Museum of video game history in Zagreb opened a new exhibition for the public today, which deals with the historical presentation and significance of the Croatian video game industry. For the first time, systematically and museologically, the beginning of the development of computing and video games in Croatia is presented, from the earliest period to the 2000s.
The exhibition documents the transition from hobby projects to commercial titles and first international successes, and was created as a result of years of research, collection of materials, interviews with authors and reconstruction of almost lost titles and forgotten authors.
Thematically, it is divided into five units, starting with the Multimedia Center (MMC), in whose classrooms the first domestic computer games were developed, and where enthusiasts and talented programmers worked on them. The line-up also includes Suzy Soft, the first software exporter, the creation of the first domestic video games, such as Kung-Fu, Ali Baba and Sraz. Izložba također donosi detalje o nastanku i razvoju Croteama, najdugovječnijeg domaćeg studija za razvoj igara, koji se proslavio naslovom Serious Sam, dok je posljednja tematska cjelina posvećena specijaliziranim časopisima koji su u ono doba odigrali značajnu ulogu u promociji videoigara.
"This project arose out of a very personal desire to preserve the story of the people and projects that shaped the early scene. Their enthusiasm and knowledge laid the foundation for today's successes, and it was important that their story get the space it deserves," he pointed out. Damir Šlogar, founder of the Video Game History Museum and curator of the exhibition.
Carefully selected original domestic exhibits are now part of the rich collection of the Museum of Video Game History, which consists of more than 3,000 items. The exhibition simultaneously opens a dialogue between those who created the first games and those who develop them today, and preserves an important part of digital heritage through the educational and archival dimension. "This shows the development of video games as a full-fledged and important part of the cultural history of Croatia," Šlogar added.
The exhibition is open happening in Kaptol Boutique Cinema where the authors shared their anecdotes and experiences Damir Muraja, pioneer of computing and author of the first Croatian world-wide successful video game, Janko Mršić-Flögel, scientist, entrepreneur and creator of video games in the 80s and Admir Elezović, art director at Croteam.
The event gathered about two hundred participants from the industry, and the program was moderated Ante Vrdelja, a veteran of the video game industry with more than three decades of experience, who on that occasion presented the first Lifetime Achievement Award in Croatia for outstanding contribution to the development of video games. The winner of the award in 2026 is Branimir Makanec, engineer and giant of computing in Croatia. The award was accepted by his son, Julije Makanec.
As of today, the exhibition is part of the permanent exhibition of the Museum of the History of Video Games, and can be viewed at Draškovićeva 10, in Zagreb.
