The Video Game History Foundation has announced that its digital library will soon be online for public access starting on January 30. VGHF has been hard at work digitizing what has become one of the largest gaming historical archives for out-of-print magazines, promotional materials, and other related content. The non-profit organization has been working since 2017 to preserve over 1,500 documents, including over 25 TB of Game Informer issues going all the way back to 1991.
Per VGHF:
“We’re building the country’s first dedicated library for the study of video game history! We offer near-complete sets of most North American video game magazines going back to the late 1970s, as well as international publications, foreign language magazines, history and art books, and a wide range of rare historical material.”
Good things come to those who wait – the Video Game History Foundation Digital Library launches on January 30th, 2025. (We'll tell you all about it then!)
— The Video Game History Foundation (@gamehistoryorg.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 12:43 PM
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For now, VGHF is limited to offering only non-game items online due to DMCA laws. A petition to the US Copyright Office to allow remote access to its classic game library for research was denied due to the process needing to remove copy protection which would violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. So anyone wanting to see their game library would need to travel to their location in Emeryville, California. VGHF is a non-profit that welcomes donations and those interested in supporting their efforts should visit their site for more information here.
Per VGHF:
“Unlike many similar organizations, our funding relies almost entirely on individual contributions from generous donors just like you. December is the time of year that we ask those who are able to give, which helps us plan our preservation projects for next year.”
Mission (per official site):
“Our archives provide rare material for study, and our advocacy and educational outreach bring everyone together to do their part in celebrating and discovering video game history.”
Over on the @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social Discord we've been showing off and playing with our work-in-progress digital library (soon!), this is going to be such a great resource. I just asked it to show me every video game magazine in our collection in chronological order that says "Metroidvania."
— Frank Cifaldi (@frankcifaldi.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 1:11 PM
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