Slated to open its doors in December 2015, The National Videogame Museum at 8004 North Dallas Parkway in Frisco, Texas will soon be open to the public. The museum’s mission, according to its website, is “to preserve the history of the video game industry by archiving not only the physical artifacts but also the information and stories behind its creation.” Two such physical artifacts include an authentic Pinball cartridge for the Odyssey 2, signed by the “Father of Video Games,” Ralph Baer, and an Earthbound Air Freshener, one of the six scratch-n-sniff cards that came with the player’s guide.
Ralph Baer personally signed several Pong cartridges at Classic Gaming Expo 2001, which sold out immediately.
One of the most popular exhibits, however, may well be its arcade, called “Pixel Dreams.” The NVM will present fully playable arcade machines for guests’ gaming pleasure. “Attendees automatically get five NVM tokens, but you could spend a whole day working on mastering our games,” says their website. That sounds like a challenge, no? Naturally, parents and younger children are not to be left out. The museum will host an educational program focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for youth and late-night events for adults.
“Pixel Dreams” is the museum’s arcade. Attendees each get five tokens to use.
For information related to the museum, or to ask how to donate a gaming artifact you’d like to see on display, the website has a Contact page for submission of inquiries. If you’re planning a trip to Texas, make sure the NVM is one of your major stops.
Matt Eschbach is a PC, Mac and Android indie game developer and fiction writer. His works have won multiple monetary awards from various contests. Graduating college in 2012 with a major in Game Design, Matt spends his time making stuff up and then building it. His favorite hobby… is sleeping.
