“Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution”

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.

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, share their perspectives on the exhibition.

“Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution” at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art explores the legacy of Midway Games, the Chicago-based studio behind iconic arcade hits like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and Cruis’n USA. Through a collection of playable games, archival materials and behind-the-scenes footage, the exhibition showcases the technological innovations, boundary-pushing storytelling and cultural impact of Midway’s arcade era.

Ahead of the exhibition’s closing on February 16, Newcity spoke with Kinkley, Tsui and Witte to explore what visitors can expect, from behind-the-scenes insights into the curation process to why Midway’s rebellious approach to game design still resonates today.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What drew you to focus on Midway’s 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