It’s not often you hear the fun and bouncy sound of Super Mario Bros. theme music in a library. But on the last Friday in October, the recognizable soundtrack to the retro video game and the exclamations from excited game enthusiasts permeated the ground floor of the George C. Gordon Library.
Attendees play on Nintendo Entertainment System at kickoff event for library exhibit.
On this evening, the entrance to WPI’s Archives and Special Collections was filled with dozens of students, faculty, and staff. They huddled in groups around four televisions to play classic video games like Pac-Man, Mario Kart, and Zelda and watch others test their skills on game consoles dating back four decades, all items preserved in WPI’s collection. For some, it was a surprising scene. “I was utterly astounded,” said Benjamin Levy, a sophomore computer science and interactive media and game development (IMGD) major. “I was amazed they managed to collect so many different consoles and iconic games. I can see so many different people having fun here and it warms my heart.”
The buzzy scene was the kickoff event for the newest exhibit of Archives and Special Collections, “Video Game Console Wars 1976-2001 featuring WPI’s Interactive Media Archive & Interactive Media & Game Development Department.” The exhibit, located in the library’s Gladwin Gallery, features a display of consoles including a 1970s Atari 2600, the Mattel Electronics Intellivision, a Nintendo Entertainment System from 1985, and a 1995 Sony PlayStation. The exhibit also includes vintage system controllers and games such as Frogger and Metroid.
Arthur Carlson
The collection on display was built through collaborations between Archives and Special Collections and IMGD program faculty and staff. One of the program’s founding professors, the late Dean O’Donnell, was a driving force in gathering and preserving the historical items. Arthur Carlson, University Archivist and Assistant Director for the library, says the exhibit reflects a core mission of Archives and Special Collections, “to support WPI's unique educational model. One of the ways we do that is by documenting both the history and development of academic courses and providing access to unique resources.”
Carlson says the archive of video games and interactive media is rare among colleges and universities. The collection places WPI with the likes of The Strong National Museum of Play and the Smithsonian, which developed a video game archive in 2016.
"We cannot celebrate progress unless we understand how far a journey we've made."
Arthur Carlson
University Archivist, Assistant Director, George C. Gordon Library
Casey Costa
The exhibit and the event are inspiring students to reflect on the past and their own future at WPI and beyond. “All the consoles and games are from my parents' generation. I feel bad for professors who are standing right over there who are like, ‘Don't say it's old’,” said Casey Costa, a sophomore IMGD and computer science major. He said he especially appreciates the exhibit posters that describe the evolution of the video game industry and the portion of the exhibit dedicated to the history of the IMGD program and its recent student and faculty projects. “I was reading every single sign. I feel like I need to know exactly how this [IMGD] happened. It's so cool. I am excited to work on projects, work on games, and get my ideas out there and explore what I can really do here.”
