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[1] For many Hongkongers who grew up during the 2000s, a great deal of their formative years would have been spent hunched over a mechanical keyboard. Jostling for shoulder space with one or two friends, they would have smashed the keys as pixelated, Dragon Ball-inspired characters battled it out on screen in the free side-scrolling video game Little Fighter 2.
[2] Its popularity and the way it evokes strong nostalgia for simpler times have allowed Little Fighter 2 to maintain a player base all the way up to 2025. This year, it marks its 25th anniversary. The game is just one of many on display at the “Restart! Beyond Gaming Exhibition” taking place at Airside in Kai Tak, Hong Kong, until November 9. The free exhibition explores the world of video games within the context of the city. It asks the question: what more can gaming be, beyond entertainment?
[3] “Restart!” is spread across six zones and takes visitors on a journey through five decades of gaming history. The first zone comprises a console wall that includes everything from the blocky woodgrain Atari 2600 to Hong Kong-modded Famicoms and stacks of gleaming Super Nintendos.
[4] The second zone reframes 300 Nintendo game cartridges from the 1980s and 90s as decorative objects in a layout evoking the arcade game Breakout. The third pays tribute to the inventiveness of local tinkerers – those who hacked, fixed and Frankensteined machines to keep play alive in this dense metropolis.
[5] Then, an entire arcade zone has been resurrected, complete with playable games such as The King of Fighters ‘98 and Bubble Bobble that can be controlled with the wonderfully tactile joysticks and buttons of yore.
[6] “Restart!” has also enlisted the talents of local multimedia artists to interpret gaming aesthetics in a modern context. The interactive Checkpoint installation was created by Daniel Lam and Edward Ng. It warps visitors into avatars straight out of three gaming time periods: 8-bit blockiness, Street Fighter’s slick sprites and the choppy 3D of early Winning Eleven. Art morphs tech and guests become protagonists, blurring the line between observer and player, past and possibility.
[7] Finally, a 25th-anniversary edition of Little Fighter 2 takes pride of place within the exhibition. It features an Airside-exclusive level with the Kowloon Walled City as the background. A mechanical keyboard allows up to four players to battle it out and relive Hong Kong’s digital golden age, one high score at a time.
“Restart! Beyond Gaming Exhibition” runs until November 9 at Gate33 Gallery, Shop 312, Airside, Kai Tak. Free admission.
Source: South China Morning Post, August 15
