Dads like to share stories of how rough they had it when they were kids. Now there’s an exhibit proving them right, at least when it comes to video games. A vintage video-game exhibit at the McCullough-Price House in Chandler, AZ is allowing dads to show their kids just how clunky the games looked and operated back in the day. Displays also take visitors through the evolution of game consoles, from Atari to Xbox.

The “Zap! Vintage Video Games” exhibit features such freestanding arcade games as Centipede and Space Invaders, but the exhibit begins with a nod to games that did not require electricity. A small table holds a box of Lincoln Logs, for small children to play with and for older generations to remind young kids of the pre-video-game age. The table sits by a mock-up of a 1970s living room, complete with a vintage sofa facing a large wooden TV set, into which is plugged an Atari console. A case holding vintage game cartridges from Intellivision, Atari and Telstar sits nearby.

The consoles take visitors from the ’70s to today, weaving through time thanks to such icons as the original gray and red Nintendo Entertainment System and today’s sleek Microsoft Xbox 360, but before everyone had their own systems at home, arcades were the place to play many of the most popular games. The exhibit also includes an ’80s-era arcade stocked with ready-to-play games and interactive exhibits. No need to bring quarters as the arcade games are set on free play.

Source: Arizona Republic