As one of the largest history museums in the United States, The Strong houses impressive collections and exhibits. You won’t find typical museum fare at the massive Rochester, New York campus, though; this organization is wholly devoted to the history and exploration of play.
Naturally, video games are embraced in this culture of fun. The museum hosts highly interactive exhibits where you can play Giant Tetris on oversized joysticks, run wild in rooms full of historic video arcade games and pinball machines, and enjoy a host of other activities and displays celebrating the history and cultural impact of video games.
Today marks the announcement of a brand new exhibit coming to The Strong, born of a partnership with the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS). With this exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the individuals and projects that have shaped the interactive entertainment industry as we know it.
“The AIAS is honored to partner with The Strong to present the history of our awards and industry,” says Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “The Strong is the ideal partner with which to showcase the many accomplishments of the video game community and to hopefully inspire new generations to follow in the distinguished footsteps of our industry’s pioneering game makers.”
Recipients of both the AIAS D.I.C.E. Awards and Special Awards will be showcased in a touch-screen timeline encompassing multiple categories, including Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, and Family Game of the Year. Go back more than 20 years of Game of the Year winners, beginning from the first recipient, GoldenEye 007 (1998), all the way to Fallout 4.
Take a journey through years of industry luminaries honored by the AIAS and D.I.C.E. with Hall of Fame inductions, Lifetime Achievement Awards, and Technical Impact Awards. Even check out video game artifacts from The Strong’s collections, with memorabilia from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Half Life II, Journey, and more titles.
Rare design documents from the museum’s archives will also be on display, including those from 2012 AIAS Pioneer Award recipient Ed Logg (creator of Asteroids), 2015 AIAS Pioneer Award recipient Ralph H. Baer (creator of the Magnavox Odyssey), and 2007 AIAS Hall of Fame recipient Dani Bunten Berry (creator of M.U.L.E.). Gain rare insight into the design process of classic and industry-forging works of entertainment.
“The Strong and AIAS have a shared interest in preserving the cultural history of video games, including their design and development and their impact on society,” says G. Rollie Adams, president and CEO of The Strong. “The museum and AIAS created a formal partnership that resulted in this exhibit, which includes numerous honorees that have donated their work to The Strong for archival and exhibition purposes, among them Ralph Baer, Will Wright, and Bill Budge.”
This exhibit, which will be accessible with general museum admission, joins The Strong’s lineup of long-term displays, and will be updated each year with new award recipient content. For more information visit http://www.museumofplay.org/.
