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VIGAMUS
The Video Game Museum of Rome
Official logo of the VIGAMUS
Barbiere1138/sandbox is located in Rome
Barbiere1138/sandbox
Location within Rome
EstablishedOctober 20, 2012
LocationVia Sabotino 4, 00195 Roma, Italia
Coordinates41°55′01″N 12°27′33″E / 41.917029°N 12.4592638°E / 41.917029; 12.4592638
DirectorMarco Accordi Rickards
Websitewww.vigamus.com

VIGAMUS - The Video Game Museum of Rome is the first video game museum in Italy. Located in the heart of Rome, VIGAMUS is devoted to preserve and divulge the history and evolution of video games. It operated by the VIGAMUS Foundation, which has the specific purpose of creating spaces dedicated to the conservation, preservation and sharing of physical and digital assets related to the video game cultural heritage.

The VIGAMUS is an institutional member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and one of the Founding Members of the European Federation of Games Archives(EGAMP), Museums and Preservation Projects. It is also supported by the Roma Capitale.

Galleries and Exhibition Spaces[edit]

Permanent Exhibition Gallery[edit]

VIGAMUS main hall

The permanent exhibition is divided into thematic units, tracing the history of video game consoles from the Magnavox Odyssey, up to the latest developments in contemporary gaming. It contains a large selection of historically significant pieces, accompanied by numerous panels that illustrate their historical context in both Italian and English. The objects in the gallery include software and hardware, as well as a selection of promotional merchandise and vintage toys. Video retrospectives allow visitors to see and hear first-hand the video games of yesterday and today.

Interactive galleries[edit]

Interactive Gallery 1 at the VIGAMUS
VIGAMUS - Steel Battalion installation

The VIGAMUS has three interactive galleries that allow hands-on experiences with the museum’s collection. These include arcade machines, recent home game consoles, as well as special installations, such as the Steel Battalion exhibit. Video game console games are rotated on a weekly basis to provide fresh experiences to visitors.

The Oculus Room[edit]

The Oculus Room at the VIGAMUS - The Video Game Museum of Rome

The Oculus Room exhibition opened to the public on Oct 19, 2013. It contains four development kit Oculus Rift virtual reality units which display several different video game experiences on a rotating basis. All units are interactive and the exhibition features several panels that explore the technology of virtual reality and the creator of Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey. This exhibition was developed in connection with Oculus Rift Italia.

Special exhibition galleries[edit]

VIGAMUS regularly hosts thematic exhibitions to celebrate a title or a series. These exhibitions often explore aspects of a title or series’ history, creative process, narrative, cultural status, as well as allowing these games to be experienced first-hand. Notable past exhibitions have featured gaming franchises such as Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed.

Epson conference room[edit]

Epson Conference Room at the Vigamus

Within the Epson Multimedia Conference Center with approximately 100 seats, the museum frequently hosts special events designed for the general public and dedicated to the main video game sensations of the year. In addition, seminars about retro gaming and high profile academic round tables are held regularly. Notable past events have included Space Invaders: The 35 Years Invasion and PITFALLS AND POWER-UPS. Building and Teaching the History of Video Games, sponsored by the University of Montrèal.

The Collection[edit]

Pacman display at the Vigamus

Consoles[edit]

The museum holds a large number of home gaming consoles on non-interactive display in the permanent exhibition. The console collection ranges from the earliest home consoles, starting with the Magnavox Odyssey (1972) to the latest hardware releases. This includes consoles produced for Italy, France, Germany, United States, and Japan respectively. A small selection of consoles are placed on interactive display on a rotating basis.

The museum also has a selection of interactive traditional arcade machines, including video game arcade cabinets, a foosball table, a jukebox, and a pinball machine.

Video Games[edit]

In addition, the video game collection is presented as a large collection of console games on non-interactive display. This collection is internationally representative, with versions of video games as they were produced for Japan, Europe, and North America. A selection of games are placed on interactive display on a weekly rotating basis.

The museum also contains a small collection of promotional demonstration disks on non-interactive display, including the original demo disk of the Crytek engine for the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in May 2000, donated by Crytek, and the master floppy disks containing the original source code for the shareware version of Doom, donated by ID Software.

Other Artifacts[edit]

A small collection of production artwork, unique artwork produced specifically for the museum, and promotional materials, including franchise related memorabilia and life-size sculptures, are also on display throughout the museum. In addition, the museum holds a selection of exclusive video interviews, such as an interview with Tomohiro Nishikado, creator of Taito's Space Invaders.

List of Past Special Events[edit]

  • ROUND TABLE AND OPENING EXHIBITION DISNEY: WRECK IT RALPH - Dec 14, 2012
  • STAR WARS – MAY THE FOURTH - May 4-5, 2013
  • ZOMBIE DAY 2 - May 25, 2013
  • SPACE INVADERS: THE 35 YEARS INVASION - May 16, 2013
  • SNK LEGENDS - June 29-30, 2013
  • TEKKEN DAY - July 9, 2013

Publications[edit]

Beyond the collection's official catalog, the museum routinely publishes a line of books aimed at educating the public on the video game medium and culture. The VIGAMUS: Conscious Gaming series is aimed at non-gaming readers who are interested in specific aspects of the video game culture. These publications are presently only available in Italian.

List of VIGAMUS Publications[edit]
  • Video Games and Propaganda

Rickards, Marco Accordi; Padula, Alessia VIDEOGIOCHI E PROPAGANDA UniversItalia: Rome, 2012: Printed

  • SPECTRUMPEIDA

Grussu, Alessandro SPECTRUMPEDIA UniversItalia: Rome, 2012; Printed

  • Silent Hill 2: The Fog and Darkness

Sufflico, Sonia SILENT HILL 2. LA NEBBIA E LE TENEBRE UniversItalia: Rome, 2012: Printed

  • Action! Press Start!: The Relationship Between Cinema and Video Games

Giannone, Michele; Romanini, Micaela CIAK! SI GIOCA. IL RAPPORTO TRA CINEMA E VIDEOGIOCHI UniversitItalia: Rome, 2012; Printed

  • Aliens: Interactive Terror

Rickards, Marco Accordi "ALIENS. TERRORE INTERATTIVO" UniversItalia: Rome, 2013; Printed

  • The Beauty of Video Games: Paths, Evolution, and Hybridization

Papale, Luca ESTETICA DEI VIDEOGIOCHI. PERCORSI, EVOLUZIONI, IBRIDAZIONI UniversItalia: Rome, 2013; Printed

  • Star Trek: The Game Dimension

D'Anna, Fabio STAR TREK. DIMENSIONE GIOCO UniversItalia: Rome, 2013; Printed

  • Resident Evil: The Roots of Evil

Giannone, Michele RESIDENT EVIL. LE RADICI DEL MALE; UniversItalia: Rome, 2013; Printed

Press Links[edit]

English[edit]

Edge Online, October 23, 2012 "Italian Videogame Museum VIGAMUS opens in Rome"

Edge Online, October 10, 2012 "How an Italian game journalist’s crusade to bring videogame history to the masses paid off"

Japanese[edit]

TAITO partner of VIGAMUS, Taito Japan, October 2012

Italian[edit]

Il Giornale, October 2012

Wired.it, October 2012

Video News Coverage[edit]

Tiggi Gulp, 22 ottobre 2012 - Video News

TG2, 30 novembre 2012

TG2, 18 marzo 2013

Rai Edu, Art and Design, 12 novembre 2012

Rai TV, Oct 26, 2013

Namco-Bandai Press Preview for Dark Souls II, Oct 28, 2013

Also See[edit]

EFGAMP (http://www.efgamp.eu)

ICOM (http://icom.museum/)

Rome museums' exhibition site (http://english.romaexhibit.it/pagine/vigamus-thevideogame-museum)

Computerspielemuseum ((http://www.computerspielemuseum.de)

References[edit]

Bibliography
  • Rickards, Marco Accordi, VIGAMUS: Il Catalogo, UniversItalia: Rome, 2012, Printed; ISBN: 978-88-6507-343-8

External Links[edit]

Official Website http://www.vigamus.com/

Official Press Webpage http://vigamus.com/en/press

Official Museum Photos https://www.facebook.com/VIGAMUSROME/photos_albums

ICOM Italia Website http://www.icom-italia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124:lazio&catid=22&Itemid=179