The VHS is a Subject Specialist Network (SSN) led by the National Videogame Museum, working with our collaborating partners and founder members with representatives from:
- The BFI
- Science Museum Group
- Museum of London
- C64 Audio
- Centre for Computing History
- Bath Spa University
- The RetroHour Podcast
- The British Library
The VHS is a forum for advocacy, support and expertise on the preservation of videogames, digital games and digital game culture throughout the network.
The VHS convenes meetings, runs events and highlights case studies on the challenges of digital game preservation.
SSNs are networks of subject specialism — in our case digital game preservation and history — drawn from established membership structures. By design, SSNs support the development and wider understandings of a particular area through sharing knowledge and expertise.
The mission of the VHS is to: bring together videogame organisations, museum institutions, and private individuals working in digital game collections to collaborate on the challenges of digital game preservation.
Membership to the VHS is free and open to all.
From museums, galleries, archives, libraries, universities, research institutions, independent researchers, private collectors; the VHS is open to any individual or organisation with an interest in digital game heritage, or research, practice and/or policy interests in digital culture heritage.
The VHS defines digital game heritage in broad and inclusive terms and actively extends its welcome to members whose activities focus on the many diverse aspects of game preservation, collection, exhibition, display, and interpretation.
The VHS aims to create an online space for:
ADVOCACY
The VHS advocates for the collection, preservation, exhibition, access and interpretation of videogames as a form across the heritage sector and videogame production sector, as well as across the wide-ranging networks of private collectors and preservationists.
SHARING & SUPPORT
To collect and share videogame preservation, collection, interpretation, exhibition, and conservation knowledge. The VHS provides a centre of gravity for discussion and development of best practice and policy in the UK. The SSN also collects dialogue and collaborative opportunities from the group’s international community.
EXPERTISE
The VHS supports and encourages the development of new expertise and knowledge in the field of digital game preservation. The SSN encourages and brokers new research and collection collaborations across its institutional and private collectorship partners.
Contact the VHS
If you have any queries, reach out to us using the form below:
Funding
The VHS is led by the National Videogame Museum and supported by funding from the ESRC.
The VHS Tapes series is funded by Art Fund.
