Donkey Kong is large lad, who deserves only the largest arcade cabinet. And that is exactly what Mr. Kong shall be getting, thanks to the Strong National Museum of Play. The Strong is creating a 20-foot-tall, fully playable Donkey Kong arcade machine — in collaboration with Nintendo — which will be featured in the museum’s new 90,000 square-foot-expansion dedicated to the history of video games. This new expansion will open on June 30.
Feast your eyes on the rendering, and cower in fear (or excitement):
Image: The Strong National Museum of Play
According to the release, it’s going to be the world’s largest Donkey Kong arcade game. I’m inclined to believe that’s true, given the wild rendering image of the machine. It’s going to be about 370% larger than the original arcade game. The arcade machine will have an aluminum frame with MDF fiberboard, and it will run on a motherboard form an original Donkey Kong arcade machine. And they’ll be showing it off like the crown jewel it is: It will be visible from the first-floor welcome atrium of the museum.
“Donkey Kong is a true titan in the video game world—both in terms of character size and the iconic status of the game—so it lends itself perfectly to this playful, whimsical installation,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, PhD, vice president for exhibits at The Strong.
Luckily you won’t need hands that are 370% larger than normal human hands in order to play the enormous arcade game. Though it appears there will be giant controls on a panel — scaled to the huge machine — at least per the arcade machine rendering, players will interact with it via regular-sized controls at a pedestal in front of the machine. I just know it is my destiny to experience this in person.
