In Real Life

This Weekend Is Retro Gaming Time In Sydney

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10:00AM January 29, 2010 | David Wildgoose

If you’re in or around the city of Sydney this weekend, you should drop by the Powerhouse Museum to check out its Retro Gaming Weekend program.

From 6pm Friday until 4.30pm Sunday you’ll be able to play ’80s video and arcade games, learn about game creation and design, and hear from local and international gaming experts.

The full list of the weekend’s activities can be viewed on the Powerhouse Museum website, but for me the highlights include:

* The ’80s Are Back arcade exhibit

* A panel discussion on ’80s gaming with Krome’s John Passfield, MIT’s Nick Montfort and indie designer Jarrad ‘Farbs’ Woods, of Captain Forever fame.

* The Game Jam design workshop

* A Byteside debate featuring ex-Good Game host Junglist and former games classifier Paul Hunt, amongst others

* Nightly chiptune DJ sets from DJ Ali Reza

The Retro Gaming program runs from 6pm-9pm 29 January and from 10am-5pm 30 and 31 January. Entry is $25 family, $10 adult, $5 child, $6 concession while Powerhouse members get in free.

Who’s going?

Comments

  • Aaron Clement

    January 29, 2010 at 10:09 AM

    I’m not :(

    Hoping that when the Mana Bar opens, we’ll start seeing more things like this make their way to Brisbane.

  • Zwa

    January 29, 2010 at 10:41 AM

    Wow, thanks for the the heads up on this.

    Definitely going to try and get out to see this, I’m too young to remember gaming in the 80′s (born ’85) so I think I’ll find this quite interesting.

    Anyone got any insight into which of the scheduled parts of the exhibit will be most interesting to see, technically I’m only free on Sunday but I can skip out of other commitments if there’s something really worth seeing.

  • Elly Hart

    January 29, 2010 at 10:54 AM

    I went last weekend as I thought the gaming program was on then. It was still fantastic, but mind the school kids.

    Don’t bother with the rest of the museum if you’ve been before – it looks like it hasn’t changed in years.

  • Chris Guerin

    January 29, 2010 at 11:20 AM

    I’ll be there :)

  • Brian Uden

    January 29, 2010 at 1:04 PM

    Still 20 cents a game?

  • Nath

    January 31, 2010 at 12:31 PM

    Stupid Sydney…

  • Mark ( Piggy )

    February 1, 2010 at 8:37 AM

    I went yesterday. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect but left feeling a little bit disappointed. It was spread about a little bit too much and the variety and accessability were slim, the tabletop retros were good but the kids had more fun climbing over them and button bashing them to pieces than I did patiently trying to edge my way in for a blast of space invaders. Overall it wasn’t too bad, it has re-inspired my need for some more old skewl in my diet.

  • Mal

    February 1, 2010 at 8:42 AM

    I dropped by yesterday and I must say I was a little disappointed in the display. The gaming section seemed to be a tacked on after thought to the “80′s Are Back” exhibition. I would’ve liked to have seen some info on the games, perhaps a family tree or timeline etc. It was good to see that it was a part of the 80′s but I would’ve been better off staying at home and playing Wii Virtual console. As it was it was a few games crammed into a generic cabinets. The only two original ones I could see were Gyrus and Dragons Lair.

    Maybe I’m just bitter about not being able to play Donkey Kong anymore but this felt very lack lustre.

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