[game_preservation] Descriptive terms for Video Games

[Pugh, Richard]

Dave Gibson is right; LC is rather slow on these things.  But considering the sheer size and complexity of the Library and it's various collections, intuitional inertia should be expected.  I'm not defending said inertia (it annoys the heck out of me!), I'm just stating how it is.



With persistence, the content of a game (what it's about) can be brought out using conventional subject headings.  It's not always easy, but it can be done.  Our primary target at the moment, is finding a way to identify what something *is* rather that what it's about.



LC loosely defines a genre as what something "is" rather than what it's about.  At present, we have no clear way of indicating that a given object is a computer game, never mind what kind of computer game.  So again, that's why we're looking at terms that describe the general architecture and/or play style of a given game.  The Allgame list is proving to be a good starting point, along with some terms from the MobyGames lists.  A given title could have more than one of these terms; we'll use however many it takes to adequately describe the thing.



In the "horror-survival" scenario, a lot of that could be brought out in subjects.  There are headings commonly applied to horror and suspense literature, and those could also be applied here.  For example, a game like "Clive Barker's Undying" (remember that one?) would have genre terms identifying it as a first-person puzzle game, and as a first-person shooter.  It would also have subject headings for horror, suspense, and arguably Celtic mythology.  It would depend on how much detail you want.  Another game, like a title from the "Call of Duty" series would have very different subject headings.  But the genre headings - identifying it as a first-person shooter - might be largely the same as for the horror game.



The genre terms and subject headings would be largely complementary descriptors.  The MARC format is a double-edge sword in this regard.  Entering and coding such terms are a breeze.  MARC has all sorts of options that allow for a large amount of detail, and the search structures one can use on it are amazing.  However, to be effective, MARC subject/genre tags (the 65X fields) need to work with a controlled vocabulary, and getting something approved for said controlled vocabulary often requires an act of Congress.  Literally!


Richard J. Pugh
Motion Picture, Broadcast, & Recorded Sound Division
National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress
(202) 707-6636 / rpugh at loc.gov

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