[game_preservation] Game Canon
Rowan Kaiser
rowankaiser at gmail.com
Mon Aug 9 20:49:16 EDT 2010
What if they're multiplayer games with your family?
On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 5:21 PM, Stuart Feldhamer <stuart.feldhamer at gmail.com
> wrote:
> I can recommend a lot of good games. But if you’re really about to die,
> and it’s a choice between playing one of them or spending time with your
> family, I would suggest the latter.
>
>
>
> Stuart
>
>
>
> *From:* game_preservation-bounces at igda.org [mailto:
> game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] *On Behalf Of *Henry Lowood
> *Sent:* Monday, August 09, 2010 3:41 PM
> *To:* Rowan Kaiser
> *Cc:* IGDA Game Preservation SIG
> *Subject:* Re: [game_preservation] Game Canon
>
>
>
> It's an interesting question. There are some games I would recommend in a
> general way, but cannot claim to have played them seriously. I doubt that
> I could give more than a few dozen deeply-felt recommendations -- games that
> I played intensively, value, and feel my reader should play "before you
> die."
>
> Henry
>
> On 8/9/2010 11:14 AM, Rowan Kaiser wrote:
>
> It's an editor with several contributors. I know at least one of them. It
> does make me wonder how many games I've played, and how many of them I could
> recommend.
>
> Rowan
>
> On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Henry Lowood <lowood at stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> Devin,
>
> I agree -- it's difficult to see how anyone could play through that many
> games.
>
> Henry
>
>
>
> On 8/9/2010 10:41 AM, Devin Monnens wrote:
>
> I haven't played 1000 games. I don't think there's too many people who
> have. It might be more useful to have a 100 list say, as that's much easier
> to go through - though obviously not as extensive.
>
> On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 10:27 AM, Henry Lowood <lowood at stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> That is a long bucket list! I guess the author is claiming to have played
> all of them, though.
>
> Henry
>
>
>
> On 8/8/2010 11:49 AM, Jan Baart wrote:
>
> There's also this upcoming effort:
>
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/1001-Video-Games-Must-Before/dp/0789320908
>
> Jan
>
> Rowan,
>
> You probably know this, but a mini-version of such a book exists, published
> (which is interesting in itself) by the BFI:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/100-Videogames-BFI-Screen-Guides/dp/1844571629
>
> And of course, we know the authors ...
>
> Henry
>
> On 8/3/2010 5:58 PM, Rowan Kaiser wrote:
>
> The main way that I think canons or Halls of Fame or lists of best ever
> work is if there's some kind of lens. Simple subjectivity is one way to go
> about it, but there are other ways. The initial list you linked to, Andrew,
> had a fairly interesting one in that it seemed to be aimed at aspiring
> designers. This allows bad games as well as good on the list,
> entertainingly. It had some organizational and editorial problems, but I
> think that's a fascinating concept, especially as it brings in non-video
> games.
>
> One idea that I've had for a long time is an encyclopedia of video games.
> But not like a Britannica or World Book where it's ostensibly a collection
> of facts presented in a neutral voice, but like some of the film
> encyclopedias which present a series of essays on each of their subjects.
> This allows for more interesting opinions, more diverse forms of writing or
> argument, and, at least conceptually, a sort of user-generated canon. Maybe
> I don't care about, say, The Legend of Dragoon, but one of its fans can
> write convincingly about why it's interesting or important. Likewise, a game
> like Starcraft is important in completely different ways to completely
> different people. One essay could talk about its role in competitive gaming,
> while another focuses on its interesting use of narrative for a strategy
> game.
>
>
> Rowan
>
> On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Andrew Armstrong <andrew at aarmstrong.org>
> wrote:
>
> Replying to everyone here at once; I agree with everyone! Firstly; Canon
> should be expansive - why not if we can do so? :D However, the degree which
> it is classified Canon is just so that it isn't *everything*, and probably
> it'd take both influential (ala Bill and Matts work, although their website
> goes a lot deeper!) and the pioneers and tech instigators. Like other
> technology mediums, there is a lot of good first attempts, with the
> polishers really shining it later for real use, but both are important.
>
> Secondly; that list was just an example which sprung this idea again - that
> there are tons of appendixes and short lists of games without the kind of
> historical context most people here recognise, thus have massive flaws.
> Daikatana? Trespasser? Both perhaps good examples of some really poor
> design, even if it tries to pioneer some aspect or other, but otherwise only
> interesting at all in how bad they are. Even Lets Play's of these games are
> notorious! Not quite canon material perhaps, but it does depend...they'd
> have their place but it'd be low down the list.
>
> The IGN list is actually surprisingly interesting for noting the pioneers
> and influencers, even if it is very boring, and also oddly not really
> complete or in depth (it again is like a book appendix, and has similar
> issues with the choices in games perhaps, but so does anything!).
>
> Thirdly; That is great news Henry that you've still got it on your mind.
> I'm certainly up for helping whatever effort. It would be the case that a
> great step would be to get the LoC to consider games properly. I could check
> out the UK scene on it too, and I am sure some other European institutions
> might be interested since they preserve films but not games as such (we can
> assume the actual game museums/archives will protect them but they of course
> need to be notified of these important games too :) so a list is always
> good). Even just getting them on board to protect the actual media if not
> much ephemera would work wonders for posterity.
>
> In any case, glad there is some interest, however minor! I think the
> easiest part for many people is arguing why a game is really, really
> important in a good way - which is the major first step. I said perhaps
> start small, and this is mainly because if anything, the IGN list shows that
> even a small few-paragraph description of "why" is a good starting point for
> further investigation.
>
> Andrew
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> game_preservation mailing list
> game_preservation at igda.org
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> game_preservation mailing list
>
> game_preservation at igda.org
>
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Henry Lowood
>
> 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>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> game_preservation mailing list
>
> game_preservation at igda.org
>
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> game_preservation mailing list
>
> game_preservation at igda.org
>
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Henry Lowood
>
> Curator, History of Science & Technology Collections;
>
> Film & Media Collections
>
> HRG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
>
> 650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu
>
>
>
> http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood <http://www.stanford.edu/%7Elowood>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> game_preservation mailing list
> game_preservation at igda.org
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
> --
> Devin Monnens
> www.deserthat.com
>
> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Henry Lowood
>
> Curator, History of Science & Technology Collections;
>
> Film & Media Collections
>
> HRG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
>
> 650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu
>
> http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood <http://www.stanford.edu/%7Elowood>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> game_preservation mailing list
> game_preservation at igda.org
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Henry Lowood
>
> Curator, History of Science & Technology Collections;
>
> Film & Media Collections
>
> HRG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
>
> 650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu
>
> http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood <http://www.stanford.edu/%7Elowood>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> game_preservation mailing list
> game_preservation at igda.org
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/attachments/20100809/d1645f08/attachment.htm>
More information about the game_preservation
mailing list