British Library Considering Video Game Archive

Paul Wheatley, a digital preservation specialist at the British Library, has expressed great interest in archiving and preserving video games that were developed in the UK and any documentary associated with it. He feared that not much is being done about the archiving of video games that were made in the UK.

 

 

"The games publishing industry recognizes the value in preserving their computer games and many in the industry that I've talked to could relay horror stories about old material disappearing or being left to gradually decay in a box under someone’s desk," he stated.

 

The archiving of both old and new video games is already being done by the National Videogame Archive, which was established on September 2008 by both the National Media Museum and Nottingham Trent University. Wheatley said that the British Library is willing to lend a hand.

 

“I would like the British Library to provide support to the NVA based on this digital preservation expertise and I'm hoping we can collaborate further,” he added.

 

Michael Rawlinson, head of the UK Interactive Entertainment, spoke at GameCity last week regarding the matter. Rawlinson said that archiving “is good for nostalgia and to connect back to our history and it helps us to understand our culture today based on our contribution to the past. It's absolutely right that we should have an archive."

 

David Gabriel, NoobFeed