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EESTI ELU reedel, 19. augustil 2022 — Friday, August 19, 2022
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Estonian Destinations: LVLup! Video Game Museum Vincent Teetsov When we think of the word “culture”, we’re likely to mentally associate it with its oldest forms, such as lan guage, music, sculpting, or painting. However, defining culture as the physical repre sentation of a society’s beliefs, interests, and traits means that we ought to consider cultural heritage in even more recent forms. Among these are video games. Recognizing the tangible heritage of video games, espe cially in Estonia, led to the founding of Videomängude muuseum LVLup (the LVLup! Video Game Museum) in Tallinn. The museum explains, “Up until the late 1990s, Estonia, like many Eastern European countries, had little access to the Western European game market. Instead, a few specific consoles such as Dendy were popular, while unknown else where in the world. Dendy was a “Famiclone”: an unauthorized copy of Nintendo’s Famicom [also known as Nintendo Enter tainment System or NES] produced in Taiwan for the post-Soviet market.” Estonia received popular game titles like Super Mario ten years later than places like Canada or the United States, but the buzz was still there and it shaped the
lives and social experiences of Estonians. Preserving this history for future generations are museum co-founder and technical direc tor Andrejs Rusinovskis and co-founder and artistic director Camille Laurelli. Rusinovskis is a youth worker, designer, and video game historian, while Laurelli (originally from France) is a multimedia artist, longtime exhibit curator, and visiting l ecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. The museum first opened in 2018, starting with just a few consoles, but eventually moved to its current location (Akadee mia tee 28, Tallinn) in 2021. When you visit, you’ll not only see consoles and arcades from other eras but be transported back to the kind of environment where those games would have been played. Laurelli and Rusinovskis have arranged the decor to simulate the experience of going to Estonian under ground “game clubs... where for a few [kroonid] one could rent a device to play on.” Through a tour in this museum (available in English and Estonian, among other lan guages), visitors will learn about the history of video games and hear tales from the early years of gaming. More over, this is an interactive place where everyone can get their hands on and play with the very
Photo: lvlup.ee
machines that are spoken of. Walking through the museum, you’ll find room after room of game consoles (30 to be pre cise), 10 arcade machines, and a collection of around 2,000 games that take you from the beginning of video games to the most recent titles. You can spend a whole day here trying the games if you want. General admission ranges from four to five Euros per hour depending on the day of the week that you visit, and the museum is open from Thursday to Sunday. The museum is also rented out for parties, seminars, and other events. Pursuant to their educational mandate, the museum has pub lished many videos online about
Safety tips for women travelling alone Natalie Jenkins, LJI Reporter Travelling alone (or solo tra velling) abroad is a transfor mative feat. Exposure to new cultures, a newfound sense of freedom, and the confidence you gain from navigating unfamiliar parts of the world on your own terms gives you an altered perspective on life and even your sense of self. Unfortunately, solo travelling is a privilege that not everyone can afford. It’s important to recognize that when abroad alone, visible minorities and feminine-presenting individuals must take extra precautions for safety’s sake. This is not to say that men are not vulnerable to
violence – they are, and dis missing their experiences reifies harmful gender roles (i.e., the realm of hyper-masculinity that claims men can’t get raped, or that a “real” man shouldn’t show emotion), which ultimately work to further promote genderbased violence. Be that as it may, women face disportionately high rates of gender-based violence as a consequence of harmful gender roles and misogyny engrained in society. According to a report done by Statistics Canada in 2021, “Women self-report vio lent victimization at a rate nearly double that of men. Even after controlling for other factors such as age and other individual
Photo: mapquest
characteristics and experiences, the odds of being victimized are 38% higher for women than men… The self-report research also confirms that some face elevated risk of violence, such as women with disabilities and people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual.” These unique risks are am plified when women travel alone to foreign countries, where they may lack access to resources, including female physicians, as well as the fact that intercultural differences may hold varying expectations for women in both the public and private spheres. Below are some tips to miti gate gender-based violence, or any other forms of violence, against women solo-travelling abroad: 1. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Educate yourself on the cultural norms and tradi tions of the location you are visiting and adhere to these once you are there. Predators are drawn to individuals who obviously appear to be foreign ers. By adhering to local cus toms, you will not only blend in – thus diverting attention away from yourself – but will also garner greater respect from the locals. The Government of Canada says that dressing according to the country’s customs, using acceptable
video game trends, thinking critically about the content of games, as well as technical and maintenance topics for the owners of arcades and vintage consoles. Their documentation of video game heritage extends even further, though. In 2019, they compiled a photographic archive about the use of the Dendy game system in Estonia in the 90s. In November 2020, the museum created an exhibition at Tallinn’s Rocca al Mare shopping centre about toys, games, and other elements of the classic Estonian childhood from the 70s until the present day. The trajectory of gaming has largely moved towards better
quality graphics and more so phisticated technological offer ings. Many gamers want the gameplay on-screen to feel life like and crisp, and this has been achieved. Games have become more social on an international level through the improvement of multiplayer game options, with chat functions, headsets, and more. As impressive as this is, it’s valuable to show digital cultural heritage to kids who have just started to play games, and re mind others who have played for a long time, what the games of today are descended from and what has been carried for ward in narrative, challenges, and characters that make for the perfect gaming experience.
non-verbal forms of communi cation (i.e., body language and hand gestures), and knowing how to manoeuvre through society as a woman are all things you should learn prior to your travels. 2. Pack wisely and don’t be flashy. It’s easier to travel with lighter luggage. Also, the less you bring with you, the less you have to lose. Don’t be flashy with what you do bring, especially cash and expensive belongings. When you arrive in your host country, be aware of pick-pocketers and other popu lar scams in the region. To avoid these, use a handbag that sits closely to your body – such as an around-the-waist fanny pack – that has zippers and locks for extra security. If you’re staying in a hostel, keep your belongings in a locked bag and sleep with it near you: in your pillowcase, beside you, or even attached to you. 3. Going solo, but never alone. The Government of Canada suggests that international asso ciations, online networks, and clubs dedicated to women travelling abroad are a great way to enrich your travels and ensure your safety. “From my experience, women look after women, which is heartwarm ing,” said Teresa, from Indepen dent Travel Help. “I travel solo, and local women are often really helpful. When I meet these women, I’m no longer alone.” 4. Be aware and alert. On the
flip side, when you are by your self, carry yourself with confi dence. Keep your head high, and avoid looking down at your phone or any maps while you manoeuvre around your host location, as this is a tell-tale sign that you are a foreigner. Blending in with the locals is the best way to divert any unwanted attention away from yourself. At the same time, this is not to say that you shouldn’t make friends with other tourists. However, as good as your judge of character may be, always be cautious of meeting new people. Sex traffickers, under the guise of being a friendly face, target solo female travellers, luring them with promises of seemingly legitimate jobs or accommoda tions. On a similar note, the Canadian Government asserts that you should only use legal, reputable forms of transporta tion. Never enter a taxi whose driver approaches you. 5. Trust your gut. How lucky are we that we have built-in alarm bells? Listen to them. When something feels off or wrong, remove yourself from the scene. Even if you conflate your gut feeling with anxiety, it’s always better to err on the side of caution rather than to put yourself in danger. Hopefully, these tips will help ensure your safety and give you a richer, more reward ing experience abroad!
