Skip to Main Content
Mount Royal University

Library

Researching video games

Online Game Archives

  • What: Playable versions of older PC games, often accessed through emulation software.
  • Why Use It: Provides hands-on experience with game mechanics, pacing, user interfaces, and graphical design, which can inspire new design elements.

Key source of archived games online

Internet Archive Classic PC Games 

A vast collection of classic PC games to download or play in browser. 

Start exploring with these sections:  

  • DOS games. More complex graphics and mechanics, designed for early PCs.
  • BASIC games. Simple games written in BASIC, suited for beginner programmers.
  • Adventure games  Focus on narrative and exploration, often text-based or with minimal graphics.

Reminder: Always check the copyright and terms of use before downloading from the Internet Archive. For more information, see their terms of use document.

More online game archives

  • PC Games Archive: Archive of games for PC
    • Classic PC games, available for download and play, along with emulators and instructions for running them on modern systems

Digitized Game Manuals:

  • What: Scanned versions of original printed game manuals from older video games.
  • Why Use It: Offers insights into how games were introduced and explained to players, including unique mechanics, narratives, and controls not found elsewhere

Key sources: Game documentation archives

Books on video game history

  • What: Comprehensive books detailing the history, culture, and development of video games and the gaming industry.
  • Why Use It: Provides historical context, showing how game design evolved over time and identifying influential milestones and innovations.

Video game history collection in LibrarySearch

Books on video game history, design, and development can be found in several locations in the library. Below are some tips for locating such materials.

Subject Searches in MRU LibrarySearch Physical call number ranges (for browsing in the library)

Video game history/culture/general

  • GV 1200 - GV 1469.3
  • HD 9993 E452 - HD 9993 E454

Interaction design

  • QA 76.9 H84 - QA 76.9 I52

 

Other potentially useful titles

Academic journals and books on game design:

What: Authors with academic expertise in various areas explore game design theories, player interaction, technological innovation, and research studies. Can include analysis of how games engage players, influence culture, and evolve with technology. This kind of research can help you appreciate how games are designed, received, and critiqued within academic and industry contexts.
Why Use It: Offers theoretical and practical design insights, grounded in academic research, helping to refine design approaches and support game innovation.

Video Walkthroughs (ie youtube)

What: Recorded playthroughs of video games, often featuring commentary or guidance.
Why Use It: Offers an efficient way to observe gameplay without having to play the game, allowing you to focus on design elements, progression, and storylines.
 

Game video walkthroughs

Search tips: 

Search with Specific Game Titles and Keywords:

  • Start with the exact title of the game, followed by terms like "walkthrough," "let’s play," or "guide."
  • For example, "Game Title" walkthrough or “Game Title" complete guide
  • Example: tetris 99 walkthrough

Add details to get more specific, such as if you are looking for a particular section, or level - add it to your search. .

Example: overcooked 2 world 4 level 2 guide

Should I be worried about copyright if I am viewing a game walkthrough that I want to reference for my assignment?  

Not generally - viewing and citing such a video is considered fairly safe. To get more technical - in Canada there is a strong case to be made for fair dealing rights applying to walkthroughs, especially those that have additional commentary added. To learn more check out this recent article from a McGill law student Let’s Plays: A Copyright Conundrum. And there is a lot more about fair dealing on our copyright guide!

Videos from MRU Library

Custom MRU LibrarySearch for streaming video

Custom MRU LibrarySearch for streaming video

Research Tips & Citation examples

Key Tips: Researching for game design

 

  • Finding inspiration: Examples of video games

  • Evaluating sources

    • Game descriptions & reviews: Check who created the source. Is it a recognized archive, expert critique, or user review?
    • Relevance: Does the game or review inspire elements of your design? If so, cite it!

  • Applying research to your game development

    • Why does it matter? How do the games you’ve found influence your design choices?
    • Refine your design: Use what you’ve learned from your research to adjust gameplay, visuals, or player interaction.
    • Justify your choices: Be prepared to explain in presentations how specific games shaped your design.

  • Focusing and managing your research

    • Focus your review: Focus on games that inspire aspects of your design—whether mechanics, visuals, or storytelling.
    • Expand your inspiration: Check out different genres or time periods—find out how classic or indie games push boundaries in design.
    • Stay organized: Stay organised, track the games that influence your project, with tools such as google sheets.

  • Game studies - area for research awareness

    • Game studies: Not the primary focus for this project, but be aware of research in psychology, design, or art that can add depth to your project and future studies. 
    • Ethics in games: If relevant, consider how games handle inclusivity, player psychology, or cultural representation.

  • Final tips for your project/presentation

    • Cite specific games: Highlight and reference the games that directly influenced your design.
    • Be specific: Explain how each game contributed to your decisions (e.g., how a game’s mechanics or art style inspired you).

Example: Explaining how Pitfall informed your game design

  • A game that helped inform my design: Pitfall (1982)

  • Sources of information: youtube walkthrough  wikipedia article & playing the game

  • Key inspirational elements:  

    • Mechanics: Side-scrolling action with platforming and simple controls (jumping, running, climbing); Obstacles like pits, logs, and quicksand that require timing and precision to overcome
    • Exploration: Exploration of an environment where the player navigates through to collect treasures
    • Challenging game play: Time-limited gameplay, focus on avoiding hazards and scoring points by collecting items

  • How it was relevant to my game design: 

    • Simple but challenging: It is simple but also has timing-based challenges that keep players engaged
    • Careful exploration: Encourages exploration and careful movement through environments

APA Citation Examples: Citing a Game and a Video Walkthrough

Example - I was inspired by Pitfall for Atari 2600

  • Sources of information:
    • I played the game
    • I watched the game play on Youtube

Citing a game

If your ideas or inspiration come directly from playing the game, reference the game itself in your paper. In most citation styles a video game is treated similarly to other media, and you'll need to include the game's developer and release year.

In-text citations: Weaving references to your sources into your writing

Template: (Developer, year)

  • Example 1 : (Activision, 1982)
  • Example 2: "The challenging level design in Pitfall! (Activision, 1982) inspired my analysis of difficulty progression in early platform games."

Reference list: Ensuring that your reader has all the details they need to track down the source

Template: Developer. (Year of Publication). Title of video game (v. Version number if known) [Platform]. Publisher Name if given. URL if available online.

  • Example 1: Activision. (1982). Pitfall! [Atari 2600]. Activision.

Citing a video walkthrough

If you're specifically drawing inspiration from a walkthrough on YouTube, you'll need to cite that walkthrough as a video source. Include the creator, title, and URL of the video.

In-text citations: Weaving references to your sources into your writing

Template: (Developer, year)

  • Example 1 Parenthetical citation : (AtariProductions, 2008))
  • Example 2 Narrative citation: :In the Pitfall! walkthrough (AtariProductions, 2008), strategies for avoiding obstacles are explained in detail.

Reference list: Ensuring that your reader has all the details they need to track down the source

Template: Creator. (Date posted). Title of video. Site Name. URL for the webpage.

  • Example 1: AtariProductions. (2008). Pitfall Gameplay - Atari 2600 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0K1HjsUr__8?si=4eeZJiGJOubPwubE

Note: Include both the real name and [screen name] of the person who posted the video as the author. If no real name is available, use the screen name without [ ].

APA Citation Examples: Citing Game Manuels

Template:

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial, if given. (Year of Publication). Name of board game/video game/game manual [Video game/Board game]. Publisher Name.

Examples:

  • Moon, A. R. (2015). Ticket to ride [Board game]. Days of Wonder.
  • Monopoly [Board game]. (2014). Hasbro.

*Cite as an online forum or discussion post (APA).

APA

Template: Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of post [Online forum post]. Publisher. URL

  • Example: Diaz, D. (2020, June 1). How to cite an answer in APA format [Online forum post]. Stack Overflow. https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/397884/how-to-cite-an-answer-in-apa-format

University of Calgary

The University of Calgary has a large video game collection - https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/c.php?g=255275&p=1703077

Games are limited to UofC users, but you can browse vintage console games through their collection.