UCLan Cyprus and Retro Computing & Gaming (NPO) are collaborating in innovation and application of extended Reality and Gaming technologies to support and enhance the Cyprus Computer History Museum visiting and educational experience.
The Cyprus Computer History Museum was founded in 2017 by Retro Computing & Gaming, a non-profit organization registered in Cyprus. It aims to help preserve legacy computers, game consoles, and software (including video games), and offer an educational program on the history of computers and related subjects, to a diverse audience that includes teachers, students, parents, and individuals interested in the subjects.
An early exhibition of the collection, which now comprises more than 150 working computers, consoles, and peripherals from 1972 to 2002, was shown in 2014 at Agios Spyridonas Primary School in Nicosia. In 2018, it was moved to the State Fair, in a 400 sqm specially designed area that included a MakerSpace. In 2021, it was moved to its new location in Engomi – Kyriakou Matsi 56 – 60, Egkomi 2409
Researchers from UCLan Cyprus and Retro Computing & Gaming are working together to develop exciting and innovative interactive experiences and educational activities to support the visiting experience and help educating the current generation of visitors about the history of computers and games!
The museum offers two educational 3-hour workshops for teachers and students, that can visit and participate during school hours on a daily basis (with permission by the Ministry of Education). These workshops are aimed at students between 10 – 16 years of age. The first workshop covers the history of computers from 2200 BC to 2002 AD, through hands-on activities, including a specially designed board game in which students, through play, learn about important women figures that impacted the development of computers. This workshop also includes an introduction to programming on the BBC Micro:bit, the spiritual successor to the BBC Micro, the first computer designed for education. One of the main activities for secondary education students is the VR tour and exploration of large computer systems from 1940s to 1970s. It was designed by Dr Louis Nisiotis, Course Leader of BSc (Hons) Computing and the Director of Rays and Vectors student led Game Studio at UCLan Cyprus. The second workshop was developed again in collaboration with Dr Nisiotis, aimed primarily at students and teachers interested in video game history and video game development. This 3-hour workshop takes students through the development of the early video games as first envisioned by Alan Turing (“Turochamp”), up until the modern era. It dissects several genres, as well as the complexity of what drives and constitutes a video game studio today. Students assume roles of game developers in teams and develop a video game using modern game development tools such as GDevelop.
The Museum also offers guided tours on weekends as well as workshops for parents and their children. Since May 2022, more than 600 people have visited the museum and participated in workshops and other activities. More about the Museum can be found on the webpage https://mouseio.org. To register, visit the link https://mouseio.org/registrations and select the day and workshop that interests you.
For more information you can contact the Museum via email ([email protected]) or phone (97 963 661).
