London museum showcases games

Ian Livingstone to discuss the rise of Lara Croft; David Braben will mull over the evolution of video games since Elite at London Science Museum.

As part of the London Science Museum's Game On exhibition, several talks by key UK game industry pros have been announced. These include Eidos Interactive's Ian Livingstone on the topic of "10 Years of Lara." Livingstone will reflect on the icon's 10-year anniversary. The talk will take place on November 13.

Other talks include Kuju's Nicolas Rodriguez on "Dance Mats and Joysticks: Who's Playing Now?" on November 1. Rodriguez will discuss the impact of new controllers such as dance mats, buzzers, and EyeToy on the gaming landscape.

David Braben, who developed the classic game Elite in the 1980s, takes a trip down memory lane with "Gaming: Now and Then" on November 20. Braben will discuss the evolution of video games since he started in the industry, from their humble beginnings to the cinematic level of many games today.

In addition, Mark Griffiths, professor at Nottingham Trent University, will discuss some of the psychological issues that games prompt in his presentation, "Gaming in Mind," on November 28.

The Game On exhibition, which is sponsored by Nintendo, will run from October 21 to February 25. The exhibition aims to "explore the history, technology, and culture of computer games." There will be over 120 playable game classics such as Pong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario Kart.

Visitors will also be able to see the DEC PDP-1 computer on loan from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The DEC PDP-1 is the computer that ran one of the world's first video games--Spacewar!--back in 1962. There will also be a large-scale art exhibition by UK artist Jon Burgerman and a collection of classic game posters and ads.

Another highlight of the exhibit is a special section on Japanese game culture, with displays of manga and anime, which have influenced video games, and playable Japanese games, including Densha De Go! and Dance Dance Revolution.

All lectures take place from 7 to 8 p.m. and cost £7. Tickets to the Game On exhibition cost £8.50 for adults and £6.50 for children. Combination tickets for the Game On exhibition and the evening talk can be bought for £11. More information can be found on the London Science Museum's Web site.

20 Comments

  • snes_vs_ps1

    Posted Aug 16, 2009 1:20 pm GMT

    2006...now i'm seeing...

  • snes_vs_ps1

    Posted Aug 16, 2009 1:19 pm GMT

    Lara Croft,Lara Croft,Lara Croft...Tomb Raider!

  • Saphire_Kitsune

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 9:00 pm GMT

    ...I wish I lived in London...

  • _Sam_

    Posted Oct 12, 2006 5:58 pm GMT

    interesting discussion

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Oct 11, 2006 11:46 am GMT

    Sounds interesting. Some interesting subjects will be discussed there.

  • jubblerbug

    Posted Oct 11, 2006 12:36 am GMT

    I think i'll probably check this out, since London isn't that far away... i mean how could i pass up the chance to play Super Mario Kart again!

  • TWOC2689

    Posted Oct 10, 2006 12:58 pm GMT

    I'm surprised Gamespot didn't know that the London Film Institute is now catologing games along with film as it is such an important form of media. I know this because I was one of the few who went to the LGF confrence "Watching Games Playing Films" on the 7/10/06. Note: I can't send a e-mail to gamespot because I have problems with my Outlook.

  • 9w43

    Posted Oct 10, 2006 9:28 am GMT

    i will go to this place for the whole day oh yeh

  • moggy997

    Posted Oct 10, 2006 4:10 am GMT

    My college is taking me on a trip to see this event in london, i didnt realise it was so important!

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 9:39 pm GMT

    very interesting

  • nintendorocks

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 5:38 pm GMT

    It's always awesome to hear about a video games getting noticed and honored. Too bad I don't live in the UK.

  • hemakm3

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 5:07 pm GMT

    Interesting.

  • fantasyfacade

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 1:24 pm GMT

    Sounds interesting, but I think I'll give it some thought before booking my flight ticket. I can always use my sister as an excuse to go, n' if its bad I always have a nice visit to relay back on.

  • purplemonkey87

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 12:29 pm GMT

    woo im so there, go UK!

  • aka_hal

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 12:08 pm GMT

    They definitely had that in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry a couple years go. No speakers but a lot of games. I was actually a bit disappointed by it. Alot of the examples they had were boring.

  • Donkeljohn

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 12:00 pm GMT

    A couple years ago Chicago had a game display. Plus, the Metreon in SF has the Walk of Game.

  • Jhonie_Fklits25

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 11:59 am GMT

    Why can't they do this in the U.S.?

  • XBN_PG

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 11:46 am GMT

    I'll be there, I recon it'll be a great to plat all the old

  • dannyb1988

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 11:35 am GMT

    Sounds like a good one for all you retro gamers out there...

  • the_elements600

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 11:25 am GMT

    Hmm

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