International Center for the History of Electronic Games facts for kids

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) is a special place that collects, studies, and explains all kinds of electronic games. This includes video games, computer games, and even old arcade games! They look at how these games change the way people play, learn, and connect with each other, no matter where they live.

ICHEG is located at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, USA. It has one of the biggest and best collections of electronic games, game systems, and related items in the world. They have more than 37,000 items!

History of ICHEG

ICHEG started as a "national" center, meaning it focused on games in the United States. But in March 2010, its name changed to "International Center." This new name shows that electronic games affect people and cultures all over the world.

Growing the Game Collection

In December 2013, ICHEG received a cool donation of several SSI video games. One of these was Computer Bismarck. What made this donation special was that it included the game's source code. Source code is like the secret recipe or instructions that make a game work. Having it helps ICHEG save these games for the future.

In 2014, even more games were added. They got a collection of Brøderbund games. They also received almost all the source code and other important files for Atari arcade machines. This helps them understand how these classic games were made.

World Video Game Hall of Fame

ICHEG also helps with the World Video Game Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame celebrates the most important and popular video games of all time. It opened on June 4, 2015, and ICHEG helps decide which games get honored.

What ICHEG Collects

ICHEG collects many different types of electronic games. This includes video games, computer games, console games, arcade games, and handheld games. They also collect toys that mix digital and traditional play.

A Huge Collection of Play

With over 25,000 items and growing, ICHEG has the largest public collection of electronic games and game-related history in the United States. It's also one of the biggest in the world! What makes it extra special is that it's connected to other collections at The Strong museum. These include over 100,000 board games, role-playing games, toys, and other play items. These older forms of play often inspired the electronic games we love today.

ICHEG also has a huge research library with over 130,000 books. This includes old comic books, children's books, and the largest collection of toy catalogs in the United States.

Types of Items in the Collection

The ICHEG collections include:

• Games themselves
• Game systems (like consoles and computers)
• Original packaging and advertisements for games
• Books and magazines about games
• Products inspired by electronic games (like toys or clothes)
• Personal and business papers from important people in the game industry
• Books and stories that inspired game ideas or characters
• Older games or toys that led to electronic games
• Other items and papers that show how electronic games affect people's lives

Saving Games for the Future

ICHEG uses five main ways to save video games for a long time. This is called digital preservation:

• Original Software and Hardware: Keeping the actual game discs, cartridges, and game systems.
• Marketing Materials and Publications: Saving old ads, manuals, and magazines.
• Production Records: Collecting notes and files from when games were made.
• Play Capture: Recording people playing games to show how they were experienced.
• Source code: Saving the original computer code that makes the games run.

Learning from Games

ICHEG creates exhibits and other activities to help people understand the history and importance of electronic games. They want to make sure that people now and in the future can explore this history. They want everyone to see how games started, how they changed, and how they impact society.

In fall 2010, ICHEG helped open an exhibit called eGameRevolution at The Strong. This exhibit is about 5,000 square feet (465 square meters) big. It lets visitors play their way through the history of video games!

How to See the Collections

All the collections at ICHEG are available for researchers to study in person. Plus, thousands of items can be seen online! Many items are also on display in The Strong's National Museum of Play. You can even play some of the games there!

ICHEG is working to put its entire collection catalog online. This is happening thanks to grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Many items are already available to view online.

CHEGheads Blog

The "CHEGheads" are three experts from ICHEG. They, along with special guests, write a weekly blog. In their blog, they highlight interesting and sometimes unusual items from the ICHEG collections.

Staff

Director: Jon-Paul C. Dyson, Ph.D. Acquisitions Cataloger: Shannon Symonds