GOG, one of the biggest European platforms for digital games, has joined forces with the European Federation of Game Archives, Museums, and Preservation Projects (EFGAMP).
GOG, which is based in Poland, has a history of preserving video games digitally. The GOG Preservation Program launched last year, which has over 100 games. The program keeps games compatible with modern systems, including titles that could be affected in the future.
Joining with EFGAMP makes sense considering both groups work hard to preserve digital games and games history. EFGAMP was founded in 2012, and it’s joined with over 20 groups working towards the same goal. These include The Video Game Museum in Rome, The Netherlands Institue for Sound and Vision, MO5.com in France, Computerspielemuseum in Berlin, and even the Embracer Games Archive.
GOG is the first Polish group to join EFGAMP, which furthers the cultural connection within the EFGAMP.
The Managing Director at GOG, Maciej Gołębiewski, explains that GOG feels responsible for preservation:
“As a European company, we feel a responsibility to lead in preserving gaming heritage. Joining EFGAMP reinforces this commitment. Our next step is to expand institutional collaboration with museums and governmental and non-governmental organizations worldwide. We hope our experience will contribute meaningfully to their efforts. We are also discussing exciting new game preservation projects, which we look forward to sharing soon.”
Andreas Lange, the COO of EFGAMP, also shared their thoughts:
“GOG brings a unique perspective to EFGAMP as a European leader in digital game distribution. Their experience in making classic games accessible to modern audiences complements the work of our existing members by bringing further digital expertise to our collective efforts. As GOG distributes classic games worldwide, GOG is a fantastic addition to EFGAMP, whose members are primarily rooted in the cultural heritage sector”
Video game preservation is becoming more prominent as consoles and servers shut down operations. As more games go digital and online, things get lost over time. Groups like GOG and EFGAMP work to stop this from happening in ways that are legal and don’t include piracy.
For more news on other efforts in the video game world, check out the fundraising event Awesome Games Done Quick and the Xbox Social Impact Hub.
