[game_preservation] Early NZ Software Database; membership no's; empyre

[Melanie Swalwell]

Hi all,

This is a multi-subject email...

1. I've been meaning to write for a while now and point interested parties towards a project I've been working on this last year, emanating from my research into the history of digital games in New Zealand, where I've been living and working for the last four years. 

--> the Early New Zealand Software Database http://nztronix.org.nz/main.php

This is a satellite project that has spun off my historical research.  I am endeavouring to collect information online about locally written and/or published software (predominantly for home computers), with a view to future preservation.  Seeing as you can't preserve it if you don't know it exists, I am asking the NZ computing community to contribute what they know about software titles from the 1980s and 1990s.  It's early days yet, and this is a new method of data/info collection for me, but so far I am pleased with the response.  We have information on some 30 titles entered to date, with a whole lot more promised.  These include original published game titles, hobbyist titles, ports, as well as non-game software like utilities.  (You can see these via the "Search" function -- just leave all fields blank and hit "submit".)

There is a facility for uploading files and source code, where this is possible, and nominating creative commons licenses for software and other assets, again, where appropriate.  

I'd be happy to hear from others who might have trialled similar efforts.  I envisage this tool being something that others could also use for similar community local history projects.  Let me know if you're interested.

Some of you might recall that I wrote to the list back in January 2007 (http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2007-January/000083.html) briefly mentioning the program of work my colleagues and I had teed up for 2007, which included a pilot preservation component for the Sega SC3000 microcomputer.  Hopefully we will be able to give you news before too long of how this has turned out, so far -- our "NZTronix" team project finishes at the end of this month, and we are hopeful of finishing a tool that ports from SC3000 Basic to Java.  More to come on that.  (Perhaps we can get linked to from the wiki, Andrew?)

2. As the SIG's list moderator, I thought I would also take this chance to let you know that the list has been seeing steady growth in recent times and we are now 83 members strong.

3. Finally, if anyone's on the empyre list (a new media arts discussion forum - see http://www.subtle.net/empyre), this month's discussion is touching on game history and preservation efforts, via the "Game On" exhibition, which has just opened in Melbourne.  I'm a guest and will most certainly be countering the moderator's optimistic claims that: 

"Right now Game history is centralising and solidifying from it's
former malleable position of marginalism - archives are filling up,
meta data is amassed, manifestos are written, authors proclaim
authority, order and hierarchy are imposed. Museums like ACMI in
Melbourne, Australia commission and show new game work, and examine
local gaming history with shows like Game On and Hits of the 80s."

Don't want ppl thinking the work's all been done already...

regards,

Melanie


*** Early NZ Software Database *** http://www.nztronix.org.nz/main.php
 
http://melanieswalwell.backpackit.com/pub/1284142