With the conclusion of a 90,000-square foot expansion to the Strong National Museum of Play, the focus is electronic games. Video games, specifically. Expect a trip down memory lane, but also lots of new things – some designed by museum staff – and a big dose of the 'wow' factor. Set aside a good amount of time to explore. Expect sizable crowds. (Or, pick slower times like weekday mornings or Friday evenings.)
Below are our picks for five can’t-miss attractions in the expansion:
Funded flight
Just inside the new entrance, the first thing you will see is butterflies — lots and lots of them. The museum has 140 OLED insects suspended in the atrium area; each one available for a $1,500 sponsor fee. Donors can “adopt” a butterfly to support the museum and dedicate it to a loved one or organization. The museum brought in local company OLEDWorks, the world leader in OLED lighting technology, to produce the exhibit.
Tall order
You can’t miss the 20-foot tall, playable Donkey Kong arcade game we've been hearing about: just look up, it hangs over the side of the walkway bridge spanning the atrium. The game plays like the original, using the same arcade board scaled up to a giant screen. Other vintage games that have gotten the jumbo treatment: Tennis for Two is playable on a giant-sized console TV. Kids from the '70s will recognize the nearby classic football game where the “players” are little red bars. Instead of a handheld game, it’s a wall mount. And if you want super-sized, at the very back of the museum is a one-story-tall Chutes and Ladders board game.
High score
Learn about the history of video games, see a variety of artifacts, and play indie games on regular-sized video screens — or, step into the center rotunda and play games from the World Video Hall of Fame projected on massive screens above you.
Level-up
This massive exhibit encompassing a series of physically interactive games includes Beat the Boss, where players match the music beat to win against oversized characters; and Stealth Zone, which presents something of a “Mission Impossible” challenge wherein players must make it through, past, and over a series of obstacles undetected. And then there is an interactive playground, which – if you haven’t seen one – is awesome. Players toss balls at virtual targets on a giant screen, testing their accuracy while doing math, solving puzzles, and doing any number of activities.
Hasbro Game Park
Step inside all your favorite childhood games, outdoors. Here you’ll find an 18-foot-tall, five-headed dragon from Dungeons and Dragons. Roll a virtual 20-sided die to see it you can get it to breathe fire (yes, actual fire). Gaze at giant-sized candy canes from Candyland, or at a 14-foot-long Scottie dog from Monopoly (and duck inside the house and hotel game pieces). Scramble over giant Jenga pieces, test your memory on a larger-than-life Simon game, or take a whirl at the giant-sized spinner from The Game of Life.
For hours and ticket information, visit museumofplay.org.
Brian Sharp can be reached at [email protected].
Below are our picks for five can’t-miss attractions in the expansion:
- MAX SCHULTE
Just inside the new entrance, the first thing you will see is butterflies — lots and lots of them. The museum has 140 OLED insects suspended in the atrium area; each one available for a $1,500 sponsor fee. Donors can “adopt” a butterfly to support the museum and dedicate it to a loved one or organization. The museum brought in local company OLEDWorks, the world leader in OLED lighting technology, to produce the exhibit.
- MAX SCHULTE
- Martin Reinhardt, Arcade Game Conservation Technician at The Strong, climbs out of the 20-foot tall Donkey Kong arcade game.
Tall order
You can’t miss the 20-foot tall, playable Donkey Kong arcade game we've been hearing about: just look up, it hangs over the side of the walkway bridge spanning the atrium. The game plays like the original, using the same arcade board scaled up to a giant screen. Other vintage games that have gotten the jumbo treatment: Tennis for Two is playable on a giant-sized console TV. Kids from the '70s will recognize the nearby classic football game where the “players” are little red bars. Instead of a handheld game, it’s a wall mount. And if you want super-sized, at the very back of the museum is a one-story-tall Chutes and Ladders board game.
High score
Learn about the history of video games, see a variety of artifacts, and play indie games on regular-sized video screens — or, step into the center rotunda and play games from the World Video Hall of Fame projected on massive screens above you.
- MAX SCHULTE
- Visitors to the World Video Hall of Fame wing at The Strong can play games inducted into the Hall of Fame and learn more about the history of the gaming industry.
This massive exhibit encompassing a series of physically interactive games includes Beat the Boss, where players match the music beat to win against oversized characters; and Stealth Zone, which presents something of a “Mission Impossible” challenge wherein players must make it through, past, and over a series of obstacles undetected. And then there is an interactive playground, which – if you haven’t seen one – is awesome. Players toss balls at virtual targets on a giant screen, testing their accuracy while doing math, solving puzzles, and doing any number of activities.
- MAX SCHULTE
- The 14-foot-long Scottie dog from Monopoly at Hasbro Game Park outside The Strong.
Hasbro Game Park
Step inside all your favorite childhood games, outdoors. Here you’ll find an 18-foot-tall, five-headed dragon from Dungeons and Dragons. Roll a virtual 20-sided die to see it you can get it to breathe fire (yes, actual fire). Gaze at giant-sized candy canes from Candyland, or at a 14-foot-long Scottie dog from Monopoly (and duck inside the house and hotel game pieces). Scramble over giant Jenga pieces, test your memory on a larger-than-life Simon game, or take a whirl at the giant-sized spinner from The Game of Life.
For hours and ticket information, visit museumofplay.org.
Brian Sharp can be reached at [email protected].
