Playing in the Past
Playing in the Past
Robert Whitaker
2019 G. Rollie Adams Research Fellow
Research Fellow, The Waggonner Center, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
Electronic Games
What’s Up with U-Matic?
In the beginning (or at least in the late 19th century), there was film. Capturing moving images and playing them back for astonished audiences at the cinema more than a century ago was magical. Though many people are still familiar with film, which has endured as a medium despite changing technologies, there are plenty of moving image formats which have been rendered obsolete over time and have found their way into the holdings of numerous libraries, archives, and museums.
A ROM of One’s Own: Snapshots from the Games-for-Girls Movement
Jana Rosinski
2018 Strong Research Fellow
Syracuse University, NY
A Laboratory for Video Game Preservation
In 2006, when we began our efforts at The Strong to preserve the history of video games, we knew we were onto an important subject, but we did not truly foresee the vast array of challenges that we would face in preserving video games. Over the years as we founded the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) and grew our collection to more than 60,000 video games and related objects we’ve learned quite a bit about how to care for these materials.
“Serious” Fun: Social, Moral, and Political Content in Video Games
Video games have become increasingly popular over the last few years. In fact, a recent survey suggests that approximately 2/3rds of American adults partake in the pursuit. But even with this emerging success, gaming continues to be dogged by decades-old accusations. Many of the medium’s most ardent critics argue that games offer only vacuous experiences. Lying beyond the pixels, polygons, and interactive scenes is just empty entertainment. Or, even worse, they argue that games are only a vehicle for mindless violence and other moral corruptions.
Piracy and the Computer Games Industry
In September 2018, I had the chance to go to Rochester and work at The Strong, thanks to its generous research fellowship program. 
Floppy Disks in the 21st Century
When’s the last time you thought about everyone’s favorite old-fashioned magnet
