In August and September 2024, I had the chance to work in the exhibits and archives of The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Coming from Switzerland, a country in which the historical study and preservation of video games is still in its early stages, I was impressed by the wealth and the diversity of objects held by this institution.
As part of my doctoral research, I’m working mainly on video games designed for the domestic space, i.e. […]

Continue Reading about Game Instructions: How Do You Learn to Play in an Arcade Room? Published on:
January 17, 2025

From Dungeons & Dragons (1974) to Elden Ring (2023), modern games have asked us time and again to crack our knuckles, dust off our wizard cloaks, and test our magical mettle against fantasy’s most fearsome foes. But for all the magic our in-game spellbooks may contain, it was the pages of video game magazines that had the power to skyrocket an obscure game to national acclaim—or rain financial ruin upon a decorated studio for its latest flop. But how did […]

Continue Reading about Let’s Talk About Something Fun—How About Magic? Published on:
January 10, 2025

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
“We surveyed 100 people. The top six answers are on the board…”
You probably easily guessed those iconic lines come from Family Feud. But have you ever wondered who those 100 people are?
Writing material and building each episode is plenty of work for any game show. When Family Feud started production in 1976, the staff took on an even bigger challenge. Not only would they write the material (the […]

Continue Reading about Survey Says: How Family Feud Gets Its Answers Published on:
December 9, 2024

I don’t bring a stack of board games to family Thanksgiving anymore. Although my very kind mother will occasionally humor me and play one of my games, I’ve never seen her have more fun at the table than when we played the traditional card game Hearts this last summer. My aunt, too, has been more than happy to teach me how to play (and how to lose) gin rummy. Years after getting into board games, both personally and professionally, I’ve […]

Continue Reading about The Next Phase: Welcoming Phase 10 to the National Toy Hall of Fame Published on:
November 21, 2024

When does play become personal? When does a person’s exploration of a dungeon or fantasy world turn into an exploration of themselves? For some, certainly the answer is “never.” The distance between the game world and the real world is enough to bar any introspection. Or perhaps their playstyle simply does not warrant it. Certainly, one would assume this was true for the fantasy tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) in the 1970s when the wargame and simulation aspects of the hobby […]

Continue Reading about Playing with Sex and Gender in Fantasy Tabletop Games Published on:
November 1, 2024

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
It seems strange that game shows have a signature microphone. If you watch a comedy sketch spoofing game shows, then the host character is usually holding a long, pencil-thin microphone. Watch reruns of classic game shows, or even the game shows of today, and you’ll see that same long, thin microphone. What happened? Why did the game show genre develop an affinity for such a specific microphone design?
The early […]

Continue Reading about How *That* Microphone Became a Game Show Staple Published on:
October 30, 2024

As an undergraduate intern working with The Strong Museum’s Conservator in the summer of 2024, I spent my days working on a large variety of projects related to the museum’s enormous collection. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes at The Strong to produce and maintain the playful exhibits that the museum is known for, and it has been wonderful to see just a snapshot of the process. To commemorate my time at The Strong so far, I […]

Continue Reading about A Day in the Life of a Conservation Undergraduate Intern Published on:
October 28, 2024

I came to The Strong Museum to study Carmen Sandiego, the shadowy villain who stars in one of the most successful educational game series in video game history, but I left knowing a lot more about the early days of the educational game industry.
I am a Latinx literature scholar and lifelong gamer, whose research has been focused primarily on AfroLatinx literature and culture (my first book came out in June 2024). My research on Miles Morales and the Latino legacy of […]

Continue Reading about Driven by Play: A Reflection on Carmen Sandiego, Freedom!, and Games between 1980 and 2000 Published on:
October 4, 2024

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
The National Archives of Game Show History has been fortunate to have many eager contributors donate their prized possessions to be preserved. Among the many treasures that have been donated: set pieces, handheld props, question cards, photographs and slides, tickets, and scripts.
“Wait a minute, scripts? Game shows have scripts?” you might be asking.
Game shows do have scripts, but not in the sense you’re thinking. It’s important for everyone […]

Continue Reading about Game Shows Have Scripts? Published on:
September 27, 2024