The Story Museum in Oxford has opened a new permanent gallery dedicated to the cultural and creative power of computer games. The Story Arcade, which launched in July, is a compact but ambitious space that showcases and celebrates games as a narrative medium.

Set up in a cosy retro arcade room, the gallery combines custom-built cabinets running emulated classics with a chronological journey through landmark titles, from Donkey Kong and Space Invaders to The Secret of Monkey Island and Lost Words: Beyond the Page. 

What distinguishes the Story Arcade from similar exhibitions – such as the Science Museum’s Power Up retro section – is its clear focus on narrative. The Story Museum’s remit is to explore the wonder of storytelling through the ages, and this new gallery highlights how games are a modern way to experience engaging plots and characters. It positions video games alongside literature and theatre as part of a broader cultural conversation about how stories are shared.

Inside the Story Arcade

The Story Arcade space is a dedicated room with seats modelled after keyboard keys. There are tablets on tables in the middle of the room, bespoke arcade cabinets housing emulators along each side, and a display case at the far end.

It also features games created by young designers from The Story Museum’s Digital Dreamers programme (budding game-makers worked with industry professionals in partnership with Mind Jam, to select stories from The Story Museum’s Digital 1001 Collection, and reimagine them as video games).

The Story Arcade represents a significant step in establishing games as cultural capital, potentially introducing young visitors to the depth of the medium for the first time. It contributes to the ongoing conversation about games as a meaningful platform, highlighting their role as modern narrative vehicles. Showcasing one of today’s most popular storytelling forms in a positive, family-friendly way, The Story Arcade invites children and parents to play, learn, and imagine together. It celebrates a powerful creative force that continues to reshape how we share and experience stories in the digital age.

Sharna Jackson, the author, artistic director and games writer, who consulted on the new gallery and whose game Saltsea Chronicles features in the gallery, says: “This new gallery explores the incredible artistry and scope of storytelling through video games, which will enthral both seasoned games enthusiasts, and those who are curious and want to find out more... It’s possible to step into the shoes of a diverse range of characters, exploring fantastical worlds, making decisions that inform the narrative of the game, the player experiencing a range of emotions: empathy, curiosity, resilience and hope.”

Writer Rhianna Pratchett, whose game The Lost Words also features in The Story Arcade says: “This exhibition highlights the unique ability of videogames to place players at heart of emotionally powerful and meaningful stories. Games can inspire creativity, empathy, and leave a lasting positive impact, especially for young people. Narrative experiences in The Story Arcade allow players to explore different perspectives, emotional states and worlds far beyond their own.”

The Story Museum was conceived in 2003, opened to the public in 2014 and underwent a major refurbishment to attain its current form in 2020. Existing galleries include The Whispering Wood (where you can try and pull King Arthur’s sword from the stone), The Treasure Chamber (where a dragon exhibition is curated by author Cressida Cowell), and The Enchanted Library, which encourages you to step into Narnia and discover Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood.

We spoke with Guy Gadney who, in addition to being the CEO of Charismatic.ai and Charisma.ai, also sits on the Story Museum’s Associates Board. 

PC Games Insider: Why was it important for the museum to add a permanent video games gallery now? How do they enhance the Story Museum’s mission?

Guy Gadney: The Story Museum is about celebrating stories in all their forms to promote a love of literacy in kids. Video games have a rich heritage of storytelling from day one and we wanted to bring that to life to show the kids (and parents) the value of good storytelling in games.

We've always been an immersive story space, with talking trees, a walk-through wardrobe where you brush past fur coats into Narnia, along with CS Lewis's writing desk where he wrote the book! It's a space where you become a part of the story, and this of course is where games excel.

What can games tell us about narrative and story?

I love that we've included Space Invaders and Donkey Kong as the first two games in the Arcade. They are perhaps surprising, but lay the groundwork for good versus evil, and character design. Most of the games we've chosen have strong characters, vivid storyworlds and story arcs that capture the imagination. I am biased towards games from my childhood and it's wonderful to see The Hobbit (of course given the Oxford link) and Dragon's Lair included. 

I have always believed games are about self-expression just as books, TV and films are. For some reason it's taken ages for this to be recognised, and The Story Museum's work will help. 

How have people been using the Story Arcade? Any games emerge as particularly popular?

We did have worries that screen-based stories might irk some parents, but wanted to reset the narrative (!) about how games can provide the rich fictional storyworlds that kids' minds need to process the world. It doesn't matter whether the kids pick up a book, a remote or controller to experience these fabulous stories and learn from them.

The response we've had has been totally brilliant with mums, dads and kids all playing together and excited to discover this treasure trove. In addition, I think having this Story Arcade in the heart of The Story Museum also gets families to reassess how they think of games, which is a very positive thing.

What’s next for the Story Museum and the Story Arcade? 

The Story Museum is a brilliant showcase of the power of storytelling, and we visit schools as well as run sessions in the museum itself. These evolve on a regular basis dependent on the donations we receive, the funding we have and the families dropping in alongside a trip to Westgate!  If we can build on the magic of the Story Arcade with support of the games development industry, we're all in!

The Story Arcade is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Discover how to visit the Story Museum on its official website. You can see videos with Rhianna Pratchett and Guy Gadney talking about games, AI and stories in recordings from recent PG Connects conferences.