The Video Game History Foundation (VGHF), dedicated to celebrating and preserving the history of video games, has officially unveiled its new Digital Library, marking a significant milestone for gamers, researchers, and enthusiasts alike. Launched on January 30, 2025, the library is now accessible online, providing free entry to its extensive collection of over 30,000 curated files, with more items expected to be added soon.
The VGHF project, initiated back when the foundation was established in 2017, aims to democratize access to video gaming history. Frank Cifaldi, the founder of VGHF, expressed pride over the launch, stating, "We’ve been working on this project since we founded the Video Game History Foundation, so we’re extremely proud to start providing access to our digital library and continue our mission to make video game history accessible to anyone." This statement underlines the organization's commitment to not only preserve artifacts of gaming culture but also to inspire future researchers.
Accessible at library.gamehistory.org, the Digital Library's offerings are significant. The collection includes more than 1,500 full-text searchable out-of-print video game magazines, which are invaluable resources for anyone interested in the evolution of gaming journalism and culture. This increases the ability for users to engage with the history of titles, designers, and gaming innovations documented over the past fifty years.
But it’s not just magazines; the library also features never-before-seen game development assets, promotional materials, and other relics, making it one of the largest collections of gaming history available worldwide. Users eager to study specific games, authors, or publishers can utilize various metadata features to navigate through public materials as well as previously internal documents.
Phil Salvador, the Library Director at VGHF, echoed this vision, saying, "At the Video Game History Foundation, we think the best way to study game history is to have access to the raw materials." He emphasized the importance of this resource for historians, researchers, and even casual gamers. "Our vision has always been to open our collections to everyone, whoever and wherever you are, and after years of work, today we're taking the first step toward... this tool is going to change how people study video game history." Salvador’s remarks capture the essence of what the library seeks to achieve.
Among the highlights of the Digital Library are materials associated with major gaming events. For example, users can access guidebooks and ephemera from the first twelve years of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) or sift through directories and maps from these pivotal events. This aspect not only enriches the historical narrative of gaming but also provides enriching content for event historians.
Another notable feature is the extensive international collection of promotional materials from FromSoftware, curated by citizen archivist Kris Urquhart. Thanks to contributions from industry stakeholders, gamers can engage with promotional artifacts directly tied to their favorite titles, such as those belonging to the iconic Dark Souls or Bloodborne franchises.
For those interested in the production side of gaming history, the library contains 100 CDs of art and press releases from GamePro’s magazine archive, as well as over 100 hours of footage documenting the production of Myst, one of gaming's most significant titles. This includes interviews with the Cyan team, which are invaluable for fans and documentarians alike.
Further enhancing the treasure trove of resources, the library includes the Mark Flitman papers, which are brimming with documents amassed during Flitman's engagement with several prominent game publishers, including Konami and Atari. This repository provides unique insights for researchers delving deeply enough to understand the inner workings and production timelines of game development.
Overall, the VGHF Digital Library stands as both a labor of love for its founders and a monumental resource for anyone interested in video game history. The commitment to making archival materials widely accessible demonstrates the increasing recognition of video games as significant cultural artifacts. The VGHF team is enthusiastic about the engagement their archive will inspire, highlighting the potential for historians, enthusiasts, and media creators to discover new narratives from the rich history contained within.
Moving forward, the Video Game History Foundation intends for this library to continually evolve, offering more features and materials for exploration. Interested developers and archivists wanting to contribute their own materials to this growing library can reach out directly to VGHF through their available contact information.
For those eager to explore this unique digital archive, the opportunity is ripe to discover the myriad stories and histories woven through the evolution of video gaming.