For a few months, the National Library of Spain has seen how the collection of video games for their deposit in the data bank will be an obligation from 2023. The measure taken in the Culture commission did not represent a great change for the institution, since it had been carrying out this work for several years .
Now, thanks to the information from Cadena Ser, we have been able to find out that there is a video game that is still struggling to find the National Library. María Jesús Morilla, deputy director attached to the technical direction, has indicated that they are still struggling to add an original copy of The flea.
For those who don’t know it, it is a 1983 title developed by the Paco & Paco team from Extremadura for the ZX Spectrum. The particularity of the work lies in the fact that it is the first game officially developed in Spainwhich gives him a unique distinction of honor.
Bonilla explains that “we only have it available in a compilation of historical games, but not the original.” Let us remember that although a large part of the more than 1,200 games that the National Library treasures are archived in digital format, many others are searched for in physical format. In fact, if possible, it is intended to achieve both formats.
The body has as a requirement to take over all the video games developed in Spain, but also those created abroad, but whose edition is carried out in the country through a subsidiary. In other words, the vast majority of games that come onto the market become part of the catalogue. Another goal for the future is anyone can check the games and test them through emulation on PC.