Game Masters 2012

With Stephen Pastic

Currently open to the public at the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI), Federation Square in Melbourne, Game Masters is an exhibition celebrating the history of videogames, as well as the works of some of the industry's most prominent figures.  Running the gamut from old school arcade cabinets right through to modern juggernauts like Rock Band, visitors can both experience and learn about many pivotal titles throughout the history of gaming.  Part time writer and "referring to himself in the third person" enthusiast Stephen Pastic recently attended Game Masters, and is here to give those yet to attend a taste of what they can expect to see.  Over to you, Stephen.

Thank you, Stephen.  Are you interested in gaming? Do you have $22?  Do you live in or near Melbourne?  Don't you love rhetorical questions?  Particularly for people who are relatively new to videogames, or are interested in their history, Game Masters is something you probably should not miss.  Game Masters endeavours to show the history of videogames primarily through the works of particular game makers.  Events such as this are something of a rarity in Australia, and full credit must go to ACMI for clearly going to a lot of effort to put this exhibition on.

The centerpiece of this exhibition was a forum featuring Tim Schaefer (Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandago, Psychonauts, Brutal Legend) and Warren Spector (System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) which was held on 29th June discussing various aspects of the games industry.  Peter Molyneux (Fable) was also initially scheduled to attend, but cancelled sometime prior.  Among other gaming industry identities - such as Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame - these game makers were featured in the exhibit, with playable versions of their games available for the public to try out, as well as see and hear behind the scenes of development via pre recorded interviews and original concept art.

Beginning from the early days of arcade cabinets, visitors will see and play titles set out in approximate chronological order such as The Legend Of Zelda (1986), Starcraft (1998) and Lego Harry Potter (2010).  All kinds of genres and systems are covered, and even a gaming newcomer is bound to recognise at least a few of the titles on show.  Ancillary materials such as concept art and additional information cover the walls, and headsets are also available for people to hear about certain aspects of a particular game's development from the people behind it.

As visitors arrive at the tail end of the exhibit, the focus seems to be spread between three particular titles - Rock Band, Dance Central, and Child of Eden.  Rock Band (complete with drums, guitars and microphone) is available for play within what appears to be a large perspex box, Dance Central dominates much of the floor space with a large screen and dance area, and Child of Eden is being shown within a theatre-like room in 3D.  All three of these games do seem to attract something of a crowd, so one should realistically expect to wait in line before getting their hands on time - i myself decided to abandon the wait for Child of Eden given the number of us in line.  Dance Central also seems to feature a permanent audience crowding around the dance space, so if you are particularly squeamish about flailing like a mongoose in public, you may want to re-think waiting for a turn.

Also featured in a secondary area is the indie game space.  The titles featured in this wing are generally lower budget titles made by a small team of people, and tend to be a little more experimental than their bigger siblings.  It is highly recommended visitors take the time to have a good look at the titles featured here - several of these games have gone on to garner massive critical acclaim, despite often being quite different (both gameplay wise and thematically) from the more popular and well known games.

Furthermore, specific events and creative workshops are also scheduled to be held throughout the exhibition, so if you are interested in attending, head on over to the website at http://www.acmi.net.au/game-masters-events-program.aspx and see what is on before planning your visit.

For those who have grown up from the early days of gaming and stuck with it since, there is the possibility that some may get a sense of "seen or played it all before", but this exhibition seems to be geared more towards those who have either recently gotten into gaming or those that wish to know more about their creators.  It is immediately apparent that ACMI has gone to a lot of effort in not only aquiring the games themselves, but also the ancillary materials and information on display - especially for people who are not familiar with many of the games on show, the exhibition is easily worth its asking price.  Even some of the more avid, older gamers might discover something they had heard of but not yet tried, and after playing, walk away with a new title or two to sink their teeth into.