Digital Sports Archive Unveiled: A New Resource for All Game Enthusiasts

The Video Game History Foundation (VHGF) has unveiled its digital repository of video game documentation as part of Early Access. Access is completely free from anywhere around the globe and is designed for “anyone wishing to explore video game history.”

In their announcement, the preservation organization highlighted that its library includes diverse game-related content, encompassing artwork, press kits, and marketing materials. It also features rare magazines, both from enthusiast publications (like GamePro or EGM) and other “scarce” media seldom accessible to the public.

Guidebooks from various video game events are included, featuring searchable catalogs and layouts from the initial 12 years of E3. There is also a digital archive portal equipped with “advanced search and navigation tools that video game historians have requested.”

“We collaborate with the game development sector to safeguard design documents, artwork…and various unique artifacts from behind the scenes of game production,” stated the VGHF. “Now we’re making these resources available to you, allowing you to investigate how games were created and marketed.”

However, there are some important restrictions: since it does not own or have explicit authorization for all the content it houses, the VGHF mentioned it “cannot provide explicit permission” for visitors to reproduce items in the library unless stated otherwise. Researchers might be exempt under fair use guidelines, which are detailed here.

Moreover, games cannot be played through the archive, as the VGHF primarily “does not collect retail games and has no plans to distribute them to researchers.” Copyright limitations in the United States further hinder its ability to provide digital access to out-of-print games for scholars, a situation it still aims to improve.

The effort to protect game history

In recent years, the VGHF along with other entities have emphasized the critical importance of conserving the history of the gaming industry, as a significant portion of its past is at risk of being irretrievably lost to history. Last year, GOG committed to preserving older and removed Windows games to be compatible with current PC technologies, and UI artist Edd Coates revived a free repository for developers to review interface artwork for video games.

On the other hand, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) contends that publishers will take on the responsibility of archiving games themselves, a claim some (like Ubisoft) do uphold, but mostly for their proprietary titles.

Numerous items in the VGHF’s library were reported to have been donated or digitized by other members of the game preservation community, such as Retromags or individual collectors who contributed what they could to the Foundation. The organization assured that it is “in this for the long term,” and plans to enhance the library with more features and content in the future.

Developers interested in contributing their own materials can reach out to the here, and its catalog provides additional information on materials that have not yet been digitized.

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