Mission:
To catalog, digitize, and preserve the history and evolution of home video game platforms, and to provide a freely accessible collection of quality online content.
Background:
The Digital LIVES Project was founded on February 3rd, 2020 by a group of graduate students at Florida State University's College of Communication and Information, as part of the course LIS 5472 Digital Libraries. This library is dedicated to providing information on home video game systems and their evolution over time. Through our collection, we strive to provide gaming historians and enthusiasts with a clearer picture of the overall growth and technological advancement of home video game platforms from the birth of the first console in 1972 to the present day. Video gaming is a large part of modern global culture and is played by every demographic across a variety of platforms. According to a 2019 study by the Entertainment Software Association, the overall average age of a gamer is 33 years old. Among adult gamers, 49% played on a dedicated gaming console, and 69% played with others, whether online or in-person (ESA, 2019).
Goals:
- Create a historically accurate journey through home video gaming for historians as well as hobbyists
- Design an innovative platform that allows individuals to explore the evolution of home video gaming
- Provide informative and freely accessible online content
- To collect and preserve home video game platforms, their history, and their evolution over time
Team:
Project Manager: Eric Whitmer
User Interface Designer: Eric Jacobsen
Collection Developer: Kevin (Ali) Mackaben
Metadata Developer: Rhea M. Ray