La Tour-de-Peilz? An ideal destination for a family getaway. Because from the top of its castle, 5000 years of games look down on you. “Since its founding in 1987,” underlines David Labouré, marketing and communications manager, “the Swiss Games Museum has been committed to transmitting gaming culture through captivating exhibitions and an exceptional collection of more than 15,000 games, including traces of some date back to antiquity. And we are open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during all winter holidays except Christmas and New Years.”
A true cultural gem, the Swiss Games Museum enjoys national and international influence. Without forgetting an important anchor in its stronghold, La Tour-de-Peilz. “Its inhabitants, the Boélands, come and return,” adds the marketing manager, “this is essentially due to our ability to constantly renew ourselves.” A quality that has not escaped the walls of the Riviera city. This year, with some 30,000 visits recorded, the museum has almost doubled the number of its visitors. A figure which was already increasing significantly last year.
A map which retraces the historical journey of the game of chess, a Gameboy, arcade machines, without forgetting a room dedicated to board games and which is made available free of charge to aficionados, all this is part of the arsenal of the old fortress. But the museum also offers annual exhibitions. The last, “From the box to the pixels” which has been extended until March 2, explores the links between old games and modern media. “An opportunity to discover how video games are part of a rich tradition. With more than 150 historical games and 25 video games, as well as 35 playable experiences, this exhibition is a window into the evolution of games and their mechanisms through the ages.”
As for LoRo, its presence is multifaceted. Old posters, lottery slips from the past and the collection of scratch tickets are among the objects on display. The Swiss Game Museum manages its entire archives, a gold mine for historians of today and tomorrow. “That’s still not all,” says David Labouré, “Loterie Romande has also supported us financially for many years. Thanks to his help, we can put on our annual exhibitions and we thank him very much for that.”
