Retro Gaming Australia

I’ll be appearing as part of a panel on video game collecting called the Game Collectors Roadshow as part of the Game Masters exhibition at ACMI on the 9th of September.

The panel will be hosted by Adrian Franklin of the ABC show The Collectors and will feature myself and two other collectors showcasing some of our prize possessions and discussing the hobby of collecting old video games.

The second part of the show is an Antiques Roadshow-inspired bit where you can bring along your gaming items and have them appraised by us and get a bit of an explanation about their place in video gaming history. Bringing an item along will get you an entry in the draw to win a PlayStation Vita.

Finally, there will be a chiptune performance from Melbourne based artists Dot.AY and Derris-Khalan.

The event starts at 11, and entry is free.

I was recently contacted by a representative from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) who has asked me to put out a call for video game collectors in Victoria.

In June, ACMI will be running an event called Game Masters: Discover the Worlds Greatest Video Games and their Creators 2012. As part of that event, they are exploring the possibility of having a “Game Collector’s Roadshow”.

Said event would encompass “a multi-location Collectors Event within Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria. A one-day specialised event for Retro-game collectors who have a passion for playing and collecting retro video games, hardware and associated paraphernalia. Includes Panel Forums, Valuing opportunities, Live 8bit Music Extravaganza and an interactive meet and greet.”

Currently, it’s not locked in – ACMI wants to gauge interest in the community to see if this kind of event is worth pursuing. Considering how badly Adelaide puts us to shame when it comes to retro gaming community activities, this would be a good opportunity for us all to get together.

Remember – this isn’t just a Melbourne thing either – the folks at ACMI want to find collectors in Geelong, Ballarat, Cragieburn and other regional areas.

You can let us know either in the comments sections or in the forums.