China's largest professional video game museum officially opened to the public in Shanghai on Friday, vividly presenting the history of the industry.
Covering an area of 2,000 square meters in Shanghai's downtown Xuhui district, the Video Game Museum of CADPA (China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association) collects more than 5,000 pieces of game-related exhibits such as game consoles, personal computers, game software, game books and periodicals.
The exhibits are on display across four major sections, which respectively introduce the early situation of electronic games, the blossoming of console games, the development of computer games, and the chronicle of Chinese video games.
The retro decoration and setting bring visitors some nostalgic feeling of childhood summers playing games with friends.
"I feel like I'd been traveling back to my childhood, being in a 'time tunnel,'" said Shen Yang, a visitor.
One of the highlights at the museum is the world's first commercial home video game console Magnavox Odyssey that was released in the United States in September 1972 and overseas the following year.
The Odyssey consists of a white, black, and brown box that connects to a television set, with two rectangular controllers attached by wires.
"This is the first home video game console that was produced in 1972. Players need to put these transparent overlays on the family television and then connect the console to the television to play it," said Weng Xin, the curator of the museum.
The museum also features 20 interactive areas where visitors can not only enjoy classic video games on early arcade machines, home consoles, and handheld devices, but also play recent hits such as the newly released "Black Myth: Wukong" with state-of-the-art equipment.
"We hope to restore the history of games through physical objects, so that visitors can see the inseparable relationship between games and technology, culture and history in the development process. The game industry benefits from the nourishment of history and culture, and at the same time pushes forward technological progress," said Zhou Wei, manager of the museum.
China’s largest video game museum opens to public
Any escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran would bring catastrophic results for regional security and beyond, said the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference, Ansari urged both sides to exercise restraint and find diplomatic solutions to settle differences.
"We know that any escalation of the sort that you describe would have catastrophic results in the region and beyond. And therefore, we want to avoid that as much as possible. The talks continue, our calls continue. There is no specific effort that I can point to right now, but we are involved in talking to all parties, obviously, with our neighbors and our partners in the region to find a diplomatic solution," Ansari said.
Ansari stated that Qatar has been working to mediate the rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Qatar maintains that the only viable way to resolve the issue is through dialogue, specifically a comprehensive and inclusive process that fully considers the concerns of countries in the region and relevant international parties, he said.
He emphasized that the dialogues should include all issues, including the nuclear issue, in the discussion.
Qatar will continue to maintain close communication with its regional partners and is committed to promoting a solution to the issue through diplomatic means, Ansari said.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Tuesday that Russia strongly condemns external interference in Iran's internal affairs, and the U.S. threat to launch a military strike against Iran are "categorically unacceptable."
Zakharova stated that Iran has suffered from illegal Western sanctions for many years, hindering national development and creating economic and social problems affecting ordinary citizens. Foreign forces hostile to Iran are attempting to exploit the escalating tensions within Iranian society to destabilize the Iranian regime.
The illegal sanctions imposed by the West have been impeding Iran's development for many years, which also triggers economic and social problems that impact ordinary Iranians, Zakharova noted.
Russia also firmly rejects the attempts to blackmail Iran's foreign partners through increasing trade tariffs, she said.
Any escalation of US-Iran conflict to bring 'catastrophic results' for regional security: Qatar foreign ministry
