Developed by a three-person indie studio based in Adelaide, the second Hollow Knight game was released earlier in September, and was so popular it crashed a global gaming platform.
"Being able to include Hollow Knight: Silksong from Team Cherry has been really huge for us," said ACMI co-curator Bethan Johnson.
The Game Worlds exhibition features original hand-drawn sketchbooks used in the development of the hit title, as well as a series of maps from the Hollow Knight world - although these come with a spoiler alert for those currently playing the game.
The show opens with titles from the 1970s such as the text-based adventure game Zork, and there are of course globally popular titles such as Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls, and The Sims to be played too.
Alongside the gaming stations there's paraphernalia such as vintage advertising: "We promise you won't use the Commodore 64 more than 24 hours a day."
At any rate, it's fine to play video games during school - so far 2800 students are booked in to see the exhibition. At a sneak peek on Wednesday, year 9 student Amy tried out a vintage game from 1996 - before she was born.
It's simpler than today's games and there are no touchscreens, but the controls make sense, she said, and it's way more fun than regular lessons.
The makers of even the earliest computer games had creativity and a sense of endeavour, said Johnson.
"Even at the start of this burgeoning technology, people turned to it to create and play and share fictional worlds," she said.
The exhibition opens a fortnight before the start of Melbourne International Games Week, a ten-day event that has grown to become the biggest games forum in the Asia Pacific.
The Australian industry reported revenue of just over $339 million in 2024, with 93 per cent of that money coming from exports.
Australia has a rich history of video game development according to Johnson, with titles such as 2003's The Hobbit and Team Fortress from the 1990s.
"Not only in terms of contemporary games being developed, but also historic titles as well ... we are an epicentre for a lot of really incredible game development," she said.
Game Worlds runs from Thursday until February 8, 2026 at ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne.
Melbourne International Games Week runs October 4-12.
