The UK Web Archive is an initiative by the British Library to preserve noteworthy websites as part of our history in the making, love them or hate them (not a player myself) I can see they are very much part of the youth culture over the last 10/20 years+ at least and maybe longer…

• The partnership behind this includes BL and British Media Museum advised by professor James Newman who heads up the Media Futures Research Centre at Bath Spa University and is also co-director of the “National video game Archive”
• Gamers can nominate entries into the archive via UK Web Archive site , as per genealogy, social, local and family history nominees
• National Videogame Archive is based in Bradford at the National Media Museum Bradford West Yorks BD1 1NQ
• Professor Newman says that  “We need to make sure that all these practices, all these materials … are preserved so that we can understand what games mean, how they are played, and what their impact is.”
• The international Internet Archive project is also an important resource worthy of a browse.

If you look back at the toys that have become collectors items, and their presence on programmes like the antiques roadshow, guess these items may have an intrinsic value in the future.

When it is an original piece of hardware like one of the early Apple’s you have a tangible item, but these ‘software’ products will be difficult to preserve when old operating systems and computing environments change and become eventually obselete. Intersesting stuff.

The intriguing connection:

• Nearly every household has some related assets maybe worth preserving and think of how in 50 years time or a hundred how the revolutionary WII in so many households may seem?
• Should we all keep a couple stashed away in your family archives rather than traded in for a small amount of cash
• How will you grandchildren and beyond view these everyday items in the future?
• Is the moody teenager locked away playing games for endless hours scarily characteristic of recent times? Is this a factor in the way our society is shaping itself?
• I for one know I wish I had kept my turquoise blue Dinky Toys Hillman Imp and continue to be envious of my brothers original ‘Gold James Bond 007 car ‘complete with shield and ejector seat…