Central to the center’s archival mission is the collection of stories from gamers and players of video games. With few exceptions, the history of video games centers on the stories surrounding the games and there development. Most of the stories remain largely descriptive chronicles, simple lists of events and achievements rarely taking into account the historical context in which they are made or more importantly rarely speaking to who is playing them and where they were being played. We, like other scholars who are just beginning to explore the history of video games, believe that it is time to move forward with these chronicles, place the games into their proper historical context through the lens of critical historical study. To accomplish that goal we need to broaden the body of evidence available to historians. While the industry collects data on who plays and what they play there is little data collected about everyday gaming experiences.
Whether you consider yourself a gamer or not, many of us have stories about games and gaming, and those stories play an important role in exploring the cultural impact video games. Your story can help us and other researchers explore the impact that video games had on our lives, and answer important historical questions about gaming culture and the history of games themselves. If you would like to participate simply fill out the form below and submit your answers to our questionnaire. If you’d like to include photos or other documentation along with your story please email us and we will walk you through the digitization and submission process. With your permission, your story will become a permanent part of our public archive hosted here on the Center’s website