Retro Video game history

Inspirational stories from computing’s long-distant past

The Video Game History Foundation’s new digitised archive is a boon for researchers and retro enthusiasts. David Crookes turns the page on a new era of gaming history

The Video Game History Archive’s offices contain a large selection of out-of-print magazines

There was a time when you could walk into a newsagent and see multiple shelves groaning under the weight of videogame and computer magazines. They were often hefty tomes almost as thick as phone books (the Royal Mail once refused to deliverComputer Shopper, it was so thick). They were the first point of call in the pre-internet era for anyone wanting to discover the latest news about games, serious software and hardware.

While there are still a good number of magnificent gaming and technology magazines in print, many have sadly folded. But memories still linger and there’s an important recognition that past publications hold vital historical information worth preserving.

Enthusiasts have been digitising old magazines for years, making them available for anyone to enjoy online. Trouble is, finding them can be a chore because different archives tend to focus on relatively small selections or make you hunt for titles you want to see. Finding particular articles or references can also be difficult. But that was then. This is now.

Foundation of a foundation

In 2017, the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) was created by Frank Cifaldi, a now 42-year-old game preservationist, historian and developer. It began as a part-time endeavour but became a full-time occupation within three years. Its aim was to collect old game magazines, rare publications and catalogues, memorabilia and behind-the-scenes content.

Phil Salvador is the library director at the Video Game History Foundation

This non-profit organisation has flourished, building a sizeable physical research library in Oakland, California. The collection includes near-complete sets of most North American game magazines dating back to the 1970s, as well as many important international publications such as PC Pro’s sister UK title, Retro Gamer, as well as lots of endangered materials that could easily have become lost to time.

Such a collection allows historians, academics, institutions, collectors and video game fans to discover more about gaming’s past, on both a factual and cultural level. But though it hopes one day to allow personal visits by opening a physical library, and already organises pop-up museum exhibits to allow members of the public to appreciate the importance of the industry, the VGHF’s latest initiative is set to make the biggest impact.