The international games collection
Console, video, and computer games have shaped our society across generations for many decades and throughout all social classes. Today, they are an integral part of our everyday lives, a way of expressing our digital society, and the cultural heritage of our time.
Digital games are therefore also an important part of our cultural heritage. The first computer game was developed in the late 1950s. Nowadays, every second person plays on a PC, console, tablet, or smartphone, and the range of games available is becoming increasingly diverse and innovative. While the public focus is mostly on the continuous technical and creative development in the games industry, a digital cultural heritage has also emerged over the decades. This must be preserved in order to make it accessible to science, research, education, and specialist media. To accomplish this, several organizations united in 2012 and launched the International Computer Game Collection (ICS) project. They share the goal of bringing their collections and data together in one place.
In 2014, a study on the viability and concept was done, which was funded by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Based on the results of this study, the German Bundestag's Budget Committee promised funding for the project in 2016. The funding proposals were granted.
Project planning
The International Computer Game Collection project consists of two phases. Phase 1 has been completed. The operational realization of phase 2 is managed by ICS gGmbH.
First phase
At the end of 2017, the first phase began with the consolidation of metadata from the collections into a shared ICS database (https://db.games-archive.org/index.php/Browse/objects). The purpose of this first phase was to make the data accessible via https://games-archive.org/de and the German Digital Library. This phase was realized with funding from the federal government in March 2019.
Second phase
In the second phase, the collections will be physically consolidated in one place and preparations will be made for the structural and logistical launch of the ICS. Along with an extensive documentary work and a scientifically based concept for long-term preservation, this will make an important contribution to the national strategy for preserving the cultural heritage and provide access to the public. The knowledge gained during the implementation offers significant value for the preservation of digital cultural heritage in general, as console, video, and computer games place the highest demands on preservation techniques due to their complexity and interactivity. The ICS not only offers a significant chance for the preservation of our digital interactive cultural heritage, but also for Germany as a scientific centre.
The insights gained during implementation can be applied very well to the preservation of digital cultural assets in general, as computer games, due to their complexity and interactivity, place the highest demands on preservation techniques.
Thus, ICS offers a unique opportunity not only for the preservation of our digital interactive cultural heritage, but also for Germany as a center of science.
Vision of a virtual ICS
Papers
Winfried Bergmeyer
Digitales Einzelkind – das Computerspiel
In: EVA Berlin, Andreas Bienert, Anko Börner, Eva Emenlauer-Blömers, and James Hemsley. EVA Berlin 2018: elektronische Medien & Kunst, Kultur und Historie : Konferenzband : 25. Berliner Veranstaltung der internationalen EVA-Serie Electronic media and visual arts: 7-9. November 2018, Kunstgewerbemuseum am Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz, Berlin. 2018, S. 53-58
DownloadÇiğdem Uzunoğlu
Games: Spielräume erweitern
In: Politik & Kultur 4/18, S. 33
Contact
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