Since the 17th century, individuals have discussed the possibility of extraterrestrial beings. What is the possibility of extraterrestrial life? “Guaranteed,” Harvard physicist and
Playing a Maddening Game: Golf Under Pressure
In high school I often worked as a caddy, hitchhiking to a golf course in the morning. (Oh, weren’t those the carefree days.) Flat rate for eighteen holes paid $1.75 for carrying a
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Costume Quest: Nostalgic Halloween Gaming
It’s almost Halloween. My neighborhood is filled with decorative plastic ghosts, goblins, and skeletons. Advertisements for scary movie marathons inundate television channels, and
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Resident Evil
Inducted: 2024 Although not the first horror-themed video game, Resident Evil (or Biohazard as it was known in Japan) was the first game to popularize what game publisher
Entering the Dragon’s Lair (into ICHEG’s Collections)
The more than 140 arcade cabinets ICHEG owns are key components of our tens of thousands of video games and related artifacts. Our arcade cabinets range from early pioneers like
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Using Woodblocks to Reshape Video Game Art: An Interview with Incredipede’s Thomas Shahan
Not that long ago, critics debated whether video games qualified as art. Now, thanks in large part to artist and microphotographer Thomas Shahan, Colin Northway’s forthcoming game
My Little Pony Prances into the National Toy Hall of Fame
My Little Pony invites children in the age-old play of hair grooming, brushing, and braiding. The ponies encourage fantasy, narrative, and storytelling. The variety of figures
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Ninja Princess and the Erasure of Women in Video Games
While working on The Strong’s exhibit on the history of women in the video game industry, I decided to do some research into the earliest examples of playable female characters. I
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Barbie Hacks and Mods: On Swapping Voices, Removing Makeup, and Fighting Prejudice
Barbie has raised eyebrows since her debut at the 1959 Toy Fair. Modeled after the German Bild Lilli novelty doll, Barbie provided girls a playroom outlet for their dreams and
Difficulty in Video Gaming
Some video games make us want to throw our controllers against the wall and swear never to play again. But somehow we always seem to find ourselves plopped back on the couch,
Video Game Villains Countdown 5: The Most Evil of Them All
Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for—the top five most iconic video game villains of all time. Donkey Kong from Wikipedia #5: Donkey Kong: King of video game
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Altering Classic Video Games
I recently watched independent animation film director and designer Léo Verrier’s short film, Dripped. The 8-minute film presented a fictional story of a burglar who stole famous
