International Center for the History of Electronic Games

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of culture and geography. Located at The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of electronic-game platforms, games, and related materials in the world (more than 37,000 items).

Originally created as a “national” center, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games changed its name in March 2010 to more accurately reflect the global impact of electronic games on society and culture.

In December 2013 the ICHEG received a donation of several SSI video games, for instance Computer Bismarck, notable for including the source code for preservation. In 2014 a collection of Brøderbund games and a 'virtually complete' Atari arcade machine source code and assets collection was added.

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games will oversee the opening of the World Video Game Hall of Fame on June 4, 2015.

ICHEG defines electronic games broadly to include video games, computer games, console games, arcade games, handheld games, and toys that combine digital and traditional play. At more than 25,000 items and growing, the ICHEG collection is the largest and most comprehensive public collection of electronic games and game-related historical materials in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It is the only one anywhere that is linked directly with collections of more than 100,000 board and role-playing games, toys, and other artifacts of play that have inspired and informed the creation and development of electronic games. ICHEG is additionally supported by a research library of more than 130,000 volumes, including vintage comics and children’s books and the largest collection of toy catalogs in the United States.