I went here for a video game event a while back.

I went here for a video game event a while back.

First off, let there be no mistake that the exterior architecture is edgy and beautiful. It's a testament to the kind of raw energy that Seattle was known for the '90s and I suggest people give it a bit more attention before writing it off as a piece of trash.

The video game event I attended was mediocre at best. The exhibit showed a wide range of games, but only some were playable and they covered only a tiny sliver of the massive industry. In an attempt to cover the entire history of video games they only briefly examined any particular period or title. The exhibit seemed to lack an overall theme or purpose, other than something vague about informing the public about video games. I wonder how carefully this was curated. If this purports to be a museum it should take its craft as seriously as one.

The exhibit was also tiny, occupying just a few rooms. This made it a quick trip you can pass through in an hour or so. Either EMP is painfully tiny or the other exhibits are larger.

During the video game event we had the chance to view some other galleries. We went into a Jimi Hendrix exhibit. It was mildly interesting but the small time we spent there seemed like more than enough to get the gist. For hardcore fans the museum must have real appeal. For the rest of it seems excessive.

The museum seems overly focused on pop culture at the expense of meaningful history or art. Perhaps that's related to the museum's status as a tourist trap that doesn't have to be any good. People will go anyways.

This is the nature of a privately-funded pop culture museum: the subject matter and curatorial approach reflect the interests of the benefactor. This one doesn't work for me.