Some time ago, I received visitors from France who were interested in viewing the Before Mario collection and discussing the collecting and exhibiting of video games. They made a video diary about their trip, which also involved visits to other collectors and collections. This video was just published on YouTube.
The group included Benoit Theveny (known as "Tev" on YouTube channel Ici Japon and the side channel Ici Japon Corp.) and Ludovic Charles. This duo are the initiators of Project Odyssée, a crowd-funded video game museum planned to open near Paris, France in 2026.
Benoit and Ludovic were accompanied by some associates, including Florent Gorges, who is a good friend of mine and the publisher of my Before Mario book.
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| I am flanked here by Benoit (left) and Florent (right) |
As part of the research for the upcoming museum, Benoit, Ludovic, and their team are meeting with collectors, visiting existing museums, and experiencing firsthand what types of exhibitions work and which don't. All of this is to gather the information and inspiration needed to create one of the best video game-related museums.
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| The team was temporarily distracted by birds living alongside Sander's houseboat |
Before they arrived at my place, the caravan had already stopped by fellow Dutch collectors Don (of the website Consolevariations) and Sander (see his past episode of Meet the Collectors).
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| The team at work, filming Sander's collection |
It was a lot of fun to show this group around my collection, as they were so interested in Nintendo's history and very knowledgeable as well.
Even though the space is not very large, it is packed to the brim, with much to see wherever you look.