National Videogame Museum launches UK-wide game preservation survey

• Behind the Screens is being conducted with Ukie and funded by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund.
• The survey covers collections including hardware, artwork, development materials and company archives.
• The museum wants to identify at-risk material and opportunities for industry collaboration.

The National Videogame Museum has launched a UK-wide survey to map the state of video game preservation across the country and identify material at risk of being lost.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the survey is called Behind the Screens, and is being conducted in partnership with trade body Ukie and funded by the BFI’s Screen Heritage Fund. 

It asks developers, publishers, studios, former industry professionals and collectors to share details of video game-related collections they hold.

The survey covers materials including game development resources, artwork, hardware, design documents, marketing assets and company archives. It also asks about attitudes towards preservation within the industry.

Preserving game history

The museum said the results will inform discussions about how the UK can preserve, celebrate and share its video game heritage, while identifying opportunities for greater collaboration across the industry.

"The UK games industry has created world-renowned games, studios and talent, but much of that history risks being lost if it isn't actively preserved," said National Videogame Museum co-CEO and creative director John O'Shea. 

“This survey is an important first step in understanding what already exists and how we can work together to protect the UK's videogame legacy for future generations." 

The museum opened in Sheffield in 2018 and has welcomed more than 350,000 visitors. Its collection includes close to 5,000 video game-related objects, including consoles, arcade machines and memorabilia.

You can complete the Behind the Screens survey here.