Indie Games collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2019.IG

Staff Only

The Indie Games Collection at The Strong is an ongoing compilation of game design materials, publicity, graphics, videos, applications, and other documentation from independent game developers as part of the museum’s Indie Game Initiative. As of June 2019, this collection contains materials for Wild Earth (from Super X Studios), Crayon Physics Deluxe (from Petri Purho), and Quadrilateral Cowboy (from Blendo Games). Materials include development notes, art, game builds, correspondence, videos, publicity information, and more. Additional historical details and scope and content information can be found in the Contents List section of this finding aid.

The Indie Games collection is arranged into three series. Physical materials are housed in one archival document box, and digital materials are accessible on-site at The Strong.

Dates

2002 - 2018

Creator

Super X Studios (Firm) (Designer, Organization)

Language

This collection is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

At this time, digital files in this collection related to game development are limited to on-site researchers only. It is possible that certain formats may be inaccessible or restricted. Please see The Strong’s Digital Games Files Access Policy here.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though the donors have not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein), The Strong has permission to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Extent

0.2 Linear Feet (1 box)

13.7 Gigabytes (Digital (accessible on-site at The Strong))

Additional Description

Abstract

The Indie Games collection is an ongoing compilation of materials from independent game developers. Archival materials include development art, game builds, design documents, notes, correspondence, and more. The bulk of the collection is dated between 2003 and 2014.

Historical Note

The Indie Games Initiative at The Strong was established in 2018.

Independent games have an important place in the video game industry, with ongoing technological advances allowing for more people to create and publish games. Collecting and preserving both physical and digital materials from indie game developers highlights the importance of these creators and allows researchers to understand their place in gaming history. The Indie Games Initiative at The Strong seeks to collect and preserve game design materials, publicity, graphics, videos, and other documentation from independent game developers.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Wild Earth, 2002-2011

Subseries A: Game design and development, 2002-2008

Subseries B: Game publicity, 2003-2011

Series II: Crayon Physics Deluxe, 2004-2018

Subseries A: Game design and development, 2004-2018

Subseries B: User-created levels, 2008-2018

Series III: Quadrilateral Cowboy, 2012-2018

Subseries A: Digital files, 2012-2018

Subseries B: Physical materials, c. 2012-2014

Custodial History

The Indie Games collection was assembled by The Strong using donations from James Thrush of Super X Studios, Petri Purho, and Brendon Chung of Blendo Games. The materials were received from James Thrush in April 2018 (Object ID 118.2722), Petri Purho in May 2018 (Object ID 118.3252), and Brendon Chung in July 2018 (Object ID 118.7555).