Gaming author Mike Diver is having a lecture at the VGHM
A renowned retro-gaming author, Mike Diver, is coming to the Video Game History Museum to deliver a lecture, titled "Arcade Imperfection: Electronic Table-Top Games of the 1980s" about classic tabletop games on Sunday, January 11th at 7:00 p.m. You can purchase a ticket, which is valid for a Museum visit, through our ticketing service.
Mike Diver talks about some of the classic games that made their way from arcades to bespoke electronic playthings, such as Space Invaders, Zaxxon, Pac-Man and Tron.
These games - popular from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s and made by companies like Epoch, Konami, Tomy and Nintendo - form a fascinating but rarely discussed part of gaming history, and several of them are collected in Mike's book of 2024, From Coin-Ops to Table-Tops: The Essential Electronic Games Guide (Numskull Publishing, 2024).
The talk will feature images and information from the book, covering games like Astro Wars and Puck Monster, as well as era-specific context - because while these games were far from 'arcade perfect', they were all special in their own ways.
About
Mike Diver is a respected British editor, journalist, author, and games industry professional with more than two decades of experience shaping and documenting interactive entertainment. He has worked across editorial, marketing, and public-relations roles for major outlets including VICE and the BBC, and has led teams while contributing extensively to discussions on video game history, culture, and design. As the author of books such as Indie Games: The Complete Introduction to Indie Gaming and Retro Gaming: A Byte-Sized History of Video Games, Mike combines rigorous research with a lifelong passion for games, exploring their cultural impact, creative evolution, and place within modern digital heritage.
Important notice - since tickets for the lecture are also valid for admission to the Museum, the following timetable is recommended:
17:00 - Museum visit
19:00 - Start of the Mike Diver's lecture