The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games

[Nlandas]

Collection information and recent donations -
http://www.icheg.org/collections

History of video games -
http://www.icheg.org/icheg-game-history/timeline/

In Rochester, NY there is a National Museum of Play - Strong Museum has many exhibits dedicated to games, toys, stories, etc. Many of the exhibits are hands on for children to experience. The place is simply amazing and well worth a visit for anyone who can make it to the area.

That said they also have a large area dedicated to electronic gaming/computer history. There are many old computers preserved there with information on the history of the computer. Hopefully, they will continue to add to the text descriptions of what made each platform unique and grow their collection.

They also have a very large collection of old working arcade games which can be played for a quarter a game. Even the ones that used to be a dollar a play. Many of the classics I remember are there and they add more all the time.

Why am I talking about this on an Amiga forum? Well, they have a Commodore 64 and I just spoke with one of the museum staff responsible for the collection and they have an Amiga 2000 but they don't want to put it on display as they are also in the process of preserving classic games, etc. and are using the Amiga 2000 to do so. Also, they play games on the 2000 and allow others to do so as well.

So they are looking for donations of historical classic computer equipment. I think we in the Amiga community who would like the Amiga to be seen as the truly ground breaking platform that it was should donate as much as we can to this collection. I am going to be donating some of my collection. The curator was really cool and agreed with my statement that the Amiga was the computer that catalyzed into what we see as the modern personal computer. It seems like a great way to preserve Amiga history for the future and educate those who may not have heard of Amiga and Jay Miner's unique position in the history of computers.

If you are interested in donating Amiga historical hardware, software or other collectible materials see this link -
http://www.icheg.org/collections/donate

I am in no way affiliated with Strong - though it sounds like it would be a fun job to have.

-Nyle

[yorgle]

I live in Rochester and have become friends with JP, who runs icheg. I got a tour of their collections and backrooms. Lots of really cool stuff.

They have a huge wall with computer magazines that go back past through the 80s.  You'll be happy to know that every copy of Amiga World was there.  I love that magazine.

One of the projects they're doing is to document every video game using video recording devices, so there will always be good quality demo videos of the games.  I visited that room with him, and it was fairly large, with a bunch of shelves, filled with just about every console system you can think of, and just about every home computer as well... Including a boxed Amiga 1000.  I've seen other Amiga artifacts there as well as in the "back room"... there's a cage wall that starts in that room, and about the size of a basketball court, or so, filled with racks and racks of shelves and drawers, filled with a ridiculous amount of games on CDs, floppies, cartridges for every console you can think of.

The place is overwhelming.

And yeah... everyone I've interacted with there has been really awesome.

(I've also donated a Kaypro II that I got from a friend that was in pristine shape, and I keep meaning to swing by to drop off my complete Amiga "Hitchhiker's Guide" box, and some Lucasarts boxes as well.)

All of this is above and beneath the main floor which has an arcade machine section, as you mention, but also essentially a huge playground area that teaches kids through play.  My 4 year old loves the place, and actually is in their pre-school program.

[matt3k]

The video arcade is like being in the 80's again.  I had a tour of the storage, and they have just as many games in storage as they do in the arcade.

If you a gamer, they have hundreds of avalon hill and similar board games in storage that they rotate.

Kids like the interactive stuff, they had a huge super hero exhibit that was fun.  The butterfly's are always nice to checkout.

This is the best museum I have ever been to.  Recommend it to anyone with kids or that is a big kid at heart...

[Nlandas]

The video arcade is like being in the 80's again.  I had a tour of the storage, and they have just as many games in storage as they do in the arcade.
.......
This is the best museum I have ever been to.  Recommend it to anyone with kids or that is a big kid at heart...

I really hope that they continue to give them more space to expand the available arcade and displays of old computer technology. They have so much room there and the displays could cover in detail the history of computers and give you access to all kinds of games.

they have a complete Atari 2600 emulator out in one area with a ton of games on it. I don't see why they couldn't do emulators of all the games they have donated and give access to all those old classic games to a new generation of kids. My kids love the older games just like the new and love seeing what I used to play on my Amiga.

If anyone has old equipment, games, magazines, etc. that you are going to get rid of or can't afford to keep in good condition please think of donating.