Recently I happened to be in Arlington for a week visiting a friend. He worked during the weekday so I had a few afternoons by myself. Inspired by a hashtag I’ve seen earlier this year, “#museumsunlocked”, in which quarentined curators around the world posted selections from their inaccessible museums, I thought I might take the chance to do something similar on my own, since people aren’t getting out as much this year and might enjoy some vicarious travel.
Here is a video walkthrough of the museum with no commentary:
Here is an album of photographs.
I was going to put them all in there but imgur’s drag and drop mysteriously stopped working
mid-way, so split it into two albums, (one for each camera I had on me, lol)
But here’s a taste:
The official Toejam and Earl character bible. I wish I could take it out of the glass and read it myself.
I had no idea what to expect when visiting the museum. I was disappointed that it seemed so exclusively focused on the pop culture surrounding retro arcades and home consoles. I went hoping to learn MAYBE a little something about the historical connection between the military and videogames, but it wasn’t really something that was touched on directly (not that I really expected it to be) outside of a couple mentions in the VR exhibit. They have some interesting items here but I wish it was more “smithsonian” or “air and space museum” and less “discovery science center/exploratorium”.
But obviously I am not the target audience for this, and that’s nobody’s fault. I’m interested/curious in the in the ways they can sometimes be more than just toys, which is what they are to most people. But it was nice to see parents there with their children. One mom sat with her son on the couch in a mockup of a 70’s living room playing atari. After they both died, the mother said, “Wait, I think I remember how to beat this one. You, know last time I played this game, I was about your age.”
I can’t fault them for shooting for a more Ready Player One vibe, but some of the inclusions struck me as odd. They had a whole corner dedicated to “The Cheetahmen”
One thing I found interesting is that they had three little mockup rooms. A sale counter at a games store during the 80’s crash. A 70’s living room. and a early 80’s boy’s bedroom. I thought the living room and bedroom were a interesting choice because it showed how these devices shifted from being for the whole family, to being a more private pursuit for young males.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little window into a place you probably wont ever visit in person. If you live near or happen to visit an interesting locale yourself, consider also sharing. Let me know if you have any questions about the place. If you want to talk about a specific image feel free to repost/relink it in your post to make that easier.
Also just to get discussion going how would you curate your own “videogame museum”?
Have you been to any stores or arcades that were basically like museums?
What’s the worst “videogame museum” and why is it this one?