Old school gaming

If you’ve visited the Gaming Center of the UGL since returning for the fall semester, you may have noticed a new display and some new decor. (And if you haven’t, you should drop by and check it out, along with all the other summer updates). You may already be aware that the UGL has a pretty extensive collection of games and equipment you can check out and take home or play in the library. But you may not know that we also have a large collection of vintage games and consoles, from Atari to Sega.

Mario was originally meant to be a carpenter, not a plumber. Now, before you get too excited, you can’t actually check out any of the vintage consoles or games. Some of them are simply too old or fragile, and too much use could cause them to degrade and become unusable. It’s important for us that the games kept in the best condition possible, as not many libraries have these types of collections. Faculty and researchers doing research into vintage games are able to examine and use the games and consoles, though they will not be available for general use. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got the inside scoop on the collection and you can reminisce with us about those long-lost childhood days. The collection includes games for the Atari, Nintendo, SNES, Sega Genesis, and many more. (Mario! Zelda! Sonic! Donkey Kong! We’ve got them all.) In order to preserve these games for as long as possible, the UGL staff has been hard at work this summer archiving the games and transferring them to storage. This can be a long process, as each game has to have a storage box built around it in order to ensure the best fit and, consequently, the best protection for the cartridge.

Game cartridge in opened box

A game box opened all the way…

Image of game box closed

…and a game box closed up tight to protect the cartridge from light and dust.

Once all the games are boxed and stored, the next phase of the project begins, which includes digitizing the games and eventually, adding them to the library’s catalog so people (like you!) can see what we have. If this has got you itching to play some of your old favorites, you may consider stopping by the UGL to check out updates to the classics, like Mariokart Wii, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Final Fantasy. You need a break from all that studying, anyway.

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