Game On, one of the most original, action-packed and fun-filled exhibitions to hit the streets of Lisbon in recent times is currently being hosted at the Museu de Arte Popular, in Belém.
This exciting and innovative exhibition explores the culture, history and future of video games and looks at where games have come from and where they are going.
And it’s totally interactive! Nearly every exhibit is in perfect working order and can be played by visitors as if it were new.
As well as showcasing some of the finest arcade, console and hand-held games produced over the last 50 years, Game On also highlights the work of the creative people who are involved in the industry, including designers, artists, musicians, testers and programmers.
Game on is playing in the Portuguese capital as part of a ten-year global tour that has taken in more than a dozen countries and thrilled over a million players of all ages.
The exhibition is arranged chronologically with eleven different sections displaying rare and little-seen gems such as the very first arcade game, Computer Space from 1971, invented by Noel Bushnell, founder of Atari and one of the industry’s most respected figures.
Among a treasure trove of consoles, arcade machines, multiplayers, packaging and curios, game history buffs can marvel at the original storyboard for Grand Theft Auto III and the original design concepts for Tomb Raider displayed alongside the BAFTA award the game collected in 1999.
There’s a prototype of the Sony PlayStation and an early Game Boy, amongst other hand-held games. Elsewhere, Japanese Shigeru Miyamoto’s original illustrations of his creation Mario, plus other colourful artwork, provide unique insight into the creative process of game development.
In all, visitors can try their hands at over 120 video games and arcade machines.
Organised by Barbican Art Gallery, London, in collaboration with the National Museums of Scotland, Game On presents games as a creative field which stands alongside music, cinema, and the visual arts and runs until 15 July.
Tue–Thur 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–8pm; Sun–bank holidays 10am–7pm. Closed Mon. Adult €9; children under 5 free; children 6–12 €5. Family pass 2 x adult 2 x children €23.
Photographs © www.paulbernhardtphoto.com
