At the end of last month, we brought you a story on the National Video Game Museum in England. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there was a real danger of the museum having to close its doors for good. I know there may be more important things to worry about in the current climate, but it would have been a real shame if the museum had to shut down.
In order to secure its future, the Museum launched a Just Giving page asking for donations to help save it. This seems to have worked as currently, the total raised sits at just over £130,000. It’s not only fans that have been donating as a number of high profile game companies have got their wallets out.
Companies such as Rockstar, Boneloaf, THQ, and Jagex have all made a donation to help the Video Game Museum live on.
Founder of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser had this to say:
“It’s so important that this unique and wonderful Museum, the only one in the UK dedicated to celebrating the rich and diverse culture of videogames, should be able to continue to excite and educate visitors, whilst hopefully inspiring future generations of talented game makers.”
While Phil Mansell, CEO of Jagex, said this:
“For the past four years, the National Videogame Museum has been a living celebration of the UK’s videogame heritage and culture. Even through the current pandemic, when its doors are closed to the public, they’ve continued online engagement thanks to the Play The Museum at Home initiative which is great to see. However, we all want the museum’s doors to be open again – that’s why Jagex, as one of the UK’s longest-standing developers and publishers of living games, is very proud to support its fundraising and become patrons to ensure it can continue its important cultural and educational work.”
I won’t spam you with any of the other quotes available as there is quite a number from the companies that stepped up to help the National Video Game Museum, though as mentioned by Mr. Mansell the NVM have managed to set up an NVG at home program which teaches kids the basics in video game development and helps parents to pick out educational games.
Without the help received, they would have been out of business, so it’s nice to see that thanks to donations, programs like these are possible.
I’m thrilled to see that the museum has been able to live on to fight another day and can’t wait to see the doors reopen again in the future and who knows, once lockdown has ended, you may even get to visit if you’re ever this side of the pond.
Stay safe.
