Newcity Interview
Step Into Arcade History: Inside the “Insert Coin” Exhibition
by Vasia Rigou | January 31, 2025
Whether you spent countless hours at the arcade or are just discovering the magic of classic coin-op games, “Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution“ is a must-see for gaming enthusiasts. The collaborative exhibition between Chicago Gamespace and the Cleve Carney Museum of Art explores how Midway Games—the Chicago-based studio behind Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and other nineties arcade hits—pushed the limits of technology, storytelling and cultural impact to redefine the gaming industry. Newcity spoke with Jonathan Kinkley (director and curator at Chicago Gamespace), Joshua Tsui (director of the film “Insert Coin” and director of innovation at DePaul University) and Justin Witte (director and curator at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art) to explore what visitors can expect, from behind-the-scenes insights to why Midway’s rebellious approach to game design still resonates today.
Midway’s arcade games helped define a generation—what drew you to focus on their legacy for this exhibition?
Jonathan Kinkley: Josh Tsui’s colorful, electronic 2020 documentary “Insert Coin” rightly hailed Midway—and Chicago—as the world leader in coin-operated arcade entertainment in the 1990s. At Gamespace, we tell the most important histories in video games, and especially champion Chicago-made games. I approached Josh about adapting his hit documentary into an exhibition format, and he was into the idea—but we needed a bigger exhibition space to properly present the show. Thankfully, Justin at Cleve Carney Museum of Art felt this aligned with the mission and CCMA became an incredible partner in realizing the project.
Joshua Tsui: Ironically, as a former game developer, I envisioned a version of the documentary as an engaging VR experience where viewers could interact with the games in a virtual space. So, with that already in my head, an exhibit about arcade games felt like a natural fit. What made Midway unique was that ultimately it was a combination of three major companies coming together to become one of the biggest video-game companies of the nineties. The format of an interactive museum really lent itself well to the journey this company had.
“Insert Coin” highlights Midway’s impact on gaming history. What do you think made Midway’s approach to design and storytelling so groundbreaking?
Kinkley: Few works were uniquely suited to the counterculture of the 1990s and could capture the mood of a generation. Yet the upstart rebels at Midway broke rules and made boundary-pushing games that did exactly that. To the disaffected youth of those days, games like Mortal Kombat and its dark, violent subject matter—with snappy gameplay—suited their jaded worldviews. It was the right people making the right games at the right moment.
Tsui: What made Midway really unique was the personalities who made the games—particularly the nineties output with games like Narc, Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. You can see the gonzo, punk rock-like attitude of the designers and their desire to innovate in both technology and design. During that era, coin-op video games were not in great shape. Pinball was vastly more popular then, so the management at Midway allowed the video-game teams to do whatever they wanted.
Justin Witte: I was probably the person with the least knowledge about video games and gaming history, but what stood out to me was the Midway Games designers’ constant drive to push boundaries. This is evident not only in their introduction of realistic graphics and effects in games like Terminator and Mortal Kombat but also in how they reimagined gaming concepts. For instance, their ability to transform an existing product like the NBA into a completely new experience with NBA Jam has, in my opinion, made it one of the most influential games ever. It directly paved the way for massive gaming franchises like Madden, EA Sports FC and others.
Can you share any behind-the-scenes insights into the process of curating this exhibition? Were there any surprising discoveries about Midway’s games or development process?
Kinkley: Chicago is often called the city that works and Midway certainly espoused this ethos. Evidence of Midway’s scrappy DIY approach and long hours of hard work manifests time and time again. For example, when game technology made digitized photo and video possible—a far cry from its 8-bit origins—Midway didn’t invest in a professional film studio as one might imagine. Developer Eugene Jarvis literally just bought a camcorder at Target, and next thing you know, they made Narc, the game that brought all the software and hardware technology together into the proof of concept that made Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, Terminator 2 and other games possible. Another highlight was discovering that the Midway sign that used to hang outside of the 2727 West Roscoe location had been rescued from the dumpster by Ken Fedesna, former vice president of Midway Games. Naturally we had to have it in the exhibition, and Ken graciously agreed to lend!
Tsui: The process was all new to me. I just watched the others put this together and chimed in where necessary—they’re the pros. [laughs]
Witte: From an exhibition design and installation perspective, I was amazed at how massive and heavy so many of these games were! Despite the challenges, working with Jonathan and Julia Walker to bring this exhibition together in the galleries was a lot of fun. I think the final installation truly reflects the collaborative effort and energy we put into it.
The exhibition explores the cultural and technological innovations of Midway’s arcade era. How do you see its influence shaping the gaming industry today?
Kinkley: Technologically, Midway was often at the bleeding edge of hardware, and culturally, its irreverent games struck a chord with Gen X. Yet these games wouldn’t have made a splash if they didn’t also have magnetic, compelling gameplay that kept players pumping quarter after quarter. To achieve this, these games were tested on location, before their official release in Chicago arcades allowing developers to learn from player feedback loops that contributed to their quality. The industry would do well today to keep the player experience in mind. Good artistic visions are made great by taking into account the experiences of their participants.
Tsui: The teams at Midway pushed the envelope in so many ways—not just in fun gameplay design, but new approaches to visual design and emerging technologies such as 3D. I also think something that is heavily overlooked is how these games were designed to be highly monetized. Their designs, for better or worse, broke new records in terms of how to engage players to spend more in a smaller amount of time, yet still feel satisfied. These practices are still being seen in games today, especially in the mobile gaming space.
Witte: Coming into this with very little prior knowledge of gaming, I can’t help but recognize how Midway paved the way for many of the major gaming genres that dominate the market today. Mortal Kombat had a profound influence on the evolution of fighting games, and, as I mentioned earlier, NBA Jam was a massive game-changer. Additionally, titles like Cruis’n USA foreshadowed the popularity of fun, accessible driving games. From my perspective, even with limited familiarity, Midway’s impact on gaming is undeniably far-reaching.
For visitors who grew up playing these games—or those discovering them for the first time—what do you hope they take away from this experience?
Kinkley: As a kid growing up in the suburbs, I had no idea the games I loved were being made just ten miles from my arcade. Everyone in Chicagoland should feel a sense of civic pride for the contributions Midway made—not just to the arcade specifically and to video games at large. Memory is fickle, and history can be lost in a generation, which is why the exhibition is so important to Chicago Gamespace’s efforts to keep the flame alive and to let people know how influential Midway was to—what is, in my opinion—the richest, most exciting artistic medium of our time.
Tsui: The people who worked on these games really had to make everything up as they went along. The tech and tools were built from scratch compared to today’s era of commercially available game engines and the rise of game development education. So when people look at and play these games, I’m hoping they can see that pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit and go make something even more incredible. Technology and access is so much more democratized now.
Witte: I hope this exhibition broadens people’s perspective on what they consider when thinking about artwork. Even though video games are one of the top—if not the top—forms of entertainment and storytelling we consume as a culture, we still don’t examine their history, development and significance in the same way we do with painting or sculpture. I think that’s a mistake. Like all forms of art, video games reflect and provide insight into our culture and deserve to be viewed through the same critical and appreciative lens as other art forms.
“Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution” is on view at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, through February 16. A film screening and panel discussion will take place on February 11 at 6pm at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage (425 West Fawell). Tickets are $10, available at theccma.org.
