Since the event is open to all age groups there are a few games that cannot be displayed. For example, Rockstar's games are completely absent. That's not to say that Grand Theft Auto doesn't make an appearance, but instead of allowing people to play one of the most influential games of this new century it was confined to their art walk (which included box art, character sketches, the world map layout and so on so forth). Games like Doom, Night Trap and Grand Theft Auto were left out of the exhibit despite being three games that changed our industry and our culture. In fact, now that I think about it I don't remember seeing any first-person shooters at Game On. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that many first-person shooters are rated M by the ESRB, a rating that wouldn't fly at an all-ages show like this. While this is perfectly understandable, it does feel like some of our history and culture is missing because of the rating system.

Grand Theft Auto is not the only game that is featured in Game On's art walk; you can also see original artwork from Tomb Raider and cels from Dragon's Lair. These three games make up and entire wall of the art walk. But don't be fooled by the limited number of games, the wall itself is a fascinating look at how you go about creating a character and what it takes to bring them to life. One could have used up an entire wall just on original sketches and frames from Dragon's Lair, but they shared the space and created one of the most memorable parts of the exhibit.

Game On is about more than just games and the systems that played them; this event also features a large area devoted to game development and schooling. It probably won't come as a surprise to learn that one of the sponsors of this event is none other than DigiPen, the school that specializes in churning out future game developers. The entire upstairs area features workbooks, student-made games and the complete (and inaccurate) history of video games. Although this section may not be as eye catching as the rest of the show, it is well worth checking out if you have an inkling to make interactive software.

One of the biggest draws to Game On has to be the row of fully operational classic arcade machines. With games like Donkey Kong, Mrs. Pac-Man, Tron and Space Invaders, this arcade features a lot of the best known games from the early 1980s. All of the games are set to free play and offer a lot of nostalgia. I suspect that a lot of gamers could probably spend their entire day playing these old (and extremely difficult) arcade games. Not all of them have held up over the past two decades, but there's no doubt that games like Donkey Kong and Dig Dug are still as much fun today as they ever were. Unfortunately Game On's selection of arcade games is limited to pre-1985, so don't go in expecting Street Fighter II, Smash TV, NBA Jam or any other ground breaking arcade title of the 1990s. What you will find are lot of games that you know and remember, including a few you thought you would never see again.

While Game On's selection of systems is truly impressive, there are a few noteworthy gaps in their collection. This exhibit focused on older systems, but things got a bit murky when I started looking for add-ons and accessories. Don't expect to find the Nintendo 64DD or the Sega 32X, and you can pretty much forget about the Jaguar CD. The exhibit also failed to turn up a CD-i unit and a 3DO. Where was the Amiga 32 or the NEC PC-FX? And while they had a lot of portable machines on display, I couldn't find the Sega Nomad anywhere. Sadly the same goes for the Sega CDX, LaserActive, SuperGrafx, X-Eye and original Xbox. Not all of those systems had games worth playing, but they are part of our history and it would have been nice for this exhibit to display them (even if it was just behind glass).

But even with the lack of these consoles Game On is still easy to recommend. If you're the type of gamer who wants to know more about this industry's roots then you owe it to yourself to make the journey to Seattle to visit Game On at the Pacific Science Center. But don't delay, this exhibit runs until the end of August and then it's gone. Game On won't replace E3, but it might just teach you a thing or two about where our industry has been and where it's going next. It sure beats the heck out of learning how to be a weatherman.

(Editor's Note: If Game On: A Brief History of Time isn't enough for you then I strongly recommend you head on over to Game On in 15 Minutes for more pictures and a short film about this exhibit. It's one thing to read about this event, but you haven't seen anything until you've watched our 15 minute long video detailing everything you will find at Game On. Now go, get out of this article and watch Game On in 15 Minutes and see for yourself what all the fuss is about!)