The American Writers Museum recently announced the launch of a new exhibit dedicated to writing in video games.
Currently on display, the exhibit focuses on game writing and storytelling’s role in video games. Covering video games made from the 1970s to today, the exhibit, known as “Level Up: Writers & Gamers,” is split into various different sections.
Along with the “Writing in Games” section which focuses on using interactive features to explore different narratives set in games, the “Writing Video Games and Tabletop Games” part of the exhibit focuses on exploring features such as creating characters, implementing decision making and celebrating important events in video games.
For young learners, “Level Up” also offers in-person and virtual tours of the exhibit, exploring the video game industry and emphasizing the effects of gaming on culture.
The American Writers Museum will also host events dedicated to celebrating influential gaming creators and writers, offering visitors the chance to hear from these figures. Visitors will also have the ability to play board, card and tabletop games themselves with the transformation of the Roberta Rubin Writers Room into a game room.
Keisha Howard, the CEO of Sugar Gamers, is one of the key curators of the exhibit. Created for women in gaming in 2009, Sugar Gamers has grown and has been rewarded for its work to celebrate BIPOC, women and LGBTQ+ gaming creators and players.
Speaking to The Tribe, Howard emphasized the role that representation plays in the gaming industry.
“I’ve seen more representation than ever before in these last four years, and it has been desperately needed,” said Howard per The Tribe. “However, the caveat to that is that we still need to tell our own stories, we still need to be in the room making decisions about how we built the worlds that we’re represented in.”
Through the “Level Up” exhibit, Howard and the American Writers Museum will celebrate the careers of several pioneering Black gaming industry figures.
Michael Pondsmith will reportedly feature in the exhibit. Considered to be a key figure in the cyberpunk movement, Pondsmith launched publisher R. Talsorian Games back in the 1980s. Throughout his career, he’s helped with the creation of multiple role-playing games, including “Cyberpunk,” “Meton,” “Castle Falkenstein” and “Dungeons & Dragons.”
The exhibit will also celebrate Tanya DePass. As a journalist and streamer, DePass has explored a variety of topics in gaming, including diversity, race and feminism, under her pseudonym Cypheroftyr. Through her nonprofit, “I Need Diverse Games,” she has also made a name for supporting underrepresented gamers in the industry.
The “Level Up” exhibit is now set to run until May 25, 2025.
