Guest Writer: National Media Museum

As if to highlight how bereft of culture I am, a TSAian sent a Guest Writer article to me that was about his trip to a museum. Thankfully, it was the National Media Museum and therefore in no way does it pertain to culture. Phew.  Means I might understand what the heck Foxhound_Solid is going on about too.

Gaming Lounge – National Media Museum Bradford

Morning All: I hope you are well and looking forward to a well deserved Easter Break. I thought I would offer you a little bit of a suggestion if you will, should you be at a loose end over the Easter Period. We as gamers don’t really get much else to do which isn’t covered under the ever growing umbrella that is Gaming. (Er, this was supposed to be published before the Easter break, but I had one too many chocolates and was in a sugar-induced coma for a week – Michael)

Now by mistake I discovered the Gaming Lounge at the National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, a building which I abseiled down for Charity a few years ago.  It’s a joy to behold. It kind of feels like a play-pen for adults, if you like. Loads of example systems up and running with awesome titles available to test your skills on.  Bright little seats and colorful walls, the effort has been put in here and it makes it all the more welcoming. Arcade Machines are set up and just take a mere 20 Pence Piece to allow the Start Button to function and you are off.

I visited this with my younger brother and we were really taken aback and found ourselves sitting playing Goldeneye on the N64 laughing about how we used to swear graphics couldn’t get better than these. After a few gun-wielding transitions across the lovingly crafted levels of Goldeneye, we decided to revert from having short arms and deep pockets and stressed and strained to prise some currency from our moth-bitten pockets.

At this stage we were incessantly chuckling as the memories flooded back for us. As kids we used to visit an Arcade called ‘Galaxy’ and we were pretty slick with SF2 with a joystick. Popping Triple Whammies [Jump in Punch, Uppercut, Fireball] and using the infamous Double Whammy with Triple Dragon punch. These combos were absolutely vital when we were growing up. In our day your ‘Coolness’ wasn’t measured by your kicks or how fast you could run, it was measured by the level of skill you had on SF2.

My Bro hit up with Ryu as he was his old faithful. Me, Kenny Boy Smith as his Triple Dragon Punch was just too good when you landed it right. The battles were short lived with me championing the encounter and then ‘whooping’ very loudly and as a result the rest of the museum knew who had won. As I stood there feeling pretty good, I met with Chun Li [my brother only had pound coins left and the machine only took twenties] and my rear was kicked, Ken falling back in SLO-MO with the strange dying echo they used to make.

Man, was it this hard in the day? No, it was always this hard, the difference was back then we all spent 25 hours a day fine tuning our combos and executions.

We then took a stroll around – which can be done in less than five minutes if you’re quick – and were again taken aback by the old consoles we had forgotten; the Console Timeline which showed significant things and really gives you an idea of how far things have come. The old school games and systems which were just so much fun, I mean bouncing round Ghost Valley with Koopa Troopa is still as much fun now as it was back then. I would challenge anyone to a duel on this game as I still have my Mario Kart Stripes, although it wasn’t so long ago that the old SNES was out!

The exhibition is awash with  little gems which are really worth visiting for, if only for your memories really. The history lesson is something which will intrigue when you see how it all began and the look of the old consoles, the way things are out for you to see with little Note Cards next to them is a great way to absorb bite-sized bits of information. I had a NES and a Master System when I was a youth of single digit, not that we were rich or anything, I have two  younger brothers and we could never agree on what we wanted – this was a ploy and the only ploy that has ever worked for us – so with the lovely season that is Christmas we managed to get them all under the Square TV with the Fake Wood Surround – how retro is that vision?

It’s great to see little exhibitions like this and if you are near Bradford over the festive period and own a *Flak Jacket, Stab Vest, Utility Belt and practice Kung Fu*, it could be right up your street.  So be strong and brave, wade through the town and give the exhibition a go, I promise it will make you smile.

Disclaimer: I live on the utter outskirts of Bradford and as a result feel the comment about what equipment is needed to enter the Warzone is imperative.