playing-gamesIf you happen to have a trip scheduled to Manchester between 14 May – 20 September this year, you must visit the contemporary exhibition center Urbis, called Videogame Nation, since there you’ll find, in just one place, the entire video games history – 40 years of games, from Manic Miner to GTA IV (and everything in between). A simply unique event and a must visit for every respectable gamer!

Especially because this exhibition is completely interactive: you’ll be able to play early games such as ‘Jetpac’ (1983) for the BBC Micro or ‘Jet Set Willy’ (1984) on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in an authentic bedroom setting. You can also try your and in a seaside-style arcade; take a seat in a football stadium to play ‘Sensible World of Soccer’ (1994), the first video game to cover the entire professional football world in one game; or loiter in a bus shelter to witness gaming on the go with handheld games. How cool is that?

David Crookes, consultant curator of Videogame Nation said about the exhibition: “Gaming has become a hugely significant part of many people’s lives worldwide and this exhibition highlights the contribution British developers have made to the industry and the cultural influence it holds today. Right from the very beginning when games were produced by people in their bedrooms, imagination has been at the forefront but with the powerful consoles we have today, that creative thought is being unleashed like never before. Visitors to the show will see just how far the industry has come and that games are limited only by our imaginations.”

These games and their creators are honored throughout the Videogame Nation exhibition with exclusive interviews with developers including point-and-click adventure game supremo Charles Cecil, industry stalwarts The Oliver Twins and David Braben, creator of ‘Elite’; original artwork from Oliver Frey, designer for Crash, Amtix and Zzap!64 magazines; framed posters and game guru’s biographies – among them Peter Molyneux, Matthew Smith, Jon Ritman, Jon Hare and David and Richard Darling – adding to the collection of memorabilia which will illustrate the history and depth of gaming. In other words, as I kept saying: a must visit!

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