JUNE 2, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
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Retro video games in new exhibit
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The only video game con-
sole David Sherman has ever
sold was his original Ninten-
do Entertainment System.
It ended up being such a
traumatic experience that he
can still remember the precise
day: Halloween 1991.
“I sold it to a guy who ran
a fl ea market table for $55
with all my games at the time
... so stupid, but I was only
10 years old and did it with-
out my Mom knowing,” said
Sherman.
He planned to used the
proceeds to purchase a Sega
Genesis without realizing he
would have to come up with
another $134.
Suffi ce it to say, he learned
his lesson, and now all of
Keizer is benefi tting from it.
Sherman’s collection of video
game systems, and some of
the accompanying games is
now on display at the Keizer
Heritage Museum through
the end of July. You can even
play a round of Ms. Pac-Man,
cocktail table-style, for a
quarter. All the quarters col-
lected by the machine are be-
ing donated to the museum.
The Ms. Pac-Man table is
one of the oldest elements
on display, but Sherman said
the only restoration he plans
to do is, possibly, replace the
glass top.
“Most of us in the arcade
preservation hobby do look
at these games as artwork and
items of historic value,” Sher-
man said. “I’ll probably leave
everything else with the mi-
nor wear and tear visible from
nearly 40 years of use.”
People generally attach
memories to senses, e.g. the
scents that remind you of
grandma’s kitchen. Sherman
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attached his memories to vid-
eo game experiences.
“In a way, they are kind
time machines back to spe-
cifi c moments of my life that
my brain has made strong
connections with either the
game itself, the music of the
game, the artwork on the
box,” Sherman said. “Gaming
defi nitely defi nes a lot of the
milestones in my childhood
and early development.”
His collection of original
Atari 7800 games once be-
longed to a cousin who died
unexpectedly.
The Nintendo 64 on dis-
play was purchased during his
college years, primarily for
the four pro wrestling games
available on the system. He
said those games are still some
of the best of their kind even
compared with modern-
day hardware. He purchased
a Sega Dreamcast and VR
headset in 1999 when he was
studying to become a game
developer.
“I used to carry it with
me throughout Seattle while
working at the Science Cen-
ter or at school, and on breaks
I’d simply plug in the power
and put on my VR headset
to get in some Soul Caliber or
WWF action,” he said.
While none of the items are
particularly rare – and some,
check out the NES Power-
glove when you go, weren’t
even particularly good – the
exhibit is a stroll back through
the fi rst two decades of home
gaming systems.
Even with all the advances
in modern gaming, Sherman
said it is still hard to pick a fa-
vorite.
“I have a lot of great con-
nections to the Atari systems,
but I have equally strong con-
nections and stories about ev-
ery console in the collection,”
he said.
The Keizer Heritage Mu-
seum hours are Tuesdays and
Thursdays 2 to 4 p.m. and
Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
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TOP: David Sherman’s collection of vintage video games is on display at the Keizer Heritage
Museum through July. ABOVE: A cocktail-table style Ms. Pac-Man table is playable for a quarter.
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