Game On

For some, the synthesised melodies that loop around and around on the Mario Bros. theme tune trigger instant trips down memory lane, back to the halcyon days of primary colours, 2D graphics and simple point-and-shoot strategies. Maybe you were more of a Sonic fan; or was it those pesky Pokémon you preferred? – gotta catch’em all. Or quite possibly, the very idea of these repetitive sounds and garish images is already raising your hackles, and you’re muttering about blaming video games for social ills and turning young brains to mush.

But love them or loathe them, you can’t deny their persuasive pull and pop cultural value, and one man with his finger firmly on the joypad of relevance is André Sturm, the director of São Paulo’s Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS), who has worked hard to bring ‘Game On’ – the touring exhibition of all things video-game related – to Brazil. ‘When I first started work as the director here, I knew I wanted to do two things: an exhibition featuring music videos and one about video games,’ he says – and so the negotiations began.

Originally held at the Barbican, London, way back in 2002, ‘Game On’ is all about discovering – or rediscovering – games old and new, and looking to the future for what’s in store. ‘I think Game On will be great for showing people how games have changed over the years, and to help people see games as realisations of human intellect and creativity,’ says Sturm.

And despite ill feeling in some quarters towards gaming, things are starting to change. According to Antônio Amorim, VP of communications of Brazil’s Game Developers Association, there are 35 million Brazilian video game players today, and a lot of them – around 50 per cent – are casual gamers who play on either flash websites or social networks. ‘The games market used to be a niche. Now, everybody’s playing,’ he says.

While more people might be playing, many still don’t know there’s more to gaming than just Farmville or Angry Birds, or the mindless monotony of pressing buttons over and over again. The amazing graphics and intricate storytelling in games like L.A. Noire or Deus Exgive the lie to that stereotype; and ‘Game On’ is an excellent chance, for those so inclined, to learn a little about the history and future of video games by doing what gamers do best – playing. More than 90 per cent of the exhibits are hands-on, from Pong, one of the first games invented, to the Nintendo Wii, and of course, the classics like Space Invaders and old pinball and arcade machines. It would be game over not to give them all a try.