Via the good folk atVideo Games Chronicle, we just learned that the Video Game History Foundation will make its library of over 1500 out-of-print video game magazines available to everyone in digital format.
The VGHF foundation was founded in 2017 and is the brainchild of historian and video game preservationist Frank Cifaldi. The founder ofGameHistory.orghas been building a massive collection of all sorts of video game press material intending to preserve video game history.
Cifaldi has been teasing the library on Bluesky for a bit. I love scouring the pages ofArchive.org to find old gaming magazines for both research and nostalgia’s sake, and I must say this is a total game changer for anyone looking to dig deep into the history of games and the gaming press. On top of the massive amount of stuff that’ll be made available, the new library looks like an incredibly useful and user-friendly resource.
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.”
“After years of collecting, cataloging, and digitizing video game history materials, the VGHF is finally opening the virtual doors to its library – wherever you are,” reads the announcement. Alongside all the classic video game magazines finally readily available, the foundation will also be releasing a bunch of surprise special collections for both nostalgia seekers and younger gaming archaeologists alike. It’s as if everyone will be getting the chance to open a treasure trove containing some of their best childhood memories.
During a time when we see big gaming companies either ignoring or straight-up torpedoing non-profit attempts at video game preservation every day, it’s fantastic to see such a cool thing getting off the ground.
VGHF is a non-profit organization, so this is all made possible by the charitable contributions of all video game preservation aficionados. You can make your donationright here.
The first public version of the library will be made available on January 30.
