
02/15/2021
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
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
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 ...
Join Julia Novakovic, archivist at The Strong, and Lauren Tagliaferro in a virtual trivia night on Thursday, January 7th.
Answer questions pulled from your favorite trivia board games. Get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of the museum's collection and win prizes!
Buy your tickets today!
Are You Game? Virtual Trivia Night Thursday, January 7 7 p.m. EST $10 Buy Tickets Calling all quiz brains and game enthusiasts! Have you ever memorized the back of a Trivial Pursuit card? Is watching Jeopardy! part of your nightly ritual? Think you know “a little bit about a lot of things”? Kick...
In 1968, Operation Bootstrap launched Shindana Toys, a community-owned company dedicated to making toys that “reflect black pride, black talent, and most of all, black enterprise.” This photograph was donated to The Strong from Louis Smith, III, son of Shindana co-founder Louis S. Smith, II.
The Strong museum has acquired a compilation of primary sources and files (including articles, websites, blogs, web forums, videos, and images) used in the creation of the LGBTQ Game Archive, established by Adrienne Shaw, PhD, from Temple University. https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/2020/12/preserving-the-lgbtq-game-archive-at-the-strong
The Strong is pleased to announce that we have acquired source materials from the LGBTQ Game Archive to help better tell the story of video game history. This includes the first known LGBTQ games.
ROCHESTER, New York—The Strong, home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and World Video Game Hall of Fame, has received a compilation of primary sources and files (including articles, websites, blogs, web forums, videos, and images) used in the creation of the LGBTQ Ga...
The Strong’s archivist, Julia Novakovic, will be presenting in the Rochester Archives Fair on December 15. Tune in to hear Julia uncover the history of Parker Brothers and many more talks by local experts. #ROCarchivesfair https://rochesterarchivesfair.wordpress.com/lightning-talks/
The Strong launches new Google Arts & Culture online exhibit—Ten Sports Video Games that Changed the Digital Playing Field. Check it out! https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/ten-sports-video-games-that-changed-the-digital-playing-field/9gKytM3SdJY2Ig
Bid today on a one-of-a-kind Xbox Series X package in The Strong’s holiday auction! Package includes a Xbox Series X console and a live chat with one of the creators of the original Xbox—Seamus Blackley. This package will be the highlight of the year for kids and grown-ups alike. And it’s only available in The Strong National Museum of Play’s holiday auction! Thank you to Wegmans, Kellogg's, and Seamus Blackley for making this package possible and supporting The Strong! https://museumofplay.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Endof2020Auction/tabid/1196346/Default.aspx
The Xbox Series X is sold out all over the world, but The Strong just added one to our holiday auction! This Xbox Series X comes with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Zoom with Seamus Blackley, the video game legend who created and designed the original Xbox! Thank you to Wegmans, Kellogg’s, and Seamus Blackley for making this package possible! Bid now! https://museumofplay.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Endof2020Auction/tabid/1196346/Default.aspx
Boomshakalaka! Sports games have been an integral part of electronic games since the beginning. Check out ten games that changed the playing field in our newest online exhibit!
No game did more to define sports video games than Atari’s table tennis-themed arcade game Pong. Its universally intuitive gameplay—bounce a pixelated ball...
What was the first video game? Well, it's complicated! Jon-Paul Dyson explores the question in his latest blog post.
One of the most frequently asked questions about video game history is perhaps the simplest: what was the first video game? It’s a logical question to ask. After all, we’re always curious about these questions of primacy. Who was the first man on the moon? Neil Armstrong. Who was the first woman...
We were lucky to be able to preview Insert Coin Documentary last year at the museum, but as of today the documentary is now available online! Hear the history of Midway and the arcade boom of the 1990's straight from the people that were there.
Linktree. Make your link do more.
Anyone baking a cake for Thanksgiving? I would love to be able to make a Computer Cake for myself, but I think it is frowned upon! Newly arrived at the museum!
Scott Traylor donated hardware and software to the museum which included his work for Leap Frog devices. Digital Games Curator Andrew Borman has been sharing some of the prototype and development devices as he catalogs it.
“While my colleague Racquel processed a large part of a wonderful donation from @360KID to @museumofplay, she left for me a few boxes of development equipment that I'll share as I catalog it, starting with this Leapfrog System card from 2003.”
Check out this Space Invaders hat from 1978 that was recently acquired! It is one of the earliest known pieces of arcade-related clothing!
“1978 Japanese cap. May be the first piece of clothing marked for an arcade game. U.S. 4-H exchange student got while there. Has tiny light and circuit board behind the logo. New @museumofplay. So cool!”
Sometimes the slightest difference in a game's packaging can draw you in. This is a promotional copy of Might and Magic II that was sent to developer Doug Whatley. Only a sticker differentiates it from the standard retail packaging, but knowing the provenance of this game makes it even more interesting!
Working on cataloging some great APF MP-1000 (M-1000) titles today, including Space Destroyers, a clone of the World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductee Space Invaders.
Ed Smith, one of the first African-American electronic engineers in the video game industry, developed the hardware for the system. Read about Ed Smith's story in this great article by Benj Edwards. https://www.fastcompany.com/3063298/ed-smith-and-the-imagination-machine-the-untold-story-of-a-black-vid
Joshua Tsui, director of Insert Coin Documentary and developer on many titles including the Mortal Kombat series, donated a pair of maquettes from the unreleased arcade game Primal Rage 2. We're extremely excited to add these to the collection at the museum!
Sony's PlayStation 2 launched on this day 20 years ago! The system went on to become the best-selling game console of all time. What are some of your favorite games for the console?
The Strong museum’s archives are constantly acquiring new collections, and we were especially delighted with a recent donation by renowned video game designer Jane Jensen. Learn more at https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/2020/06/building-a-mystery%E2%80%94spotlight-on-jane-jensen #womeningames2020
“When you are female or an underrepresented minority in any space, when you fail, you are often told, ‘See, that’s why you’re not supposed to do this.’ … It’s hard to remember you absolutely have every permission and right to just try again.”
— Kellee Santiago, video game designer and Head of Developer Relations for Niantic, 2019 #womeningames2020
Denise Chaudhari was the first woman hired for the then-secret Xbox project, where she designed more than just the original "Duke" controller that launched with the system in 2001. Learn more in Andrew Borman's latest blog. https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/2020/10/designing-the-duke
“I’d never seen anyone that looked like me working in video games. I’d never heard about it. Nobody in my family talked to me about, ‘Hey, you like games, why don’t you work in games?’ … And that’s not an uncommon story.”
— Keisha Howard, founder and C.E.O. of Sugar Gamers, 2019 #womeningames2020
The Strong’s Her Interactive Collection consists of games, design drafts, memoranda, press materials, focus group studies, player correspondence, and other materials that document the company’s history, the development of their Nancy Drew games, and the attitudes of girls towards gaming over the past 20 years.
museumofplay.org/blog/chegheads/2013/01/her-interactive-collections-at-icheg #womeningames2020
1 Manhattan Square Dr
Rochester, NY
14607
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when International Center for the History of Electronic Games posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to International Center for the History of Electronic Games:
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?
Rochester Contemporary Art Center
137 East AveChristian Science Reading Room, Rochester NY
179 Monroe AvenueStrasenburgh Planetarium, Rochester Museum &
657 East Ave.Rochester Museum & Science Center
657 East AveMemorial Art Gallery of the University of Roc
500 University AveRochester Museum & Science Center
657 East AveModel Shipwright Guild of Western NY
250 Goodman Street North