Digital archivist Jason Scott has opened preorders for Get Lamp, his forthcoming documentary on the history of text adventure games and their creators. The Textfiles.com maintainer, who also directed 2005's BBS: The Documentary, has worked on the project for three years and expects to release the Get Lamp DVD in March 2010.

Get Lamp features interviews with dozens of developers who were instrumental in shaping the 30+ year history of interactive fiction and text adventures games (e.g. Steve Meretzky). Scott says he shot more than 120 hours of footage for the film, and spent "many hours editing, planning, contacting parties, and doing all the behind-the-scenes work that comes with putting together a top-quality product."

He was able to find time for the project and his other computer history pursuits thanks to a successful pledge drive at donation-ware platform Kickstarter, which brought in $26,658 to fund his 3-4+ month sabbatical from his day job as a computer administrator. Scott rewarded benefactors with access to updates on his projects, comiplations of his Textfiles.com site, and DVD copies of BBS and Get Lamp.

As for preorders on the two-disc Get Lamp DVD, the director is offering them for $30 (a 25 percent discount off the planned $40 price) until December 30th. He says that the early cash he receives will help him build up money for a good production run, make deposits to the duplication firm, and order wrap-in objects to include with the packaging.

Scott also recently announced that the documentary will premiere at the inaugural PAX East convention in Boston, Massachusetts next March. After the film is screened, he plans to host a Get Lamp panel and will be hanging out with many of the people he interviewed for the documentary. You can watch an old trailer for Get Lamp released back in 2007 below: