Game Masters coming to New Zealand

Last updated 12:02 15/08/2012

Melbourne has the Game Masters: The Gods of Gaming exhibition running at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image but come December 15, gamers in New Zealand will get the chance to see the exhibition when it goes on show at Te Papa.

The exhibition, which celebrates 40 years of video games, will showcase game designers and their creations and profiles such noted game makers as Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Tim Schafer, Hideo Kojima, Peter Molyneux, Warren Spector and Toru Ilwatani, as well as feature more 120 playable games across arcade, console and PC, including Donkey Kong, The Sims, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and mobile games such as Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja.

When I first heard that the exhibition was on show in Melbourne I actually contemplated heading across the ditch for a weekend just to wander through it and soak up 40 years of gaming - but now that it's coming to Wellington, I don't have to. In fact, I've already convinced my wife that we need to make a trip across Cook Strait during the January holidays to check it out. Good on 'ya, Mrs Game Junkie.

It really does sound as though it's an amazing exhibition and a real love letter to gaming, and after talking to staff at Te Papa today it looks like some New Zealand-made games and game makers will be profiled as well. Nice. Here's what Jason Hill, Screen Play blogger at the Melbourne Age, had to say about Game Masters, though I don't think NZ will be getting developers like Tim Shafer and Warren Spector attending the opening. Wouldn't that be cool if they did, though: maybe we can start a petition or something? I mean, if it works for a chocolate biscuit from the past ...

One of my jobs over the coming weeks is to book ferry tickets for the crossing between Picton and Wellington in early January. I can't wait.

So, taking a lead from what Hill asked in his piece on Game Masters when it ran, which Game Master has had the biggest impact on your gaming and who would you most like to meet from the industry and why?

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Reinate   #1   12:09 pm Aug 15 2012

Oh ill totally be there for this. My Flatmate would be dead keen as well.

museste   #2   12:33 pm Aug 15 2012

Great stuff. One sneaky trip to Wellington coming up!

Juggernaut   #3   12:34 pm Aug 15 2012

up for this though I hope they have the Commodore Amiga on display showing some awesome games from that!! Cannon Fodder being one!!!

Regginald_For_President   #4   12:41 pm Aug 15 2012

"My Body is Ready"

Greg   #5   12:46 pm Aug 15 2012

Gosh, where does one start?

What got me into gaming in the first place was the Vic 20, then it's bigger brother the Commodore 64. But then I fell out of gaming for my university years (probably a good thing). What dragged me back into gaming was holding my brother's Playstation to ransom until he paid back a lone. I played the death out of the Tekken 3 demo he had on one of the demo discs. So I suppose I should thank / blame Namco for getting the gaming bug to grow. Ironically I'm not that big a fan of fighting games.

But the game / studio that really got me re-hooked was Crash bandicoot. Platformers are among my favourite genres and Crash was the first platformer I played upon re-entering gaming. So I'd love to meet the folks at Naughty Dog. I've been a big Naughty Dog from that point on. I love the Jak and Daxter series, and I love the Uncharted series.

But my all time favourite series is Legacy of Kain. Love love love it! Which probably means, killing 2 birds with one stone, the person I'd like to meet most is Amy Hennig, being she's a top dog at Naughty Dog right now, and she had a pivotal role in the Legacy of Kain series. I think it's great too that the person I most want to meet in an industry that is largely dominated by testosterone is a woman.

I also want to meet the voice actors for Kain and Raziel.

kingCOD   #6   12:48 pm Aug 15 2012

AWESOME,Te Papa is literally across the road from work.Can take my time a go a few times

m0rph3us   #7   12:49 pm Aug 15 2012

Sounds good... might have to sneak a trip to Welly for it.

Liam   #8   01:07 pm Aug 15 2012

The girlfriend went when she was in Melbourne. Was so incredibly jealous. Maybe there is a god of gaming who heard my prayers!?

Kenny   #9   01:09 pm Aug 15 2012

Sounds great. I'll be there... for several hours probably.

As far as who I'd like to meet, I think meeting Sid Meier would be pretty damn sweet.

McFail   #10   01:31 pm Aug 15 2012

I was in Melbourne a week before it started, was gutted I missed it.

Too bad it's not up in the true capital, Auckland. Will have to go down to second place, it might be worth it though.