[game_preservation] Digital Press kickstarting a videogame history museum

[Devin Monnens]

Yeah, this stance was argued against by Doron Swade (Science Museum, London;
directed the construction of the Babbage Engine). His article dealt with
'functional intactness' of museum artifacts as well as the curator's job of
taking responsibility for the donated object (which to him logically extends
to the functional intactness of the artifact). This concept is new to
digital media because most older artifacts have a long time before they
decay (biological matter being more susceptible, of course). Swade also
states that the digital artifact must be in 100% working order (i.e. 0%
corrupt) in order to be considered preserved due to unknown errors in
operability that can result from a wrong bit here or there. Further, the
software contains cultural information and is independent of the storage
medium.

The counterpoint to Swade's article discussed traditional museum objects and
how 'working condition' is never really a factor for museums, suggesting
that archives and libraries do the job. Further, it might be practically
impossible for some old hardware to be restored to working condition (such
as the Zuse machines - and further, if they could be restored, why hadn't
they been restored yet? Attempts to operate them might also damage the
existent hardware further, making it more important that they *not *be
turned on). Also, when a machine is restored, there is a particular reason
for doing so, and not all machines under this logic necessarily need to be
restored.

The heart of the matter is that the data stored in digital media is cultural
and informative and therefore should be preserved - I don't think this could
be argued against. Whether that media is preserved by a museum, archive, or
library to me has little importance - if a museum contains a historical
science book, isn't the information contained within that book as important
as the structural integrity of the book? Isn't it therefore the museum's job
to preserve that book? That if the book of - say scientific drawings of
dinosaur fossils ca. 1880 - were in danger of decaying, it should be
preserved, right?

Similarly, a case could be made for the brass telescope, whose functionality
could be important to a researcher of optics and/or astronomy interested in
whether certain stellar phenomena or distant terrestrial objects were
observable.

Two years ago, I went to the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum in Kyoto.
Umekoji maintains several steam engines in working order. The engines are
run daily and are well-maintained, though there are some engines that are
not in working order. Having engines running as demonstration models helps
visitors understand the power of steam locomotives and get a taste of what
the experience of riding in one was like. This would simply not be possible
if the machines were static. There is a certain power to having hardware
that is operational because it provides cultural context.

With the content of digital media as both a vehicle of culture and its
operation a cultural context, and the same ideas as applicable to other
museum objects as well, the argument for museums concerning themselves with
functionality becomes stronger and remains relevant.

*History of Computing: Software Issues *(2002)
Doron Swade: "Collecting Software: Preserving Information in an
Object-Centered Culture" (227-235)
David K. Allison: "Commentary on Doron Swade..." (237-244)

On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 9:02 PM, Jim Leonard <trixter at oldskool.org> wrote:


> On 7/7/2011 8:07 AM, Devin Monnens wrote:

>

>> so whether the data on a floppy disk is readable is kind of

>> irrelevant.

>>

>

> I am always blown away by archivists who think this way.  (I know you

> don't, you're just relaying the information.)  I doubt a Webster's 2nd

> edition would be worth anything if the pages were unreadable.

>

> I wonder if they take it a step further and treat the diskette itself as

> optional, which leaves you with an effectively empty box.

> --

> Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org)            http://www.oldskool.org/

> Check out some trippy MindCandy at        http://www.mindcandydvd.com/

> A child borne of the home computer wars:  http://trixter.oldskool.org/

>

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-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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