the World Video Game Hall of Fame Player's Choice Ballot. Enter your favorite finalist now! https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/players-choice-ballot
Which video game do you think is most worthy of joining this year's class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame? The Player's Choice Ballot closes this Thursday, March 25 at midnight. https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/players-choice-ballot
While we often will use original console hardware as it was designed, RF video output and all, increasingly we have been looking at solutions that provide better video output as we create more video for exhibits. While emulation and newer hardware recreations exist, having the option of still using original hardware, just with better video, is a great solution.
This Atari 2600 has been modified with composite and s-video output, along with stereo sound, providing a much sharper image.
The Strong announces the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists! We will be sharing more about this years nominees over the coming weeks.
The following 12 electronic games are finalists for 2021 induction into The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. The inductees will be announced at The Strong museum on Thursday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. EST.
The Strong is happy to be part of Music, Makers & Machines, an exhibition about the history of electronic music brought to you by Google Arts & Culture and YouTube. Our online exhibit, titled Composing Classics: A History of Video Game Music, takes you from classic blips and bloops through to today's fully orchestrated scores.
Taito’s 1978 hit arcade game Space Invaders featured one of gaming’s first continuous background soundtracks. Designer Tomohiro Nishikado created the space...
Did you miss our Cocktails with the Creatures featuring Tom Kalinske? Or do you just want to watch it again? Hear Tom's stories about Mattel, SEGA, and more whenever you want on our YouTube channel!
The game box is the first thing we see when we pick up a new game. Today, most games are of a similar size and shape. But in the 1980s and 1990s, Hock Wah Yeo created some of the most iconic game boxes of all times, even prototyping a unique case for Sony's PlayStation 2 console. Read about it in Phil Salvador's newest essay.
Hock Wah Yeo designed the most unusual boxes in the 90s game industry. They delighted game developers — and drove retailers up the wall. Take a close look at Yeo's amazing boxes and the fight for the future of retail space.
Final call for 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame nominations is TODAY. Have you nominated your favorite game yet? https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate
Final call for 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame nominations is February 28. Have you nominated your favorite game yet? https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate
Which video games deserve a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Nominate your favorite game today for consideration in the May 2021 induction. https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate
The Strong has received a donation from the family of Buffalo-native Ralph Coppola (1948–2018), president of the coin-operated game developer and manufacturer Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE) and manufacturer of the iconic Chexx (1982) “bubble hockey” game. The donated materials include design documentation, concept artwork, correspondence, photographs, magazines, fliers, and catalogs related to Coppola and the games his company produced.
ROCHESTER, NY—The Strong, home to the World Video Game Hall of Fame, has received a donation from the family of Buffalo-native Ralph Coppola (1948–2018), president of the coin-operated game developer and manufacturer Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE) and manufacturer of the iconic Chexx...
Has anyone else picked up the Blizzard Arcade Collection? If you do, you will find a few images in the game's virtual museum from the collection here at The Strong Museum, including this pre-release boxart for Rock n' Roll Racing!
What are the best video games of all time? What are the most important? Make your voice heard by nominating your favorite video game by February 28 for consideration in the May 2021 induction. https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate
With just days to go before our Cocktails with the Curator event with former Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, it's worth checking out this documentary on SEGA composer Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, who contributed sounds and music to hit titles like Daytona USA, the Virtua Fighter series, Shenmue, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, among many, many others.
Takenobu Mitsuyoshi stands as a unique character of SEGA's history, being the voice behind Daytona USA or Burning Rangers.As part of the Archipel "Caravan" s...
Which video games deserve a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Nominate your favorite game today for consideration in the May 2021 induction. https://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate
Did you love Barbie, Hot Wheels, or Masters of the Universe? Did you spend hours playing Sonic the Hedgehog? Are you a fan of Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s newly released “Console Wars”? If so, join us on Thursday, February 25 for Cocktails with the Creators featuring Tom Kalinske former CEO of Mattel, Sega of America, Inc., and Leapfrog. https://www.museumofplay.org/calendar/cocktails-with-the-creators
The Rainbow Arcade collection in the archives is now available to researchers! These digital materials are related to the Rainbow Arcade exhibition on LGBTQ+ game history hosted by the Schwules Museum in Berlin, Germany from December 2018 - May 2019.
Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play The Strong/> One Manhattan Square Rochester, NY 14607 U.S.A. [email protected]
The Strong is honored to preserve the work of Jerry Lawson. Lawson is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on the Fairchild Channel F, which was the first commercially released console with programmed swappable cartridges.
Cocktails with the Creators is a live, interactive, online Zoom series featuring the most influential and creative innovators in the video game and toy industries … and cocktails! Join us on Thursday, February 25 for Cocktails with the Creators featuring Tom Kalinske former CEO of Mattel, Sega of America, Inc., and Leapfrog. Tom’s work led to his induction into The Toy Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame, which is housed at The Strong!
Cocktails with the Creators is a live, interactive, online Zoom series featuring the most influential and creative innovators in the video game and toy industries … and cocktails! Each episode is co-hosted by The Strong’s play and history experts who guide the conversation and highlight rarely s...
When games are only available for a short period of time, preservation of those titles becomes more difficult. Dan Rockwood of Tech Raptor interviewed JP Dyson and Andrew Borman from The Strong, along with historians and archivists from the Video Game History Foundation and the Game Preservation Society, about Nintendo's recent releases, and what may come in the future.
Should Nintendo put N64, GameCube and other titles on Switch? We interviewed game preservationists about limited-run titles like Super Mario 3D All Stars.
We are pleased to announce that the Michael and Muffy Berlyn papers are now available to researchers! The Berlyns are a husband-wife team who created games together, such as Oo-Topos, Cyborg, Tass Times in Tonetown, and many others.
Mike also designed the Bubsy and Bubsy 3D games. He and Muffy later worked together on making interactive story mobile games. Their archival collection includes game design documentation, notes, sketches, photos, a/v materials, and more.
Check out the link and finding aid created by The Strong's archivist Julia Novakovic!
http://archives.museumofplay.org/repositories/3/resources/219
While arcade-to-home conversions were quite popular, the opposite rarely happened. Halo: Fireteam Raven does just that, allowing players to choose from one of four characters in a cooperative campaign. The story take place concurrently with those of Halo: Combat Evolved, which was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2017. Watch closely and you might just spot John-117.
Now playing in eGameRevolution!
While Flash support has officially ended, and as we work with Kongregate to preserve their history with Flash, it's important to remember that Flash was more than just a web tool. Whether used in prototyping or the final product, Flash made its way to many console and PC titles, including Skies of Arcadia on SEGA Dreamcast.
Cocktails with the Creators is a live, interactive, online Zoom series featuring the most influential and creative innovators in the video game and toy industries.
In this first episode of 2021, you’ll meet Tom Kalinske former CEO of Mattel, Sega of America, Inc., and Leapfrog. You’ll hear firsthand how Tom revived the Barbie and Hot Wheels brands, disrupted the video game industry by marketing Sonic and Sega Genesis to an older age group, and other stories from his legendary career—including what led him to the world of toys and video games.
Attendance is limited, so register now! The Cocktails with the Creators series is a "donate what you can" online experience that supports the museum’s educational mission and programming.
Cocktails with the Creators is a live, interactive, online Zoom series featuring the most influential and creative innovators in the video game and toy industries … and cocktails! Each episode is co-hosted by The Strong’s play and history experts who guide the conversation and highlight rarely s...
A pair of games from a recent donation caught this curator's eyes. Both Barrels and Star Cruiser were developed by Sirius Software for the Apple II. The front cover of Star Cruiser shows something extra: by NASIR.
Nasir Gebelli was the programmer on these titles, both extremely impressive for the Apple II. But he would go on to work on a game that almost anyone would recognize: Final Fantasy.
He would continue as a programmer for Squaresoft on Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III, both Japanese exclusives at the time, before working on Secret of Mana as his last commercial release before retirement in 1993.
In 2018, The Strong Museum inducted Final Fantasy VII into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. While Nasir Gebelli didn't work on this sequel, his pioneering work on the Final Fantasy series laid the foundation for many Japanese RPG's that would follow.
Wish your favorite game was in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Nominate it! The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes electronic games of all type that meet the following criteria: Icon-status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence.
Which video games deserve a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame®? Nominations will be considered for the May 2021 induction. Selection Criteria The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes individual electronic games of all types—arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile—that meet ...
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Thirty years ago, George Lucas and Jim Henson joined forces to give us the movie Labyrinth, a coming of age fairy tale that is now all the more bittersweet with the lost of its star, rock icon David Bowie. So today, join us in celebrating this film with a clip from the 1986 Nintendo Famicom adaptation. Not many gamers on this side of the world were able to enjoy it when it originally made the scene. Were you one of them?
For today's ICHEG Throwback Thursday, we have a special treat for all the Star Wars fans waiting for the clock to strike midnight and the release of The Force Awakens! Check out this video Atari shot to promote its original Star Wars arcade game in 1983. We just digitized this from The Strong’s extensive Atari archives. Enjoy, and may the Force be with you!
ICHEG Cataloger Shannon Symonds has a not-so-secret obsession: She loves the 80s cult classic Labyrinth, a movie starring glam rocker David Bowie, actress Jennifer Connelly, and a whole slew of Jim Henson's muppets. When the opportunity arose to acquire Tokuma Soft's Japanese Labyrinth game for the Nintendo Famicom, she was ecstatic! Please join her in enjoying this video capture of the gameplay, courtesy of our RIT co-op students. Fans of the movie will love the interactions with the Worm and Wise Man, will love battling evil biting fairies and the crazy Fireys, and will recognize the background music as midi versions of songs such as Magic Dance and Chilly Down!
Calling all TI-99/4A fans! One of our ICHEG co-op students recently took video captures from the colorful shooter Super Demon Attack, published by Imagic in 1983. Players make use of lasers to destroy hordes of alien creatures descending from above. The game originally ended after 84 progressively difficult attack waves, as programmer Rob Fulop believed no one would ever survive that long. However, when a child beat the game two days after its release, Fulpop altered the code so the game never ends, though the difficulty remains the same after the 84th attack wave. Did you ever make it to the final wave?
If you're looking for a good laugh to start your day, check out this video capture from our ICHEG co-op students: Parodius Da!: Shinwa kara Owarai e (It's Parodius!: From Myth to Laughter), developed and published by Konami for the Famicom in 1990. The title is a portmanteau of "Gradius" and "Parody," clearly identifying it as a humorous version of the Gradius series. Where else can you battle giant clowns in space or a cat/pirate ship hybrid?
Play your way through the history of video games in eGameRevolution! Why wait?
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