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When
5 December 2014 - 20 April 2015
Where
National Museum of Scotland, Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
#GameMasters
The exhibition explored the development of videogames through interviews with game designers, rare original game artwork and interactives, as well as looking forward to how independently produced games are leading the way in design, aesthetics and game play.
Game Name | Designer | Format |
39 Steps | Simon Meek, The Story Mechanics | iPad |
3DS - Mario Kart 7 (x2) | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo 3DS |
3DS - Super Mario 3D Land (x2) | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo 3DS |
3DS - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (x2) | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo 3DS |
Alien Hominid | The Behemoth | PS2 |
Amplitude | Harmonix | PS2 |
Angry Birds | Rovio | PC |
Another World | Eric Chahi | PC |
Asteroids | Ed Logg | Arcade cabinet |
Bad Hotel | Lucky Frame | iPad |
Black & White | Peter Molyneux | PC |
Blueberry Garden | Erik Svedang | PC |
Botanicula | Jakub Dvorský | PC |
Braid | Jonathan Blow | PS3 |
Brütal Legend 2009 | Tim Schafer | PS3 |
Castle Crashers | The Behemoth | PS3 |
Centipede | Ed Logg | Arcade cabinet |
Child of Eden [2D Small] | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | PS3 |
Child of Eden [3D Large] | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | PS3 |
Chu Chu Rocket | Sonic Team | Sega Dreamcast |
Critter Crunch | CAPY | PS3 |
Dance Central 2 | Harmonix | Xbox360 |
Darwinia | Introversion | PC |
Defcon | Introversion | PC |
Defender | Eugene Jarvis | Arcade cabinet |
Deus Ex | Warren Spector | PC |
Diablo 3 | Blizzard | PS3 |
Disney Epic Mickey | Warren Spector | Wii |
Donkey Kong | Nintendo EAD | Arcade cabinet |
Dungeon Keeper | Peter Molyneux | PC |
Elevator Action | TAITO | Arcade cabinet |
Fable III | Peter Molyneux | Xbox360 |
Flight Control HD | Firemint | iPad 2 |
flOw | thatgamecompany | PS3 |
flower | thatgamecompany | PS3 |
Frequency | Harmonix | PS2 |
From Dust | Eric Chahi | PS3 |
Fruit Ninja | Halfbrick | Xbox360 |
Glitchspace | Space Budgie | PC |
Grim Fandango | Tim Schafer | PC |
Hang-On | Yu Suzuki | Arcade cabinet |
Heart of Darkness | Eric Chahi | PS1 |
ICO | Fumito Ueda | PS2 |
Jetpack Joyride | Halfbrick | iPad 2 |
Journey | thatgamecompany | PS3 |
Kometen | Erik Svedang | iPad 2 |
LEGO Batman: The Video Game | TT Games | PS3 |
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 - 4 | TT Games | PS3 |
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy | TT Games | PS3 |
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars | TT Games | PS3 |
Lemmings | DMA Design | PC |
Lumines | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | PSP |
Machinarium | Jakub Dvorský | PC |
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle | Tim Schafer | PC |
Minecraft | Markus 'Notch' Persson | PC |
Missile Command | Dave Theurer | Arcade cabinet |
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge | Tim Schafer | PC |
New Super Mario Brothers | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
Nights into Dreams | Sonic Team | Sega Saturn |
OutRun | Yu Suzuki | Arcade cabinet |
Pac-Man | Toru Iwatani | Arcade cabinet |
Parappa the Rapper | Masaya Matsuura | PS1 |
Populous | Peter Molyneux | PC |
Psychonauts | Tim Schafer | PS2 |
Reactor | Tim Skelly | Arcade cabinet |
Real Racing 2 HD x 4 iPad | Firemint | iPad 2 |
Rez | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | PS2 |
Rip-off | Tim Skelly | Arcade cabinet |
Robotron: 2084 | Eugene Jarvis | Arcade cabinet |
Rock Band 3 | Harmonix | PS3 |
Samorost 2 | Jakub Dvorský | PC |
Scramble | KONAMI | Arcade cabinet |
Sega Rally Championship | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | Sega Saturn |
Shadow of the Colossus | Fumito Ueda | PS2 |
Shenmue | Yu Suzuki | Sega Dreamcast |
SimCity (1989) | Will Wright | PC |
SimCity 2000 | Will Wright | PC |
SingStar | Paulina Bozek | PS3 |
Sonic Generations | Sonic Team | PS3 |
Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Team | Sega MegaDrive |
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sonic Team | Sega MegaDrive |
Space Channel 5 | Tetsuya Mizaguchi | PS2 |
Space Invaders | Tomohiro Nishikado | Arcade cabinet |
Spore Creature creator | Will Wright | PC |
Spy Mouse HD | Firemint | iPad 2 |
Starcraft 2 | Blizzard | PC x2 |
Super Mario 64 | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
Super Mario Bros | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
Sword & Sworcery EP | CAPY | iPad 2 |
System Shock | Warren Spector | PC |
Tempest | Dave Theurer | Arcade cabinet |
The Legend of Zelda | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Nintendo EAD | Wii |
The Sims | Will Wright | PC |
Tower of Druaga | Masanobu Endo | Arcade cabinet |
Tri-Tri-Triobelisk | Erik Svedang | iPad 2 |
Ultima Underworld | Warren Spector | PC |
Vib-Ribbon | Masaya Matsuura | PS1 |
Virtua Fighter | Yu Suzuki | Virtua Fighter |
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne | Blizzard | PC |
Xevious | Masanobu Endo | Arcade cabinet |
The exhibition commenced with Arcade Heroes, which focused on the seminal arcade games of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring pioneering designers such as Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong), Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders), Ed Logg (Asteroids), and Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man).
The nature of gaming changed as it moved from the arcade to the home computer, console and handheld devices. Key designers whose work embodies these ‘game-changing’ transitions include Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog), Nintendo (Super Mario Bros), Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft), Peter Molyneux (Dungeonkeeper) and Paulina Bozek (SingStar).
World of Warcraft, The Sims, created by Will Wright, and the Lego film-franchise tie-ins, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, were among the famous names featured, while the key role played by smaller independent designers in game design and development was also explored, including Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja), Markus Persson (Minecraft), Rovio (Angry Birds) and many others.
From the early 1990s, Scotland has been recognised as the home of some of the UK's leading game developers. For its Scottish stay, Game Masters featured the work of four pioneering Scottish companies.
DMA Design, from Dundee, created some of the most innovative games of the 1990s, including the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto (1997) and Britain's fastest selling game, Lemmings (1991).
Also from Dundee, recent University of Abertay graduates Space Budgie brought their innovative new game Glitchspace (2014) to the exhibition, offering you the chance to experience what it is like to programme code while solving challenges in a cyberspace world.
Flying the flag for Edinburgh was Lucky Frame, an independent studio known for its quirky, creative and musical approach to game design. Their Scottish BAFTA award-winning game Bad Hotel (2012) was also available in the exhibition.
Glasgow-based game designer Simon Meek, who was featured in The List's top 100 Scots to watch and Canongate's Future 40 Scottish storytellers, brings storytelling to his game development work. Featured in the exhibition was his ground-breaking game The 39 Steps.
Drawing on myth and legend to build immense, fantastic worlds, Blizzard Entertainment have taken videogames world design to a completely new level with Diablo, Starcraft and World of Warcraft. Here designers Rob Pardo and Chris Metzen discuss how in this fantasy world, game play always comes first.
Ground-breaking game designer Tim Schafer, creator of Pyschonauts, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, and Brutal Legend, discusses what makes game design art.
Game changer Warren Spector, creator of System Shock, Deus Ex, Disney Epic Mickey and more, describes how he transformed role playing for the gaming generation.