Tom Sloper papers

Collection

Identifier: 121.5953

Collection Scope and Content Note

Materials in this collection date from 1974 to 2019 with the bulk of content dating from 1983 to 2000. These papers represent Tom Sloper’s role in the game industry with many of the papers documenting his role at Activision and as consultant. Content includes meeting minutes, legal papers, writings, correspondence, newsletters, reports, financial papers, marketing papers, catalogs, magazines, notes, presentations, drawings, maps, photographs, articles, printed materials, game development papers (including rules and manuals), memorandums, stationery, realia, ephemera, floppy disks, compact disc, and cassette tapes.

Collection contents are arranged into twelve series, one of which is further divided into three subseries with series following the timeline of Sloper’s employment and consulting business. This collection is housed in 20 document boxes, 1 oversize box, 2 media boxes and 2 card storage boxes.

Dates

Creation: 1974-2019
Creation: Majority of material found within 1983-2000

Conditions Governing Access

Access to media and digital materials requires advance notice. Currently, access to some floppy disks due to formatting is unavailable, it is possible that certain other formats may be inaccessible.

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 donor has not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, he has given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Extent

15.04 Linear Feet (20 document boxes, 1 oversize box, 2 media boxes and 2 card storage boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection documents Tom Sloper’s role in the toy and videogame industry, specifically his consultant work and expertise in Mah-Jongg games. The bulk of materials are dated from 1983-2000.

Arrangement

Series I: Early Career, 1974-1980

Series II: Western Technologies, 1979-1983

Series III: Sega Corporation, 1983-1986

Series IV: Rudell Design, 1985-2000

Series V: Atari Corporation, 1984-1992

Series VI: Activision, 1988-2000

Series VII: Sloperama Productions (consultant work), 1979-2019

Subseries A: General references, 1979-2014

Subseries B: Game and toy designs, 1980-2002

Subseries C: Consulting work, 1985-2019

Series VIII: Authorship, 2001-2005

Series IX: Presentations, 1990s

Series X: Education (teaching and learning), 2000-2002

Series XI: Conferences and conventions, 1991-2012

Series XII: Collected material, 1975-2016

Custodial History

The Tom Sloper papers were donated to The Strong in August 2021 as a gift from Tom Sloper. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under 121.5953. The papers were received from Tom Sloper in 13 boxes.

Related Materials

Trade catalogs, press kits, directories, and conference materials from Tom Sloper are housed in the library stacks of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play. Additional video game-related materials are available through The International Center for the History of Electronic Games.