Supercade and Ayzenberg Celebrate Gaming History with 'AVOID MISSING BALL'

Supercade x Ayzenberg's 'AVOID MISSING BALL' exhibition celebrates the history of gaming. Discover iconic games and the storied evolution of TV Ping-Pong.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA, August 8, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ayzenberg Group is excited to announce that Supercade founder and curator Van Burnham is conducting a residency at their sp[a]ce gallery to showcase exhibitions exploring the evolution of interactive technology.

Founded with the publication of the first volume of 'Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age' in 2001, Supercade is dedicated to the history and future of games. Van also stewards the Supercade Collection — one of the most significant private collections of video and computer games — and is now developing a new world-class interactive museum.

The inaugural exhibition at sp[a]ce includes several complementary displays throughout the galleries tracing the nascent history of the medium of games.

In celebration of the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of Atari’s iconic home version of 'Pong,' Supercade is curating a first-of-its-kind survey on the rich history of TV Ping-Pong, the first and most prolific interactive “video” game. AVOID MISSING BALL: Genesis of Gameplay from 'Tennis Programming' to 'Pong' will explore the evolution of play, from the first blips of light at Brookhaven National Laboratory to the start-ups of Silicon Valley.

“Fifty years ago, at this moment in time, the most powerful computer chip in the world was being developed to play a single simple game: 'Pong'” Burnham, said. “The first home gaming console was released in 1972, but Atari’s Home Pong released in 1975 truly ignited the now $200 billion game industry.”

Features include a comprehensive display of important TV Ping-Pong systems — from the Magnavox Odyssey to Russian “Tournament” Bentley Computervision —and Pong games, immersive timeline of key events, recreation of the “Atari Expands Worldwide” promotional flyer, 'Pong' for PET, and live interactive experience Psychedelic Super Pong in collaboration with video artist Josh Randall for guests to play.

A capsule exhibition will be added in the adjacent gallery in September highlighting the early development of Microsoft Games, with vintage computers running iconic software like 'Microsoft Flight Simulator,' 'Solitaire,' and 'Age of Empires,' the success of which laid a foundation for the development of Xbox.

Also on view in the main gallery will be selected prints from Ira Nowinski’s photo series Bay Area Video Arcades, on digital loan courtesy Stanford University Library, along with video arcade machines c.1980-81 from the Supercade Collection pulled from the historical images that are playable in the arcade gallery.

The exhibition is being sponsored by Microsoft whose generous support underscores their commitment to the history of games.

Following a private reception, the show will open to the general public August 17-18th, and be on view every weekend thereafter through September. Tickets will be available via Eventbrite for a donation, see website for links and additional details.

Visit us at: https://space.ayzenberg.com

Matthew Arevalo-Downes
Ayzenberg
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