“Arcade Origins: The Beginning of the Video Game Industry” Exhibition

From 17 April to 21 June, the exhibition traces the path from the first experimental gaming devices to the machines that made video games part of mass culture. Its focus is arcade machines as objects of technology, design and a new form of leisure.

Among the key pieces are two 1971 versions of Computer Space, created by Nolan Bushnell. This game is considered the first commercial arcade machine and emerged from MIT’s Spacewar! project. Its cabinet, with its distinctive shape and coin slot, was one of the first steps towards future arcade halls.

These machines are displayed as museum objects and are not used for playing, although some of the other machines in the gallery remain interactive.

The exhibition also recreates the atmosphere of arcade halls, where the first communities of players formed and a new kind of urban culture took shape.

Once the exhibition has ended, one of the Computer Space machines will become part of OXO’s permanent collection in Madrid and Málaga.