Shack Chat: What video game item belongs in a museum?

This last week, Nintendo gave us an extensive look at its upcoming museum dedicated to the lengthy history of the Nintendo company, its products, and its accomplishments. That got us thinking about museums with exhibits from actual video games! The world of gaming is full of legendary items across the lore and worldbuilding of their various universes. With that in mind, the Shacknews team opined this week on the video game items that we think belong in a proper museum!

Question: What video game item belongs in a museum?

The Master Sword - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Museum Curator

And over here to your left, you'll see the Master Sword. People of an ancient land once referred to it as "The bane of evil." Was it really the fabled weapon that once slew a demonic warlord? Or was it simply a fancy way to open envelopes? Either way, it's considered among the rarest artifacts in video games, most recently said to be hidden deep in the wilds of Hyrule. A sword that doesn't break? That's a true artifact worthy of the Shacknews Museum.

Bowser’s SNES Koopa Clown Car - TJ Denzer, Senior Bowser History Preservationist

Some may love it, some may hate it, but no matter where you stand on the matter of Bowser’s original Koopa Clown Car on the SNES, it was the start of something historic. This vehicle, manufactured by the folks at Nintendo first for Bowser in his 1990 appearance in Super Mario World, is the Koopa King’s preferred mode of transportation. Many forms, variations, and upgrades of this vehicle have appeared throughout Super Mario franchise history, and Bowser even eventually handed down a version of the car to his son, Bowser Jr.

Players may love floating around in it, hate being crushed by it, or any number of emotions and reasons in between, but short of things like the Blue Falcon from F-Zero or the Arwing from Star Fox, it may be Nintendo’s most iconic piece of automotive design, and the original deserves to be preserved like a Ford Model T.

The Triforce - Asif Khan, CEO/EIC/EIEIO

I struggled narrowing down my entry to one answer, because there are truly many video game items that deserve to be put in a museum, but I believe the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda franchise needs to receive such an honor. Courage, Power, and Wisdom are all required to bring peace to Hyrule, and the rest of the world could probably use some of all three of those admirable human qualities right about now. Since Ozzie said the Master Sword, I have to throw my endorsement behind Zelda’s other most iconic item.

Arthur Morgan’s Hat - Bill Lavoy, Gunslinger

What belongs in a museum more than one of the most iconic items from one of the best games ever made? Arthur Morgan’s hat is an instant identifier of the complicated outlaw with a big heart. It not only stays with him throughout his journey in Red Dead Redemption 2, but he passes it on to John Marston before succumbing to his illness and injuries. Arthur’s hat, along with all the other iconic items on this list, deserves to be preserved for eternity in a museum.

Activation Index - Sam Chandler, Don’t Press The Button

Previously, Halo’s Activation Index was stored in Libraries. That very clearly doesn’t work. We need to up the security a bit more, so the next thing we ought to try is a museum. People can come and see it, take photos with it, and maybe we can have a little simulacrum set where they can pretend to insert it into the Control Room to activate the Halo Array. We just need to make sure it doesn’t get stolen from the museum as part of some elaborate heist.

Zenithian Sword/Armor - Donovan Erskine, Sinnoh League Champion

There are plenty of legendary swords and armor sets in video game history, but the Zenithian Sword and Armor stand above the rest for me. One of the connective threads between Dragon Quest 4, 5, and 6, this weapon and armor set is not only central to the story, but quite stylish and powerful. I love how each game finds a unique way to introduce them to the player, and it’s always epic when they show up. I could imagine the sword and armor being displayed in a glass case behind a velvet rope at the finest video game museum.

Question Block - Steve Tyminski, Mario is my homeboy!

What video game item belongs in a museum? That’s a tough question because I could take this answer in a few directions. I think it needs to be an iconic symbol that everyone knows the minute they look at it. I could go with the classic Pokeball from the Pokémon series or I could go with a variation of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda. However, I think I have to go with something from Mario on this one and that something is the iconic Question Block. Almost everything from Mario is memorable but the Question Block is one of the first things you see in Mario Brothers. Even if you don’t know video games, you know the Question Block is from Super Mario. So, I’m going with the Question Block from Super Mario as my answer to what item belongs in a museum.

That covers our answers for what video game item belongs in a museum, but what’s your pick? Let us know in the Shacknew Chatty comment section below!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.