Young Critics: National Videogame Museum

National Videogame Museum

L–R (top): Blanca, Grace, Nefeli, Sonic, Mallika, Zunaira, Star. L–R (bottom): Liv, Mia, Majeedah.

In June 2022, our Young Critics from Brinsworth Academy’s Writing Club took a trip to the National Videogame Museum (NVM). It was the first time any of the group had visited the museum. As well as playing lots of games, they joined the NVM's Leah and Gordie to peek behind the scenes, take some pics on a Game Boy Camera, and hear how a videogame museum is run. Read on to find out what they each made of it!

Majeedah

The National Videogame Museum (NVM) is an incredibly curated insight into the world of retro gaming. From someone who was not around in the era of the arcade cabinet, it transported me into a time I had not experienced, and a world so foreign yet intriguing. The NVM feels less like a museum and more like an 80s-themed arcade as you explore the many types of games it has to offer.

The museum begins with relatively vintage and 70s arcade cabinets. Games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders – titles renowned worldwide for their brilliance that was ahead of their time, even someone who is not particularly a gamer has heard of them. Whilst many newer, updated renditions of these games (which I learned are called ports from the wonderful guide) can be played today, it was a raw, real, fun way to enjoy these games, completely unparalleled to anything I’ve experienced on my home consoles. The controls – usually a joystick or two and some tactile buttons – were quite difficult to master. Often a press of mine was not hard enough, resulting in a dramatic defeat after three perfect rounds of Space Invaders. (Some tears may have been shed.) This unrivalled experience completely put touchscreens to shame. It was so exciting, so fresh. I can completely understand why 70s kids were so infatuated with the phenomenon of arcade gaming.

Further in, the museum displayed some 2000s and 2010s classics. They had a Wii, a console that I remember using. It was very fun playing golf and immersing myself in it.

Later in the day, I learned about how the games are repaired in the museum. It fascinated me how complex the whole process is. I also learned about how games transcend their consoles through a system called porting – where games are run on a mini computer called Raspberry Pi. With some tweaking, the game can be made to run on modern consoles.

Overall, the trip was informative and fun. I had a really good time and would love to come back.

Liv

I walked down the futuristic corridor that was lit very bright. I saw all of the different types of videogames and machines, all so different from what I had seen before! I was greeted by Sonic the Hedgehog (what an ICON). The first old skool game I went on was the classic Space Invaders. I obviously won. The next game I went on was Pac-Man, didn’t win though because I got eaten within the first 30 seconds. Actually, I’m lying, it was 10 seconds!

FIFA was the best game though. Although I got a red card in the first game, ha ha.

In my second game of FIFA I won 2–0, ha ha.

Imagine watching two people on the dance mat, absolutely terrible.

Blanca

In the Videogame Museum, the dark lighting contrasted heavily with the screens, which exploded with animated colours and simplistic shapes that dragged us into the room, further and further until our eyes met every game and we all found that one videogame from our childhood that we would spend hours playing. What captivated me the most was Sonic Racing. While we blamed some games on being too old, if they challenged our abilities, this game was one that drew everyone in and made us sigh and “tsk!” when we somehow managed to do another DNF (did not finish). But we kept playing. Other games towards the back end of the museum were modern, like FIFA, and others were really intriguing.

But one thing that I was curious about was what inspired the game creator to do this game, what made the animators go, “I’ve got to join this project, this is what I’ve finished my degree for”?

Not that they shouldn’t be proud of what they created. That museum was a collection of hours of work and creative thinking… all for us to enjoy years later.

Star

> Quest: What was your first thought as you walked in? <

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!! I’M FINALLY HERE!! I’ve always wanted to do this!! Now I need a new bucket list. But I actually made it in one piece! This is so cool!!

And overwhelming a little, what do I do?

> Quest: Play some games <

Well of course I’m gonna do that but we need a group picture in front of the giant Sonic first! Wait, he’s wearing a pride flag for a cape! That’s so cool! Supportive hedgehog! Now what first?

Wow! They have the original Sonic the Hedgehog! Bet I can beat this easily! Well, after a few tries of course. And maybe a few more. I like this Sonic Racing one too, it’s a bit hard to control but I've never played before so how can I get the hang of it straight away?

There’s so many new opportunities for me in these games. It’s like time travel playing the old retro ones but they’re so cool! They give me a level into the past.

> Side Quest: Battle Sarah on Dance Dance Revolution <

Round one, FIGHT!

Okay, I got this, just keep to the beat, I can defeat her! It’s kinda hard BUT REALLY FUN! Oh wait, she’s good... like, really good.

Round two, FIGHT!

This music’s better! All the music, good!

Nefeli

The Videogame Museum is honestly a time machine embedded within the architecture of Sheffield city centre – it sits in a place disguised and quiet, but inside is a space overwhelmed with things that attest to the theory of time. Although sparse in terms of visitors the atmosphere was warm and borderline maddening, however that is not to say that it’s a bad thing; it felt as if I had stepped in an arcade that was unsure of what timeline it should exist in. In one corner were the 70s and 80s, the prime of our parents’ lives; Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. They all threatened to crumble down the minute someone looked at them the wrong way, yet there they were. Still standing.

You’d think that a museum would be full of paintings and statues built during the Renaissance or the new ages, and all you’d find in there would be pretentious philosophers and academics widening their perspectives on the world of art. Of course, those are the type of museums I’d find myself in, but that is not to say that I enjoyed this one any less – it was loud with the voice of electronics and filled to the brim with the light and sight of technology, both old and new. And like a museum one would find in Paris or Vienna or Athens, this too had glass screens and cubes of art that had to be protected. Games and consoles that were sealed in cubes of a certain oxygen concentration and set at a specific temperature to protect the vulnerability of their state.

This could make one consider that, perhaps, video games are also art – they were created by human hands, and made to please the eyes and the soul. Is that not what all art does? Perhaps it’s not as detailed or as intricate as the Lady Agnew of Lochnaw found in a Scottish gallery, but that in no way means that it is any less complex. It is a perfect mix of beauty and science that entertained people for generations, and still entertains us to this day, and to be exposed to the evolution of videogames the way the Videogame Museum did, well, it was certainly a new perspective.

Grace

The Videogame Museum is exactly what you would expect to see: a mix of everything from retro arcade games to the latest version of Mario. It had a nice balance between the retro and futuristic and it let you enjoy both at the same time. Some people may feel as though a museum is boring and dull, yet the Videogame Museum is far from it.

Platform 14 – a wall that shows the progression of a videogame over the years – was able to tell a story of how a videogame evolves and it gives hope to what videogames can become in the future. This feature of the museum is the first glimpse into the technical world that you get. It only makes you more excited to see the rest of the museum.

While it is an experience that any avid videogamer should experience, there is something there for everyone. I myself have avoided most videogames in my life, but being able to play retro arcade games, machines from decades ago – that you can play for free after the initial entrance fee – I was swept away into the wide world of videogames. It was an experience that I would recommend for anyone, and older visitors will be guaranteed to be swept back to their times as a youth.

The overall museum was a place that felt futuristic but also retro. Children of the most recent generation gained an appreciation for the older games and how they have turned into the games they play today.

The memorabilia in the glass display cases was an intriguing way to learn about videogames and other attachments that came with them. The information that was presented was interesting and it left you wanting to know more about all the variety of things in the museum.

Going to the museum with friends is a whirlwind of fun and laughs. This needs to be an experience that everyone should go through in their life. I wouldn’t recommend another museum more than the Videogame Museum.

Thanks to Akeem Balogun for leading a writing workshop with the Young Critics following their trip to the National Videogame Museum.

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Young Critics

Featured in
Young Critics 2022