The mission of the University of Michigan Library’s Computer and Video Game Archive (CVGA) is to preserve and provide access to games for current and future study and research. In a world where digital games are becoming more prevalent than physical games, preserving these digital games can be a challenge.
The CVGA recently received special funding from the library to purchase a large number (approx. 180) of games from Limited Run Games, a "publisher of limited run physical games for PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch," that focuses on "bringing games that were previously only available in a digital format to a physical medium."
Purchasing these games for the CVGA collection contributes to the ongoing dual missions of the CVGA in both providing access to games in the present and in preserving games for the future.
Several of these games have already been added to the collection, including the following:
Everspace
Firewatch
Night Trap 25th Anniversary Edition
Thimbleweed Park
Thomas Was Alone
More games from LRG will be added to the collection over the next several months. To see a complete list of the games that have been ordered, search the library catalog for “Limited Run Games”. (We will continue to purchase LRG games in the future with regular CVGA collection funds.)
The CVGA will also be piloting a project this year to preserve old PC computer games in a digital “dark archive.” For more information regarding video game preservation, visit our research guide.