M9 Museum opens video game history exhibition in Venezia Mestre

The M9 – Museo del '900 in Venezia Mestre has inaugurated a new exhibition titled ‘PLAYERS. Giochi, videogiochi, cultura e società’. Running from October 14, 2026, to February 14, 2027, the exhibit explores eighty years of video game history, positioning the medium as a significant cultural and social phenomenon comparable to cinema and literature.

Curated by Fabio Viola, Michelangela Di Giacomo, Giuseppe Cosenza, and Damiano Bordoni, the exhibition recreates key historical environments, ranging from early research laboratories and 1980s amusement arcades to domestic settings like bedrooms and living rooms. Visitors can interact with various consoles and view historic arcade cabinets, including original specimens of Computer Space, Pong, and a rare Dragon’s Lair cabinet.

The museum also features a permanent section titled ‘Giocare all’italiana’, which traces the history of toys and games in 20th-century Italy.