International Center for the History of Electronic Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG)

Entrance to The Strong where the center is located.
Purpose	Collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other.
Location	Rochester, New York, USA,
Parent organization	The Strong
Formerly called	National Center for the History of Electronic Games

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) is a special place. It collects, studies, and explains video games and other electronic games. It also looks at how these games change the way people play, learn, and connect. This includes people from different cultures and places.

ICHEG is located at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, USA. It has one of the world's biggest collections of game systems, games, and related items. There are more than 37,000 items in its collection!

How ICHEG Started

ICHEG first began as a national center. This meant it focused mainly on games within the United States.

In March 2010, its name changed to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. This new name better showed how electronic games affect people all over the world.

Growing the Collection

ICHEG has received many important donations over the years. In December 2013, they got several video games from a company called SSI. These games were special because they included the source code. Source code is like the secret instructions that make a game work. Keeping it helps preserve the games for the future.

In 2014, ICHEG added more cool items. They received a collection of Broderbund games. They also got almost all the source code and other materials for Atari arcade machines.

World Video Game Hall of Fame

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games also helped create something very exciting. They oversaw the opening of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. This special hall opened on June 4, 2015. It celebrates the most important and popular video games of all time.

Amazing Collections

Some items from the collections at ICHEG.

ICHEG collects many 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.

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

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

What ICHEG Collects

The collections at ICHEG include many different things:

• Games themselves
• Game systems (platforms)
• Game boxes and advertisements
• Books and magazines about games
• Products inspired by electronic games (like toys or clothes)
• Personal papers from important people in the game industry
• Stories and popular ideas that influenced game images and content
• Older games that came before electronic games
• Other items and papers that show how electronic games affect people's lives

Keeping Games Alive

ICHEG has a special way to make sure video games are saved for the future. This is called digital preservation. They do this in five main ways:

• Saving the original game software and hardware.
• Keeping marketing materials and publications.
• Storing records from how games were made.
• Recording how people play games (called Play Capture).
• Saving the Source code for games.

Sharing the History

An exhibit showing Atari and Apple computer games.

ICHEG creates exhibits and other activities to show how important electronic games are. They want to make sure that everyone can explore this history. People can learn how games started and changed over time. They can also see how games impact society.

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

Accessing the Collections

All of ICHEG's collections are available for researchers to study at the museum. Also, thousands of items can be seen online. Many items are on display in The Strong's National Museum of Play exhibits. Some of these games can even be played by visitors!

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

ICHEG has a weekly blog called "CHEGheads." Three experts from ICHEG, along with special guests, write for the blog. They highlight interesting and unusual items from the ICHEG collections.

Who Works at ICHEG

• Director: Jon-Paul C. Dyson, Ph.D.
• Digital Games Curator: Andrew Borman
• Electronic Games Curator: Lindsey Kurano