Explore the history of videogaming at the National Media Museum’s interactive Games Lounge

The National Media Museum’s Games Lounge is a brand new attraction giving visitors the chance to plug into the history of videogaming, play classic, groundbreaking games in their original arcade or console formats and discover the story behind a global phenomenon.

Asteroids, Manic Miner, Frogger and Street Fighter 2 – once the height of new gaming technology – were the forerunners of today’s multi-billion pound industry of Playstations, Xboxes and Wiis. Opening on February 13, the National Media Museum’s Games Lounge will include these seminal games, and more, many of them in authentic arcade cabinets.

Anyone visiting the Museum will be able to play their way through the titles that helped videogaming become one of the most successful entertainment industries in the world; from the sensational Pong (1972) to celebrated releases from the 1990s such as Super Mario Kart and 007 Golden Eye.

Tom Woolley, the National Media Museum’s Curator of New Media said: “We’ve chosen seminal games that are easy to pick up and play, either for a quick 5 minute blast or a few hours.

“We’re hoping the games will ignite feelings of nostalgia in visitors who remember them when they were first released, and give young people the chance to play them for first time. It’d be great to see kids beating their parents at Super Mario Kart or Street Fighter 2!”

Gallery Development Manager Joe Stocks-Brook said: “We want to bring old games to life for a new generation. The Games Lounge will be an informal, enjoyable space for people to meet and experience a taste of their gaming heritage.”

Visitors will be able to track the history of videogames through a giant timeline as well as view the early computers and games consoles that turned a nation on to a new pastime. A dedicated Museum website is set to provide further information and interactive content exploring the tradition, culture and design of videogames.

The Games Lounge is also the first public gallery that draws on the collection and knowledge of the National Videogame Archive (NVA). Launched in 2008 as a partnership between the National Media Museum and Nottingham Trent University, the NVA records the vital role videogames play within the national heritage and the place they now hold in modern culture.

It is a purpose-built area forming a major part of the National Media Museum’s £390,000 redevelopment of its ground floor and foyer, which also includes a new box office, electronic information points, fast ticketing machines and new signage.

Featuring 15 titles, the Games Lounge offers a selection which are coin-operated for the closest recreation of the original arcade experience possible, alongside a small number which are free to play. The lounge also hosts a unique arcade-style cabinet designed to give wheelchair users access to many of the titles through a free-of-charge simulator.