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

[Melanie Swalwell]

Hi Devin,
 
I guess you mean Maori: the short answer is that there would have been
some software authoring done (and I don't think it would have been
entirely a socioeconomic issue, as computers were in schools), but I'm
not collecting info about that.  
 
As this is about engaging the wider community in an information
collection project, I wanted the form to be kept as simple as possible -
so I only ask for info in fields that are absolutely critical, so as not
to dissuade people from involvement on the grounds that it is too
complex/time consuming.  (There is an essential field on the "new entry"
form which asks for contact details of the person making the entry, to
facilitate re-contact if, for instance, it's desirable to ask for more
information, but this is kept invisible for privacy reasons.)
 
It's interesting, though, the stories that often come with the
information about particular software titles - eg. about how some guys
were working on porting titles for a UK publisher, just up the road from
other developers without knowing it til they read about them in a
magazine...and got up and walked round and knocked on the door and
introduced themselves...that sort of thing.
 
My research assistant is just finishing off a few features on the tool
over the next few weeks.  This should take care of the remaining spam
that's getting through, as well as making entries edit-able, file
uploads automatic, etc. 
 
Melanie
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: game_preservation-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Captain
Commando
Sent: Wednesday, 12 March 2008 1:55 AM
To: IGDA Game Preservation SIG
Subject: Re: [game_preservation] Early NZ Software Database; membership
no's;empyre
 
Melanie,

I'd be interested in seeing what type of work, if any, exists from the
1980s that was produced by aboriginals in New Zealand. Rather obscure,
perhaps, but when we talk about minorities in games I think this would
be interesting considering its setting before computers became cheap and
Flash became ubiquitous.

-Devin Monnens
On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 7:06 AM, Andrew Armstrong
<andrew at aarmstrong.org> wrote:
Hey Melanie,

Nice to see you posting on the mailing list :-D

And neat site - I note a few spam entries in your DB you might want to
delete, and very good page on licencing. If you can, later possibly,
contribute some ideas to the DGC website work, that'd be awesome.

This is also great for collecting user submitted data, good forms and a
way of uploading code and images is great.

It's also good you're countering that museums claims, haha. I didn't
even know of any efforts to preserve anything in Australia, so it goes
to show they're not done by a long way if we don't even know about them,
and it's doubtful they even fulfil their own statement! A healthy dose
of scepticism is needed when it comes to things like that and you see
this SIG's work.

Andrew

Melanie Swalwell wrote:

> 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

>

>

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> game_preservation at igda.org

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>

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-- 
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

"Until next time..."
Captain Commando 
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