To: The Game Industry
From: Gen Katz, Editor
Topic: Our History
Date: Jun 2012

One again, I am advocating for a game museum – a repository of the Golden Age of Games, when games were new, unique and people designed their hearts out. I think there is much to be learned from keeping the history of games alive and available and I don't mean just the Myst (Ubisoft) and Sims (Electronic Arts) worlds. There were lots of clever and unique ideas from smaller studios. Just naming a few:

I could go on forever. You all have your list of favorites.

Some of the early children's games were the best ever produced

And these were just kids games! We are going to lose them all unless someone take a hand.

And remember those big environmentally unfriendly boxes? Many of them were art pieces themselves – like the tombstone for the Tomb Raider. They have been deminimilized to jewel cases and now ephemeral downloads. The game industry a-changing. Epic adventures are now being funded by Kickstarter – the advent of a popular produced games. Others are “fill-in” games – played in waiting rooms and standing in line. The hot games of last year have been freshened up with roman numerals in their titles or issued as boxed sets. Game magazines are getting thinner a-wanting for new stuff. Even our newsletter To the Industry will now evolve into a quarterly instead of a bi-monthly.

Each one of you probably still have shelves of great games. Time to see that they are saved. Lets get behind work being done by Judith Haemmerle in forming the Digital Game Museum. If any of you were at the Maker Faire – there was a big display there. Contact her at digitalgamemuseum.org. Let the companies you work for know about this repository. The people and companies that made these games must be proud to have their history saved. The project needs your skill, your games, your support. Be there – or be forgotten.