Long Term Vision

A Study of Videogames Without A Study Of The Past Provides An Incomplete View:

The International Arcade Museum Library is the first reference library and research facility dedicated to preserving, researching, interpreting and presenting the complete history of the arcade, coin-op and video game industries. The Library focuses on the broad history of the amusement machine industry from its initial growth of mass produced machines in the 1800s up through the release of present day video games.

The art, design, game play, and technological innovation of game creations of today are all clearly influenced by previous innovation. Many of today's videogames are advancements based on earlier videogame releases. Many of the earliest videogame releases were clearly inspired by electro-mechanical and mechanical games that came before.

The strong genealogical links of this evolutionary process is undeniable. It can be seen in both new creations, and in the creators themselves. As an example, one of the earliest manufacturers of arcade machines a century ago was Mills Novelty, which decades later went on to manufacturer three reel slot machines. Sega started as a distributor of Mills machines and went on to famously develop its own video games. Our archives include relics to display from Sega's earliest history featuring their transition from the old world of gaming to the new.

Many other companies from Nutting (Computer Space manufacturer) to Midway to Namco started with electro-mechanical games before venturing into videogames.

How We Are Unique:

The International Arcade Museum Library is unique on a number of fronts and represents:

• the first effort to focus on a major digitization project aimed at arcade, coin-operated machine, and video game history.
• the first effort to combine preservation and presentation on the West Coast of the United States.
• the first effort to share not only video game history, but all that came before and inspired it.
• the first effort to do all of this collaboratively between collectors, enthusiasts, academics, local communities, and the public at large.

More information about the Library can be found on the About Library page.

Preservation Efforts Advance:

Recent videogame industry preservation initiatives by a few universities and by the Strong Museum of Rochester, New York have shown that we are no longer alone in managing an institutional videogame archival and preservation program. As such, we have evolved from a focus on 'we must save everything' preservation, to one on preserving the most important artifacts and other representations of history while reducing an emphasis on some categories (ie: digital media preservation) actively being pursued by other institutions. We are currently in discussions with several of these institutions on ways to share information on our respective holdings, to coordinate preservation efforts, and in other ways we can be of support to each other.

This change has allowed us to focus on future growth of the Library itself and in providing services to the public. We are now allocating the majority of received cash donations towards the special exhibition of material now, particularly online to maximize reach, and on future facility expansion.

Current Focus: Online Research and Exhibitions:

Our content acquisition and digitization projects are in full swing. Our first and primary goal continues to be basic research library services. After all, we are at our very heart, a 'Library.'. More information on our projects and how we measure success and progress will be found on our project pages.

Special Exhibitions:

The Library has begun work on hosting a major exhibition to be held in Southern California, Las Vegas, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and/or Chicago in the next few years. We continue to line up amazing artifacts of gaming history, as touched upon on our Collections and Reference Materials pages. Most recently, the Atari History Museum contributed their holdings to our exhibitions. The timing of said exhibitions will vary depending on our success in finding a proper and secure venue, fundraising, our current focus on expanding and presenting our library holdings, and our progress and state-of-the-nation in pursuing a longer term permanent or quasi-permenent facility.

Permanent Facility Expansion:

The International Arcade Museum Library's opened its doors in 2010. We have been operating out of our current donated office space in Pasadena, California, just north of Los Angeles. Some holdings are in nearby off-site storage and not easily accessible.

Our goals include acquiring a permanent library and exhibition space under a single roof, as well as exhibit and exhibition development, and continuing to acquire key assets to preserve, present, and interpret this important history.

Our vision is to replace our current Pasadena, California research center and library with a new facility better oriented and better staffed towards accepting large numbers of guests.

The final location of our new facility has yet to be determined, and would likely be dependent on factors including community support, local government incentives, and individual building opportunities. Leading candidates for the location of our new center include Southern California (i.e.: Pasadena), Silicon Valley (i.e.: San Jose or Mountain View), Las Vegas, and San Francisco. A search for a new location has been initiated and we have started to hold initial meetings with local government and community leaders in order to network, share visions, learn about local variables, and gauge relative levels of interest. We regularly pursue location leads though none have yet panned out. As mentioned on other pages, this is expected to be a multi-year process.

This dream is coming to reality due to the support of people like you. Check out how You Can Help.