Plug in the console, grab your controller and step up to the screen for an innovative new experience at the Academy. Check out the Test Lab Takeover and help video game designers test their newest inventions. Join us as we explore the role of video games and natural history through the decades. How can video games help with real scientific research? Learn all this and more at an immersive wild weekend featuring the angriest birds, the blockiest llamas and tons of hands-on fun.

Video Game Weekend Activities:

Auditorium Show: Test Lab Takeover

Exclusive opportunity alert! Help staff and students from Drexel University’s innovative EGS (Entrepreneurial Game Studio) try out and test brand-new video games they are developing before they go public! Check out cutting edge software and see how awesome it looks on the big screen in the Academy Auditorium.

Gaming Through (Natural!) History

Learn about the parallel histories of gaming consoles and the Academy, and discover how, as tech changed, the Academy did, too. Take a spin in our Time Machine and then explore the natural history of the popular “Jurassic Park” games. Why do we love digital dinosaurs? How else can video games capture our imagination?

Animals of Video Games

From “real” angry birds to block-based farm animals, video games feature natural history in wild and wacky digital displays. Learn about the real animals that inspire the characters in your favorite video games and check out rarely displayed scientific specimens. Get excited by the research of Academy ornithologists, and even try your hand at a round or two of your favorite games.

Designers’ Showcase

Did you know that Drexel University has one of the nation’s top gaming programs? Beyond just entertainment, video games and digital media are used in education, in medicine and to promote accessibility. Meet the next generation of digital developers, check out their prototypes and find out how you can get involved in this rapidly growing and exciting industry! 

Don't miss Mythic Creatures!

Discover how real animals such as dinosaurs, mammoths and narwhals may have stirred tales of griffins, giants and unicorns. Learn why so many legendary water spirits look like mermaids. Touch fossils, explore winged mythological creatures, build your own dragon and come face-to-face with a giant legendary sea monster. Special ticket required.