Video Game History Foundation

Video Game History Foundation
Name	Video Game History Foundation
Formation	2017
Founders	Brian Crecente
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Preservation of video game history
Headquarters	United States

Video Game History Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, documentation, and dissemination of historical materials related to electronic games, consoles, and interactive media. Founded in 2017, the Foundation works with industry figures, collectors, museums, and archives to acquire, conserve, and make accessible software, hardware, documents, and oral histories tied to the history of companies such as Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Microsoft. The organization collaborates with cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, The Strong National Museum of Play, Library of Congress, British Library, and National Museum of Play to support research into works by creators including Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, Satoshi Tajiri, Yu Suzuki, and John Carmack.

History and founding

The Foundation was established in 2017 by journalist Brian Crecente amid broader preservation efforts exemplified by institutions such as Internet Archive, The Strong National Museum of Play, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and British Library. Early activities involved cataloging materials from developers like Rare (company), id Software, Capcom, Square Enix, and Konami and engaging collectors associated with communities around Atari 2600, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy, and PlayStation. Founding also intersected with controversies involving companies such as Nintendo of America and advocacy groups including Electronic Frontier Foundation and Game Preservation Network.

Mission and activities

The Foundation’s stated mission aligns with practices seen at Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and British Library: to preserve and provide access to primary materials from creators like Will Wright, Satoshi Tajiri, Sid Meier, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Gabe Newell. Activities include digital archiving of software from platforms such as MS-DOS, Commodore Amiga, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Atari ST; oral histories with figures from Electronic Arts, Capcom, Blizzard Entertainment, Epic Games, and Square Enix; and metadata cataloging following standards used by Dublin Core adopters in institutions like Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress.

Collections and archives

Collections encompass source code, design documents, marketing materials, and hardware spanning companies such as Nintendo, Atari, Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Microsoft Studios. Archival holdings include items related to titles like Pong, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Doom (1993 video game), Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Pac-Man, and Tetris. Partners and donors have contributed artifacts from studios including id Software, Rare (company), LucasArts, Bungie, BioWare, Konami, and Capcom, and collections reference platforms such as Apple II, Amiga 500, Neo Geo, Atari Jaguar, and Dreamcast.

Publications and research

The Foundation produces research reports, annotated source collections, oral history transcripts, and digital catalogs that intersect with scholarship from MIT Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Harvard University Press, and Cambridge University Press authors. Publications have analyzed design work by figures like Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, John Romero, John Carmack, Will Wright, and companies such as Nintendo, Sega, Atari, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The organization’s research informs exhibitions at institutions like Smithsonian Institution, The Strong National Museum of Play, and National Museum of Play and contributes to conferences including Game Developers Conference, Digital Games Research Association, Society of American Archivists, and Association of Moving Image Archivists.

Exhibitions and outreach

The Foundation curates materials and lends artifacts for exhibitions at venues including the Smithsonian Institution, The Strong National Museum of Play, Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and National Videogame Museum. Outreach includes public talks featuring creators such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, John Carmack, and historians affiliated with Stanford University, MIT, UCLA, NYU, and University of California, Berkeley. Educational programs target students and researchers connected to departments within MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Southern California, NYU Game Center, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Partnerships and funding

The Foundation partners with cultural institutions like Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, The Strong National Museum of Play, British Library, and National Archives and Records Administration as well as industry entities including Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft, Atari, Sega, Capcom, and Electronic Arts. Funding sources include philanthropic grants from organizations akin to Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and private support from collectors and companies such as Annapurna Interactive, Devolver Digital, Microsoft Studios, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Collaborative projects have involved academic research teams from MIT, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, and NYU.

Impact and recognition

The Foundation’s preservation efforts have been cited by journalists at The New York Times, Wired, The Washington Post, Polygon (website), Kotaku, and The Verge, and recognized by cultural bodies such as Smithsonian Institution and The Strong National Museum of Play. Its archival acquisitions and research have supported exhibitions celebrating developers like Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, John Carmack, Will Wright, and landmark titles including Doom (1993 video game), Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Pac-Man. Awards and acknowledgments include praise from preservation communities including Association of Moving Image Archivists, Society of American Archivists, Digital Preservation Coalition, and International Council on Archives.

Category:Video game preservation organizations