One of my earliest memories of gaming is playing Epyx Summer Games on my buddy Mark’s Commodore 64 system. We played that game for hours! I still recall Mark’s mom yelling at us from the top of her lungs to get off “that god damn machine”. Mark would always wipe my ass with every event but we had such a great time playing and to this day Summer Games remains one of my fondest video game memories.
It is these early gaming memories that always end up slapping a grin on my face and if you are anything like me, every once in a while you enjoy taking that walk down memory lane. Well if you do, then have we got something for you.
Would you be interested in giving games like Asteroids or Defender a spin? How about Pac Man, Arkanoid or the original Super Mario game on the NES? If you are interested in playing some kick ass retro games or maybe just learning a little bit more about where our industry started then get your tail down to the Centre for Digital Media.
For a limited time the “Evolution of Gaming” exhibition has set up shop at the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver, BC, from August 1 – 10. This cool little interactive event lets you explore the history of gaming right back to its earliest roots.
This isn’t some boring video game museum exhibition where you can’t touch anything either. Yesterday fellow Editor Shawn Petraschuk and I had a chance to play such games as Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, Duck Hunt, Metroid, Choplifter, Pac Man, Super Mario and Pong… yes the original Pong game from the 1970’s! At the exhibition you can play the game on the original Atari Home Pong console.
You will see everything from an original Odyssey Console to an Atari 2600 to a Sega Master System. The Oculus Rift is available for demos and even a game called “Hyper Olympic” reminiscent of the old Track and Field game from 1983 with an interactive touch… it’s not easy, just a friendly warning.
There’s no denying that the gaming industry has seen a crazy amount of evolution in its short 40 year time span. From its most humble beginnings to the elaborate epics of today it has been an amazing journey. No more are video games the toys of children but a massive entertainment empire that touches almost every person with access to electricity. The Evolution of Gaming exhibit is a chance for gamers of old to reminisce with nostalgia and for young gamers to see where some of the biggest names in the industry got their start.
You might not know it but Vancouver has a rich gaming heritage that reaches as far back as the 70s when pioneers like Don Mattrick were busy sowing the seeds for companies like Electronic Arts and Radical. To this day the city of Vancouver remains a hot spot in the industry with talent coming from across the globe to work here. It seems that this city is a fantastic place to host this event.
So if you are a gamer looking for blast from the past then head on over to the Evolution of Gaming exhibition and check out some of those interactive exhibits, and displays. You won’t regret it and you might learn a thing or two while you’re there.
Those interested in attending can sign up at www.evolutionofgaming.ca. There are three time slots available per day for free public visits. They are 9am – 12pm, 1pm – 4pm and 5pm – 8pm. One hundred tickets are available per time slot.
