The Strong Receives Over $100K Grant For Video Game Preservation

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) has received a $113,277 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to further its efforts to archive and preserve video game history. The grant will be used to establish best practices for conserving electronic artifacts for museums, libraries, and other organizations, according to a statement. The ICHEG operates within Rochester, New York's Strong Museum of Play, which also exhibits and preserves toys and other means of interaction. "Video games have been the most creative new medium of the past 50 years, but many old games are in danger of disappearing because they are stored on electronic media," said ICHEG director Jon-Paul Dyson. "This grant will help The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games preserve its unique collection of tens of thousands of games and provide other institutions with a model for how, collectively, we can save our video game heritage." The project that this funding will help establish will identify the needs of preserving an estimated 7,000+ games published prior to the year 2005, make digital records for each title (including screen shots and video capture), and create "best practice" conservation and maintenance manuals for future use both inside and outside of the museum. This is a two year project with an aimed completion date of May 31, 2013, according to the museum. Gamasutra sister publication Game Developer magazine recently donated a near-complete archive of its magazine, dating back to 1994. The museum is also home to development papers from key figures in the industry, such as Ralph Baer, Dani Bunten and Will Wright. More information on the museum, its collections and its aims are available on its official website.