Computer Games Museum in Berlin (6 arcade machines)

[amuzulo]

Hey everyone,

I've been reading this forum for about 5 years now and finally got an account! Anyway, I recently became an English tour guide for the Computerspielemuseum in Berlin. We're trying to cover the history of all computer and video games, so the arcade section has:

• Computer Space (!!)
• Pong (!)
• Space Invaders Part II
• Asteroids
• Centipede
• Poly-Play (!)

Unfortunately, our version of Computer Space doesn't work, although the curator did once tell me that they got it working for about 10 minutes once and it wasn't very fun... Also, note that our version has joysticks instead of the all-button version like Nuno has.

Poly-Play was the only arcade machine made in East Germany. You can find more info about it on Wikipedia. Also, on request, we can turn on the Pong machine, Vectrex and Virtual Boy. All in all, I think it's just about the coolest job you can have.

Note that arcade machines were essentially banned in Germany since 1984. So, as an American, I'm pretty much their arcade expert. To be exact, a law passed in Germany in 1984 which made gambling machines, arcade machines and pinball machines all equal in the eyes of the law. Thus, you needed to be at least 18 years old to put a coin in a Pac-Man machine... thank you Germany for protecting our youth!  Grrr... So basically, places catering to the 18+ crowd all bought gambling machines, because they were cheaper and earned them more money. That pretty much killed off arcade machines in Germany. Most Germans have only seen arcade machines abroad and I would imagine there aren't many Germans on this forum, although I'd love to be proven wrong!

Anyway, if you're in Berlin and want to visit the museum, let me know and if I'm free, I'll come over to the museum to meet you. Also, if you have any questions about the museum, I'd be happy to answer them!

[PunkRockCaveman]

Hi guys,

I was already there and it was horrible. ALL machines (except the non operating CS and Pong) are ripped apart and driven by Mame computers with TFT screens. Even the Asteroids had a TFT inside! I already wrote an angry letter to the administration of the museum but they only answered some bla bla it is better this way because it would be to much work to maintain the original machines. Very bad.

The Pong was terribly restaurated. There was a 90s Grundig TV inside that doesn't fit. They "corrected" that with tape around the bezel. The knobs for the paddles were plastic ones that seemed to come off a cheap hifi. Awful! My heart still bleeds when I think about it.... The tape around bezel method was used on all the machines ... TFTs have no curve ... that's pretty bad. Maybe somebody should invent that

The Space Invaders II had the wrong game installed on the Mame Pc .. I bet they didn't even notice that they chose the original Space Invaders instead of the second part   I managed to quit mame a couple of times pressing the two start buttons at once. Most encoders use that as ESC.  

The Centipede was not there during my visit. Maybe they couldn't get the original trackball to work with mame or the wonderful Ultimarc USB trackball had to be refittet in the panel? We will never know ...

The Polyplay (also with TFT of course!) had a C64 Joystick installed ... hard to believe that they were not able to change a broken joystick with a real arcade stick. Instead they used a Competition Pro as replacement. I still don't get it ...

So, don't go there and give them your money.

Cheers, prc

PS: This was not intended to be offending! Anyways I think that that museum has to change it's attitude ... most of us here (if not all ) are doing more to keep the arcade spirit alive than those guys showing fake machines to the kids and make money out of it.

PPS: I recognised a sign on the wall reading "Death Race" in the arcade section!!! The cab was not there ... I pray to the lord every night that they are not "restaurating" that one with TFT and mame also. 

[Laschek]

 

Wow.

[gyruss]

I was thinking about visiting the museum, but now that i read this i won't.

[PunkRockCaveman]

Yeah ... I'm quite excited about their reactions here in the forum. As I mentioned, I got an email in reply to my angry mail, telling me that they had to walk the line between maintenance frindly and showing arcades in general. If they only had left the tubes in place ... TFT is no option FOR A MUSEUM! I told them but they didn't listen to that. They invited me to visit the exibition again and talk to the staff about the problems but I'm only three times a year in Berlin in generell and I think that would be waste of time ...

[gyruss]

at least they are willing to talk about it....

[PunkRockCaveman]

Ok, that's good indeed, but the monkey on my back tells me that they won't change anything in their concept Maybe we schould sneak in  at night and change all monitors to tubes again, put in the original pcbs and go in as a visitor group the next day to tell them how great the exibition is

[level42]

 

Even the Asteroids had a TFT inside!

[BruceMW]

I think at least they're trying. I wish there was something like this where I lived.

Perhaps it is an opportunity for those of you that can, to offer to help them to restore their machines to their former glory. Since one of their staff is now a member of the board this shouldn't be too hard to organise.

They obviously don't realise just how important it is for these machines to be original. Perhaps 90% of the general public who will visit the place don't care either.

But let's be positive about this and try to help.

[level42]

Well Amazulo says he has been reading this forum for 5 years now, so he could have called in for help a bit earlier. He would also know what is required to do a proper restore of a classic arcade machine if he has been reading some of the excellent restorations reported here.

The really bad thing is that machines are being butchered by installing MAME and TFT's (!!!) in them. Although MAME-ing can be considered OK for home machines and only as a last resort, it is not acceptable for a museum IMHO. And I'm not even beginning about the TFT's.
If I think about that they removed the original vector monitor on that Asteroids and probably ditched it, my stomach turns around...

It's like getting a Rembrandt and letting a child restore it with some crayons....and a knife....

A museum should always strive for restoring their pieces to originality. I've never seen a classic Rolls Royce with 2010 turbo-diesel engine on display in a museum....

If they are not capable of doing that, they were surely aware of people in this community who could have helped...there are even other museums they could have contacted ( http://www.classicarcademuseum.org )

I would have much rather seen those machines at collector's who do know how to do a proper restore.

IMHO, this little sentence says a lot:

Computer Space doesn't work, although the curator did once tell me that they got it working for about 10 minutes once and it wasn't very fun

Well duh...it's not about wether it's fun or not and if anyone, a museum should judge the machine for what it is: A MONUMENT.
The very first coin-operated arcade videogame ever. And not only that, but also one of the most beautiful cabs ever produced.

Maybe our navy can send in a helicopter to rescue those poor machines....uhh, better not !

[PunkRockCaveman]

I'm absolutely the same oppinion!! Their main interrest seems to be to entertain the visitors. I think a museum should care about more things than just make and keep the machines playable ... their job should be to preserve and present the machines in their original state!

The  mess continues in the consoles section. They have an Atari2600 playable on a 16:9 wall-mounted Lcd ... why??? I mean a lot of the characteristics and soul of the old machines can only be seen in their natural surroundings. They have to get a bunch of 80s Tvs to show the stuff in all it's former glory.

The idea of presenting the games playable for the sacrifice of being original is so totally wrong for a museum ...

And there is more: look at this quote from their website, filed under Preservation/Research!:

For the museum regards long-term conservation and long-term availabilty via emulation as an important point of research, from our point of view it is of further priority to collect necessary software (operating systems, emulators, applications, hardware drivers).

Preservation via emulation??? Why not spend the efford on keeping the original stuff running???

[Etienne MacGyver]

........They have an Atari2600 playable on a 16:9 wall-mounted Lcd ... why???

Are you sure the did not take out the original 2600 hardware and slam in a micro atx with a iSCD and Stella 

[PunkRockCaveman]

I'm not sure, no ...

[level42]

........They have an Atari2600 playable on a 16:9 wall-mounted Lcd ... why???

Are you sure the did not take out the original 2600 hardware and slam in a micro atx with a iSCD and Stella 

I bet they did because if you're going to output the STANDARD HF antenna signal into a modern day big-screen LCD it's going to look like crap.
Unless they had the 2600 modded by Mr.Atari to have a composite video output.....

[mchay]

........They have an Atari2600 playable on a 16:9 wall-mounted Lcd ... why???

Are you sure the did not take out the original 2600 hardware and slam in a micro atx with a iSCD and Stella 

I bet they did because if you're going to output the STANDARD HF antenna signal into a modern day big-screen LCD it's going to look like crap.
Unless they had the 2600 modded by Mr.Atari to have a composite video output.....

With the effort (or lack of) they have put in it so far - I think they just kept it at looking like crap with a HF antenna signal.