The Finnish Museum of Games is a place that everyone who lives in or visits Finland and loves video games should see.
The versatile museum center Vapriikki in Tampere offers its visitors several different exhibitions. There are interesting things to see for fans of ice hockey or nature, for example. Us fans of video games were also taken into consideration when the game museum opened its doors to visitors in 2017.
The Finnish Game Museum is an excellent place to get to know Finnish gaming history, as the museum has received works that are a big part of how the Finnish gaming industry has changed over the years. A visit to the museum is an excellent choice even for visitors who don’t know much about video games. Many of these games can also be tried out for yourself, which gives visitors a diverse gaming experience when they visit. And that’s not all – board games are also available. Some of the games also have short documentary videos that open up the history of the game in question in more detail.
The experience is in many ways more concrete compared to other exhibitions. In many exhibitions, you can watch, listen to and perhaps try out the exhibits a little. In the game museum, you can spend several minutes with the games on offer, experience the game as it is and understand the story behind it.
The story of the game museum itself is interesting. It began when the Arctic computer and console museum “Pelikonepeijoonit” was founded by three friends in a playful way. The friends had been collecting games and game machines since 1999. Even before the collective was founded, the friends were collecting games and consoles just for fun. When the game exhibitions they organized attracted many visitors again and again, the idea of establishing a game museum was born. Pelikonepeijoonit, Tampere museums and other game industry professionals established a working group that began working on the museum.
On the shelves of the game museum you can find classics of the Finnish gaming world, retro game consoles and accessories, some of which have never been seen on sale in Europe. For those interested in gaming history, Finnish games made in the 80s and 90s are the biggest source of amazement for me – how at that time they found the expertise, interest and tools to create something completely new for computers.
The part of the museum resembling a game store is also curious because the experience is very authentic.
The section of board games is clearly smaller. Board games are such a broad topic in themselves that they could have their own museum.
Unfortunately, gaming experiences are not always perfect when visiting a museum, as sometimes the games on display do not work. During the visit based on which this text is written, only one of the tested games did not work, but when it comes to video games, sometimes a technical glitch can affect a visitor’s gaming experience.
It is difficult to write about the subject without it sounding like an advertisement, but praise must be given when there is a reason for it. The game museum is an excellent experience for both gaming enthusiasts and those who do not know anything about games. The museum’s slot arcade in particular is a good pastime if you end up visiting the museum with friends. The entrance fee to the museum is relatively small compared to how much you get. The museum even has free admission on Fridays from 3-6pm. The game museum increases awareness of Finnish games, and generally broadens the visitor’s understanding of different games and the history of the gaming industry. The author recommends a visit to the museum in Tampere’s Vapriikki.
Basic information:
Place: Vapriikki Museum Centre
Where: Alaverstaanraitti 5, Tampella, Tampere
https://www.vapriikki.fi/
Photos: Kristian (the author of this article)