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Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into collecting.
I’ve been gaming all my life. It was Christmas of 1991 when I first got my first console, the Nintendo Entertainment System. My copy of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt is still on my shelf. Since then, I’ve amassed a collection of over 4,000 games, one of the largest gaming memorabilia collections in Canada, and most recently, a pretty sizable collection of video game literature. Video Games have always been my primary passion, and The Video Game Library is an outlet for me to share some of that with others.
What exactly is The Video Game Library?
The Video Game Library is meant to be an accessible and globally representative resource for literature written about video games. A single place where you can search for any game, creator, topic or theme, and you’ll be treated to a list of books that cover it. Most importantly, The Video Game Library is meant for everyone.
A gaming historian on YouTube, looking to research a topic for their next video. A teacher at an Elementary School, wanting to incorporate video games into their classroom. A fan from Europe, wanting to explore more in their favourite JRPG universes. A parent who isn’t as familiar with video games, wanting to find that perfect book for their child’s birthday. A psychologist, who wants to connect with their patients through a comfortable medium.
The Video Game Library is striving to be THE definitive source of video game literature, from independent printings to major publishing houses. And with thousands of books already catalogued, it’s well on its way.
Source: The Video Game Library
https://www.thevideogamelibrary.org/
What are the benefits to reading video game related books versus researching topics online?
I see reading books as a companion to researching online, not an alternative. The internet is a wonderful tool, and no amount of printed pages could ever replicate the information that’s at our fingertips while sitting at the keyboard. That said, when Covid hit in 2020, I found myself (surprisingly) playing fewer games, and reading more. And over the course of the first year, I was pleasantly reminded of how much knowledge, passion and personality was packed into the pages of the books I was reading.
The way M.J. Gallagher’s “Norse Myths That Inspired Final Fantasy VII” holds your hand, easing you into a new mythology, while simultaneously blowing your mind with every page turn. The way Mevlüt Dinç’s autobiography “Life is a Game” so personally recounts his challenges as a game developer in his own words. The way David Kushner’s “Masters of Doom” so elegantly yet entertainingly tells the story of how two Johns transformed an industry. No amount of Twitter posts, Tumblr blogs, or…gulp…Wikipedia articles… could ever deliver these topics in the same way.
What plans do you have for the site in the near future?
In one word…”more”. The library is several thousand books strong right now, covering literature natively written in over 20 languages. The finish line, however, seems to get farther with each new rabbit hole I discover. My primary goal is to continue getting more and more books up there.
Secondary to that, is to research and tag each of the records, for better searchability. A book titled “Rules of Nature” may seem unassuming at first, but look further, and you’ll learn that it’s an in-depth critical read of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, exploring the themes of violence, soul and authenticity in the Platinum Games hit. A book titled “The Works of Fumito Ueda” is self-explanatory enough to a fan, but Google “Books about The Last Guardian”, and you won’t find this one anywhere. I want to make sure each game, company, public figure and topic is well documented, so that ANY search will share results with the visitor. Further to that, I put a lot of pride into accessibility. So if a book has an audio version, or accessibility options such as screen-reader, text to speech or enhanced typesetting, I’m trying to make those as searchable as possible as well.
*Worth noting that I’ve purposely stayed away from Strategy Guides for now, but that’s a distant goal as well. Just too scared to dive in quite yet.
How can people support the project?
I’m only 1 person, and I don’t even want to try to imagine hours I’ve put into this project. The kind words of support are wonderful and uplifting, and every day is a reward. But the reality is, I’m at the point where the project is in desperate need of help on 4 fronts:
- I’m looking for passionate individuals who are willing to volunteer some time to help add, research and refine the records. Take a set of keys, and just run down any rabbit hole they want to help broaden the offerings that the site has.
- I’m based in Canada, and rarely stumble across books written in Turkish. Or Korean. Or Swedish. I need help from the global community of gamers to reach out and let me know if I’m missing ANY books from the library. Or if any records should be refined. Even the smallest tip could open the door to a flood of books th
- Spread the word. To anyone and everyone you think would find value. If somebody you know is researching for a thesis, writing a book, shopping for gifts, or just really, really loves that one game – tell them about the site.
- The Video Game Library will always be a free resource for all. But if you find this project interesting, fun or helpful, and want to show your support, please consider a small donation to Ko-Fi to help pay for the site fees. Ko-fi.com/thevideogamelibrary
Where can we find you online?
You can head on over to the site at www.thevideogamelibrary.org, or follow the account on Twitter (@thevglibrary) and Instagram (thevglibrary). And if you want to join in the conversation more actively, head on over to the community Discord: http://discord.gg/4JqJUs2s2n.
