A walking tour celebrating Dundee’s video gaming industry is set to take place next week.
The tour, which will take place on Saturday 29 March, will take people through the city's rich video game legacy, from the creation of Lemmings to the development of Grand Theft Auto (GTA).
Organised by Dundee Photo Walks, run by local photographer Stephen Finn, the Dundee Gaming Tour begins at the Lemmings statues on Dundee’s Perth Road at 3:30pm and will follow a 0.5-mile route over the course of an hour.
Guests are requested to arrive five minutes early for ticket checks and a brief introduction.
Despite all its gifts to the world of gaming, Dundee still lacks a gaming museum. But Finn is trying to fill that void—at least for the meantime—with this unofficial guided tour of the stories of Dundee's gaming past.
Dundee is where millions of ZX Spectrum computers were built, where Lemmings was created, where GTA was born, and where Minecraft was ported to consoles,"
Finn said “I can't build a museum, but I can start a guided tour [about gaming]”.
People will discover how Dundee’s Timex plant transitioned from watch manufacturing to producing millions of ZX Spectrum computers, helping teenagers across the UK start coding.
They’ll learn how a simple demo led to the creation of Lemmings, a puzzle game phenomenon that sold 20 million copies worldwide. The tour will also explore the unlikely origins of GTA, its groundbreaking gameplay, controversial marketing, and a last-minute fix in GTA2 that saved the game.
Finally, attendees will hear how 4J Studios, a Dundee-based studio played a key role in bringing Minecraft, one of the best-selling games of all time, to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii, and Switch.
The tour takes place outdoors, and guests are advised to dress in layers, warm waterproof clothing, and comfortable footwear. "Dress like an onion," says Finn. "Worst-case scenario and fingers crossed for the best."
Tickets are non-refundable, and the tour will take place in all weather.
For gamers, historians, or simply those with an interest in Dundee's role in gaming on the global scene, this event promises to be an interesting and enlightening experience.
Tickets for The Dundee Gaming Tour can be purchased for a general admission of £10 with concessions available for £8 on Eventbrite.
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