The Retro Game Hunter Gaming Museum is a traveling video game museum exhibit that features some of the rarest items and most unusual stories from gaming history.
It got its start when a group of collectors in Oklahoma City pooled some of their more interesting pieces to create an awesome exhibit at the inaugural SUPER! BitCon in 2014 in Oklahoma City. It grew from there, and other shows began to take notice, turning the museum from a stationary part of SUPER! BitCon into a mobile, interactive exhibit that has since been featured at events from Florida to California.
The biggest difference between our exhibit and other museum exhibits is our staff. At each event we attend, we ensure that someone knowledgeable about the history of every item is with the exhibit at all times, interacting with attendees and sharing the stories behind our eclectic collection. Ultimately, it’s our high level of personal engagement which creates a truly memorable experience.
We’ve received a tremendous response from the events that have sponsored us to display at, and our exhibit is often one of the highest points mentioned in post-show feedback data collection.
Show-runner Testimonials:
We brought the museum out a few shows back and were blown away. We’ve had it at every one of our events since, and can’t imagine our show without it now. It was pretty impressive watching them work their magic as they talk with our attendees. Their enthusiasm is infectious. We’re all looking forward to seeing what they bring when we have them at our next event.
We enjoyed having this traveling museum in our 2019 show so much that we brought it back with no hesitation. Joe (the head curator) not only has good stories to tell with the pieces on display, but he is also very understanding and easy to work with. The man has such a deep passion for what he does and it shows. This was our first time having Joe do a panel at our event, and it did not disappoint. If you are a showrunner and are on the fence about spending the money for a traveling museum, trust me, it’s worth it, and your attendees will love it.
Attendee Testimonials:
I went to the convention to meet voice actors and trade games, but I ended up spending a lot of time exploring the gaming museum. There was an unbelievable amount of history and stories that Joe was more than happy to explain and go in-depth about. I was surprised that the displays were not just holy grails for collecting, but holy grails with a rich history that bleeds into game development, the military, and even celebrities. Overall I was very impressed with the museum and will be telling my friends.
They know what they’re talking about when it comes to video games. If you want to see a barely released, rental-only, cover variant of a twenty-plus-year-old game, chances are he’s got it. Plus this might be your only opportunity to try out in-person legitimate copies of rare sought-after video games and accessories that would otherwise cost thousands on the secondary market to own yourself. So you should probably check it out whenever he’s at an event, it’s pretty cool.
The traveling game museum provides such an intriguing look at how the gaming industry has changed and impacted our culture. Through rare obscurities, sheer blunders, and the downright bizarre, they’re all entertaining stories worth hearing.
So what have you got?
We have a pretty tightly curated inventory, including many items that had extremely limited releases, or weren’t available to the general public. Our focus has been on collecting, displaying, and sharing the kinds of items and stories that you may read about in articles highlighting “These are the rarest X games for Y system”, or that have the kind of history that leaves the average video game enthusiast saying “that’s pretty neat”.
We do have at least one item for SNES from 1993 that is currently considered to be a one-of-one.
Our items range from pre-Mario Nintendo toys through to items from the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii console generation.
Why don’t you have any pictures here?
We are happy to provide a complete inventory and pictures of what we have available to any organizations that are interested in bringing us to their event. We don’t post pictures here because we believe (and have received similar feedback from those we’ve met at events) that the shock value of walking into an event’s museum exhibit that we are set up at and seeing the kinds of items we have on display is more impactful than letting the cat out of the bag early, so to speak.
What else do you do at events?
We have a number of panels/presentations available for presentation as well, which provide a unique mix of history, humor, and trivia. Contact us for more specifics.
Alright, so how can I get your exhibit at my event?
Reach out to us at admin@retrogamehunter.com, and we’ll be happy to see if we’d be a fit.
