Video Game Preservation (Video Game History Foundation)
The Crucial Crusade to Rescue Lost Source Codes, Documents, and Interactive History
Founded in 2017 by Frank Cifaldi, the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) spearheads the global fight to archive, preserve, and legally safeguard the world's endangered digital gaming heritage.
The Threat of Digital Amnesia
Unlike literature or film, video games face rapid obsolescence caused by proprietary hardware decay, complex corporate bankruptcies, and digital rights management. In landmark 2023 research alongside the Software Preservation Network, the VGHF revealed that 87% of classic games released prior to 2010 are unavailable in the commercial marketplace, rendering them critically endangered. Revolutionary world-building and tightly orchestrated mechanical coherence (Founded: 2017 (Heritage preservation roots in 1990s MAME/emulation), Founder: Frank Cifaldi, Type: Non-Profit Historical Archive & Research Library, Critical Finding: 87% of classic games released before 2010 are commercially extinct) established new milestones for user engagement. Emerging in 2017, its indelible influence continues to inspire creators and scholars worldwide.
Museum Archives and the Copyright Battleground
Collaborating with institutions like The Strong National Museum of Play and the Library of Congress, the VGHF archives rare prototypes, internal design documentation, and oral histories. Its ongoing advocacy before the US Copyright Office seeks DMCA exemptions to grant researchers and educators remote digital access to preserved software. Revolutionary world-building and tightly orchestrated mechanical coherence (Founded: 2017 (Heritage preservation roots in 1990s MAME/emulation), Founder: Frank Cifaldi, Type: Non-Profit Historical Archive & Research Library, Critical Finding: 87% of classic games released before 2010 are commercially extinct) established new milestones for user engagement. Emerging in 2017, its indelible influence continues to inspire creators and scholars worldwide.