Video Game History Foundation Launches Landmark Digital Archive

A Treasure Trove Goes Online

For decades, once‑popular gaming magazines and development documents slipped into obscurity—even discarded en masse. Now, the Video Game History Foundation has preserved and digitized a massive collection, including over 1,500 out-of-print games magazines, original artwork, promotional items, and unseen developer assets.

Designed for Discovery

The archive is fully searchable by keyword or name—making it possible to trace early mentions of influential games, developers, genres, or cultural trends. Whether you’re a historian, content creator, or just curious, the platform aims to be intuitive and generous in what it offers.

Cultural Insight Beyond the Code

These magazines reveal more than game reviews—they offer a window into gaming culture over time: the hopes, biases, and shifting norms of the players and the industry. From early reader letters to shifting character representation, these pages tell stories that games alone cannot.

How It Came Together

Starting in 2017, the Foundation collected, catalogued, and digitized thousands of physical artefacts. With help from private collectors and developers, the collection now includes promotional materials, press kits, design documents, and rare internal memos—not just the magazines themselves.

Access and Limitations

Launched in early access, the archive is available to the public online. However, due to copyright and technical restrictions, playable game software remains off-limits for remote access. The focus is on visual and textual artifacts that narrate gaming’s past.

Why It Matters

This archive preserves video gaming as cultural heritage, not just entertainment. By safeguarding the industry’s print and promotional legacy, the Foundation ensures that future generations can study how games—and the ideas behind them—evolved.