UK museum launches nationwide survey to assess game preservation efforts
The National Videogame Museum has started a UK-wide survey called Behind the Screens. It is working with Ukie and receiving BFI Screen Heritage Fund support to identify existing game collections and industry views on preservation. The findings are intended to guide future collaboration on protecting at-risk video game heritage.
The National Videogame Museum’s Behind the Screens questionnaire spans the UK and seeks to locate game-related holdings. It invites developers, publishers, studios, ex-industry workers and collectors to describe items such as development materials, artwork, hardware, design documents, marketing assets and company archives, and to share views on preservation.
Run with Ukie and backed by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, the project will use responses to shape talks on preserving, celebrating and sharing UK game heritage and to spot where cooperation can safeguard vulnerable material. The Sheffield museum opened in 2018, has had over 350,000 visitors, and cares for almost 5,000 objects, including consoles, arcade machines and memorabilia.
This survey could help historians, developers, players, educators, and institutions find and protect materials that might otherwise disappear. Better records may support future research, exhibitions, and learning, while industry participants may reconsider what they keep. If collaboration grows, the UK’s game history could become more accessible to the public and less dependent on scattered private collections. However, impact may depend on participation and follow-through.