Exclusive:Game On: 60 years of videogaming, from Sonic the Hedgehog to Tetris and Minecraft, to be celebrated at National Museum of Scotland

Visitors will be able to play more than 100 different games

One of the world's biggest celebrations of video games is heading to Scotland's most popular visitor attraction.

Classic games such as Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris, Minecraft, Pokemon, Street Fighter and Guitar Hero will be celebrated at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh next year.

Visitors of all ages will get the chance to play their favourites when the museum plays host to Game On, an exhibition created by the Barbican arts centre in London, for more than four months.

The Game On exhibition will be at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from 29 June-3 November. Picture: Dado Marietti

The first major exhibition to explore the history of video games, the show has been constantly updated since its first incarnation was launched 21 years ago, attracting more than five million visitors to date in 28 countries around the world.

Dr Geoff Belknap, keeper of science and technology at the National Museum, said: "People will be able to play their way through the history of video gaming. We will have all of the fan favourites and the classics that they might have grown up playing.

"The exhibition will very much be an immersive experience, but it will also tell the important history of gaming, how the technology was made and highlights why gaming is so popular. It has become one of the most impactful creative industries in the world and is showing no sign of going away – I think it’s only going to get more popular as the technology and creative talents get better over time.

"I think the longevity of gaming is because it combines so much of our modern world, such as cinema and music, but it also puts us right in the scene.

The Game On exhibition will be at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from 29 June-3 November. Picture: Anna Gerdén

"It’s the only type of creative industry where we have control of the story and are right there in the middle of the action. If you love going to movies or listening to music, then gaming is a step further into that. Technology has literally put us in those worlds.”

Game On, which will run from June 29-November 3, traces the history of video gaming from its origins in the early 1960s and the explosion of arcade games in the 1970s to the modern-day era of virtual reality headsets, immersive 3D technology and e-sports.

The exhibition explores the long-running relationship between the worlds of gaming, art and cinema, how music has played a key role in the industry for decades, how and when technology allowed gaming to be brought into the family home, and the cultural influence of iconic characters like Pac Man, Mario and Lara Croft,

The exhibition will also highlight Scotland's key role in the video gaming industry and the part played by industry giants like DNA, the company behind Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, which was formed by a group of friends in Dundee.

Sonic the Hedgehog will be among the video game characters highlighted at Game On

Patrick Moran, associate curator at the Barbican, said: “The gaming world has had an undeniable social, cultural, and technological impact. Games transcend the boundaries between art and technology, becoming part of popular culture.

"Game On presents the opportunity to not only see the evolution of video games and how they have diversified, but also lets you immerse yourself inside the gaming world with more than 100 playable games.

“Highly-interactive, all-action, ground-breaking and popular, Game On is engaging for hardcore gamers and visitors new to gaming, and is suitable for players of all ages.”