The video game museum in Berlin
Berlin is famous for having over 100 museums (170 according to Visit Berlin). Trying to choose where to visit on our very short trip was going to be a challenge. However, as soon as I learned that there was a video game museum in Berlin then I knew I had to go! It’s called the Computerspielemuseum (Computer Game museum) and is a must-see for any video game fan! This trip was with my sister, and we both love video games so it was perfect for us.
How to get to the Video Game Museum
The Museum was located really close to our hotel, so it was actually just a 15 minute walk for us. We were located right next to the East Side Gallery, which is very easy to reach and also well worth a visit! The museum itself is next to a subway stop (Weberwiese) which is on the U5 line leading right into the centre of the city. After our visit, we hopped on to visit the Brandenburg Gate. For those comfortable taking buses, you can get the 240 or 347.
The ticket price in 2022 was 11 Euros, and needs to be bought online from the museum website before visiting. I bought our tickets on the walk there; however if you plan on visiting during a busy time then you might want to get them slightly further in advance. You get entry for two hours with this, which is roughly how much time my sister and I spent there. We easily could have stayed for even longer if we’d spent more time on the games though, so be careful of time as I don’t know how strict they are.
The museum is open from 10am until 8pm so it’s a perfect place to visit in the evening.
Inside the Computerspielemuseum
The museum starts off looking at the history of play itself, and how it has evolved. One of the highlights of the museum is definitely their wall displaying over 60 different consoles or pieces of hardware. Looking at them all will definitely make you want to play them again, and luckily there is a section later on that allows you to do exactly that!
The displays show the evolution of both consoles and games and are very interactive. You can try out different games on a range of platforms. There is an arcade section along with several mini rooms for different consoles. My sister and I had a go on Spyro on the PS1, then played a couple arcade games.
The games range from the very first video games, right up to modern classics, so regardless of when you started to game you’ll find something for you. If you’re not a big fan of video games, visiting the video game museum is still fun to learn more about the history, and perhaps after trying a few out you’ll want to start gaming yourself!
The Arcade Section
The reason that the museum has a time limit is likely due to the arcade section. If they didn’t a have a limit, then I could easily have spent hours here playing games. Luckily, when I visited it was very quiet so we could play any of the games we wanted without waiting.
They had a range of games, including both single player and two-player games. Each arcade game had an accompanying information sign to tell you more about the game itself. I learned that Pole Position, one of my favourite games, was created by the inventor of Pacman! It was also the first game to feature an existing race track and is an early example of advertising in games.
Thoughts
This is one of the most fun museums I’ve ever visited. It’s a great concept and they did it really well. There was a great balance between informative and fun and there was such a huge range of games to play. This is definitely a museum I would happily return to!
The gift shop is also great if you’re looking for a gift for somebody who loves video games. My sister and I had to drag ourselves out and it wasn’t even that big! I bought two books about the temporary exhibitions (and because they were small enough to fit into my hand luggage).
Does this look like a museum you’d be interested in visiting? What other unique museums have you come across on your travels?
