Highlights Archives
Historical Museum to Host Vintage Game Arcade
In the 1980s Surgeon General C. Everett Koop declared video games to be among the top health risks facing Americans. While that may have been hyperbole, many video game aficionados still reel from Pac-Man Fever. If you are among the afflicted, the Wisconsin Historical Museum has the cure for what ails you. From March 9 through March 18 you can test your retro gaming skills and re-experience the joy of joysticks for only 25 cents per game at a vintage video game arcade. During Retro Arcade Week the museum will feature 25 classic arcade games and will be open daily — Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than just retro fun, these games are full of compelling stories. For instance, video game violence is hardly a recent development. In 1976 Exidy released Death Race, a video game based on the movie Death Race 2000 in which the objective was to run down as many pedestrians as possible. Unlike modern-day video games with advanced graphics and macabre realism, Death Race displayed only stick figures and non-discernable character shapes. Controversies brewed while the sales of Death Race languished. Only 500 consoles were ever produced.
Pac-Man, the most popular game of all time, got its design from a partially eaten pizza. Originally called "Puckman," the name of the game was changed before it hit the market out of fears the public would change its moniker into something more offensive. Pac-Man's sister game, Ms. Pac-Man, created by General Computer Corporation, was originally titled "Crazy Otto," an elaborate enhancement of the original game. While Pac-Man may be the most popular game of all time, Ms. Pac-Man is the most common console in gaming locations today.
The proliferation of arcade video games was complemented by the boom of home gaming systems such as the Atari 2600 and the Magnavox Odyssey, examples of which can by found at the Wisconsin Historical Museum's latest exhibit, Toy Stories. Running through May 26, the exhibit features the stories of famous Wisconsinites, an interactive play area and, of course, many, many toys from the 1940s through today.
:: Posted March 7, 2007
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