Game On: an exhibition of the history of gaming

Fan of gaming? Grew up in the hay day of 8 bit gaming and before? Well then this is for you. 'Game On' is a history of the origins of gaming and follows it since the very first times humans sequestered electrons for entertainment through the decades leading to the recent past.

Unlike most exhibitions though, this one is very hands on. Almost every device on exhibit is ready to be played. A few of the exhibits piqued my interest. Gradius was one; it was something I played as a kid on an early MSX computer. The version I played was ported to the PS2, with outstanding improvements.

Each ticket allows an hour of perusing through the gallery, which starts from the progenitors of gaming tech such as the very first lab machines commandeered for game development, magnavox odyssey - first proper games console, the latest generation consoles, and everything inbetween.

My personal favourites were the section on classic handheld devices and coming face to face with consoles, the very earliest of personal computers and not to mention classic games all from my childhood.

A few issues detract from this otherwise wonderful trip down memory lane. The layout is somewhat organic and doesn't present a chronological flow from the very beginning to the latest. There isn't even a tenuous guide to say the very least. A dozen or so magazine covers on entering the exhibit is intriguing, but not enough to warrant people staying on and admiring their content, given the limited time frame of the ticket. A single wall would've done the job better than plastering them through a hallway.

In terms of being a comprehensive look on gaming history, it falls short of not including the current latest technologies and not to mention where future trends, software, hardware and will head. 

For some of its short comings, the Game On exhibiton is great experience not to be missed. I for one wouldn't mind going there a second, third or even tenth time. 


Game On is being held at the Ambassador Theater on Parnell Street, Dublin. Hurry the exhibition is slated to close at the end of January 2011.