Nüfekop records

Collection — digital: I-VIII

Identifier: 123.2471

Collection Scope and Content Note

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This digital collection documents the history of the 1980s video game publisher, Nüfekop and the games they developed for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64 computers. The materials are dated between about 1980 to 2010, with the bulk of the materials from 1981 to 1983. The records are comprised of game play screenshots, game manuals, marketing materials, photographs, digital versions of the games, and more.

The majority of the collection relates to promotional efforts for games and includes advertisements, catalogs, posters, fliers, and mailers. The records also include box art from the concept stage through four changes.

The collection includes digital versions of 34 the games released, instruction manuals, and the WinVICE emulator which can also be found and played through the Internet Archive. Per the museum's digital games policy, game files are available to on-site researchers.

Additional scope and content information can be found in the Container List section of this finding aid. The Nüfekop records have been arranged into eight series with two series further broken down into sub-series. The digital files are accessible on-site at The Strong.

Dates

Creation: circa 1980-2010
Creation: Majority of material found within 1980-1983

Creator

Nüfekop (Firm) (Organization)
Elder, Scott (Person)
Elder, Gary (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and users of its library and archives.

Conditions Governing Use

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

Historical Note

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Nüfekop, a video game development company, was founded by brothers, Scott and Gary Elder in the early 1980s. Nüfekop started in a bedroom in Shady Grove, Oregon where they wrote and published games for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64.

The Elder brothers learned to program on an Ohio Scientific 2P. When the VIC-20 was released to the United States in 1981, Scott began programming a few games for his friends and family to play. A visiting friend mentioned that the games were marketable, and the brothers began programming games to sell. Nüfekop released their first catalog in 1982 that included descriptions for over 20 games. The company ran ads in Compute! magazine and orders increased so much, the company moved from the bedroom into a warehouse.

In 1983, Nüfekop began selling games to resellers and wholesalers. Many Nüfekop games were published outside of the United States, including the United Kingdom and Australia. The company also sold related products, such as a dust cover for the Commodore 64 computer, pre-printed sheets to develop screen and character sets, and software tools. Nüfekop closed in 1984 due to the video game crash. The company went from selling thousands of games a month to a few dozen.

Extent

0.212 Gigabytes (550 digital files)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This digital collection consists of game screenshots, advertisements, game manuals, digital games, and more, created by Oregon based game developer Nüfekop. The materials are dated between about 1980 to 2010 with the bulk of materials between 1980 and 1983. The company developed games for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64. Some of the games represented in the collection are Krazy Kong, Defender on Tri, Anti-Matter Spatter, and more.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Administrative documents, circa 1980-2010

Series II: Box art, 1980-1983

Series III: Gameplay, 1980-1983

Subseries A: Screenshots, 1981-1983

Subseries B: Manuals, 1981-1983

Subseries C: Icons, 1981-1983

Series IV: Marketing, 1981-1983

Subseries A: Advertisements, 1981-1983

Subseries B: Articles, circa 1981-1983

Subseries C: Catalogs, circa 1981-1983

Subseries D: Mailers, 1981-1983

Subseries E: Promotions, 1981-1983

Series V: Products, 1981-1983

Series VI: Sketches and character sheets, 1981-1983

Series VII: VIC-20 games, 1981-1983

Series VIII: WinVICE emulator, 2008

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The records were donated to The Strong in August 2023 as a gift of Scott Elder and family. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under object ID 123.2471.