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Image via Video Game History Foundation

How can creators, publishers, supporters, organizations, and essentially anyone passionate about preserving, cataloging, and showcasing video game history in a way that’s easily accessible contribute to the cause?

To begin with, you might want to consider gifting to the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF), the non-profit organization committed to exactly that, a massive “cartoon bag of cash.” You know, much like the ones Scrooge McDuck uses to store his spare change.

But what if you aren’t hoarding burlap sacks festooned with dollar signs? VGHF co-founder Frank Cifaldi, who spoke to Game Developer last week after the launch of VGHF’s extensive digital library, mentions there are indeed various (a bit more affordable) ways you can also assist.

“Honestly, one thing we frequently emphasize is, if you are within a studio environment, we need more internal advocates—not just for the ongoing preservation of that content, but also for championing access,” says Cifaldi.

Over the years, VGHF has received an overwhelming amount of material ready for cataloging. These contributions typically come from smaller studios or individual collectors, largely because they face less corporate red tape and legal hurdles.

Negotiating with industry giants like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony remains a challenging endeavor. This is why it’s essential for individuals who genuinely care about documenting video game history (especially those within large studio settings) to gain the courage to become vocal proponents.

“We’ve been working quietly behind the scenes and are beginning to dismantle some of the barriers surrounding access to this material being intimidating,” Cifaldi continues. “Our industry has traditionally been quite secretive, right? We’re afraid that competitors will learn the magic behind game development, and we’re concerned about the public comprehending how that content is actually created.”

Cifaldi hopes that mindset will change when people see the substantial impact that initiatives like the VGHF Library can have, which includes resources such as artwork, press materials, design documents, video game magazines, production photos, and much more. All text searchable, of course—which was another monumental challenge in itself.

“Nobody is going to preserve you, but you”

This sentiment is echoed by VGHF director Phil Salvador, who elaborates on the immense benefits of accessing decades of video game history, as demonstrated by the Foundation’s partnership with Myst developer Cyan.

“The Cyan archive is an excellent example because since we made it accessible, the Myst community has been diving into it. They’ve even started identifying individuals in videos who may have never received credit in some of their games before,” Salvador says.

“It’s having a beneficial impact, reaching back to the company itself. We hope this serves as a strong case study for other businesses to realize, ‘Listen, if you open up these resources, it’s not going to harm you.’ There is genuine enthusiasm for this material, and you can foster that.”

Even if you delight a few individuals at major corporations, there remains minimal risk in showcasing their history to the world; however, you may still require legal approval. That, as Cifaldi points out, is a significant obstacle.

“Let’s just say hypothetically a company—Ubisoft or EA—finds a box full of dusty old design documents,” says Cifaldi. “You’d think that’s a simple donation. Just send it over. There’s nothing outrageous in here. There’s nothing incriminating. But from that company’s perspective, they must consider things like ‘do we actually own the rights to all of these?’ or ‘are we even permitted to keep these types of items?’ ‘Perhaps we were meant to have destroyed these, and likely there are third parties we contracted with that might sue us if we claimed to own these and then donate them.’

“The answer nearly every time is ‘no, it’s fine,’ but for a larger corporation that has a lot at stake, it’s quite a heavy proposition to simply hand things over. I think company structure necessitates that legal must approve that—and the cost of legal approval for anything is often ridiculous.”

If companies are going to be consistently risk-averse, how do you change the narrative? You hope there are key players (shout out to any executives reading this) within those organizations who believe in the cause. People with the power and motivation to push through the bureaucracy—or former leaders and developers who may unknowingly possess a valuable collection of material just waiting to be donated.

“The truth behind nearly any example of historical preservation is that people just took things home—and maybe they weren’t supposed to,” says Cifaldi. “You know, I can refer to