The Computerspielemuseum is what happens when nostalgia and technology meet in Berlin. Originally open as an exhibition from 1997 to 2000, the museum was (and still is) the largest collection of computer gaming memorabilia in the world. After an eleven-year wilderness period existing online-only the museum re-opened a physical space in 2011. It’s home, amidst the suitably sharp angles and blocks of Karl Marx Allee, is just a 5 minute ride from Alexanderplatz and a portal back into many an 8-bit childhood.
There are always special exhibitions at the museum, generally testing the boundaries of art, technology and reality. But it is the permanent collection that remains the highlight: an important cultural document of an era still evolving at a freakish pace. Interactive exhibits and glass cases showcase some 14,000 titles alongside manuals, consoles and characters. Play is encouraged where possible, including Nimrod, the first computer game of it’s kind from 1951. Walking around, it’s impossible not to get confused with your time zone – while some models feel like relics, others will have you reminiscing of those heady 1980’s days as if they were yesterday.
Computerspielemuseum
Karl-Marx-Allee 93a
10243 Berlin
U-Bahn - U5 (Weberwiese) / Bus 350, 240 (Weberwiese)
Monday – Sunday 10:00 – 20:00
Tickets: €8 (adults) / €5 (reduced) / €15 (family ticket)
Contact: +49 30 6098 8577
Copyright: Jörg Metzner