[game_preservation] Watermarks and Studio Communication

[Captain Commando]

> Which brings me to the next logical question: How to start up the White

> paper effort?

>


I thought you'd never ask! Unfortunately, I have the privilege of having too
much time on my hands due to unemployment (which I certainly hope changes
within the next couple of weeks! And I know nobody has budgets for game
preservation, but it never hurts to ask if anyone is interested in a
newly-minted MFA graduate! :). As a result, I can put in a lot of time given
goals both clear and proper (though admittedly, it's kind of hard to
motivate volunteers).

I am thinking a discussion list or central page might be the best way of
doing this. However, I don't quite think that message boards or discussion
lists are the way to go for a more final organization as this means you have
a LOT of unorganized information that needs to be sifted through to distill
the important central points. However, having scheduled meetings with some
form of real-time communication certainly helps as it allows for more direct
addressing of issues. So ultimately I think we'll need some form of system
or documentation where we can keep a head on exactly where the process is at
so everybody can be on the same page in a short time.

There are also other problems too, scale being one and another that we don't
yet know the full shape of what we're trying to do (and unfortunately we
likely won't until we get pretty far along!). So it's basically trying to
think on multi-dimensional large scales (though thankfully not as large as
it could be!) and at that point it's really easier to just go out and start
doing things. Definitely something I can write on that point...

For this reason, I think the initial primary goal is to build a list of what
we need (certainly as we're doing it). I have always said that a citation
format will be crucial for constructing a catalog (which is important for
archival) and so we would definitely need to bring this to a point with the
journalist SIG (and I keep bugging David Thomas about this, but he's always
busy). And let's face it, having a format that the journalists can also
agree on makes everybody's life that much easier (library/archive + research
support).

The second is that the SIG should not be interested in simply archiving
everything separate from the industry but should be contributing to the
industry, primarily in educating companies about the importance of internal
preservation (organization and smooth internal communication being one
benefit, culturally/industrially important and/or marketable assets being
another). Certainly a GDC panel and some Gamasutra articles on the subject
would be one good point of bringing this to the foreground and also give the
SIG more support from inside the industry - and also more importance beyond
itself.

The third important point (which really should come first) is pressing
forward that strong argument about why preserve in the first place. I think
we've already got something to that affect on the wiki, but if we don't have
a strong mission statement we can put to the forefront, it makes our job
harder.

Fourth, getting support from other preservation groups should also be part
of the goal. We're not 100% separate from what say film archivists are doing
and so sharing interdisciplinary information I think is going to be crucial.

I think this is about it for now. If you've got ideas about how we might
organize the White Paper team, or anything else to add, please bring it up!

-DM




>

> 1. We have a list of people (about 10) who would like to participate in

> this effort.

> 2. The people on the list are scattered about the globe.

> 3. So, what form of meeting should we employ?  Should we open up a

> dedicated discussion thread on this list?  Then move to some form of

> collaborative authorship?

>

> Henry

>

>

>

>

> At 08:35 AM 4/21/2008, Captain Commando wrote:

>

> I recently blogged about the debacle of Capcom using an image watermarked

> by IGN for the US Okami Wii box art. I think this is something the IGDA

> Preservation SIG should be concerned with as it seems to me if you're

> organized and have good communication between studios, you're also able to

> preserve stuff better (and perhaps get a better product?).

>

> http://deserthat.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/ign-watermarks-and-lack-of-studio-intercommunication/

>

> Another point to add to the White Paper?

>

> -DM

>

> --

> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>

> "Until next time..."

> Captain Commando

> _______________________________________________

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>

>  Henry Lowood, Ph.D.

> Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections;

>  Film & Media Collections

> HRG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall

> Stanford University Libraries

> Stanford CA 94305-6004

> 650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu; http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood<http://www.stanford.edu/%7Elowood>

>

> _______________________________________________

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>

>



-- 
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

"Until next time..."
Captain Commando
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