[game_preservation] Selecting and preserving video games, both text and context

[Henry Borchers]

Hello IGDA,

 

It's been a while since there has been much activity on here and I hope
people still follow this listserv. 

 

I am in the last part of my overly delayed master's thesis and I need to add
an additional case study. I hope someone on here can help me out.

 

I am writing about the preservation of video games in terms of their textual
and contextual components. One of the things that I am arguing is that
because the text of video games (the games themselves) are so intertwined
with their video game context (the consoles and computers), both are
integral to proper preservation. 35mm movie film has had the same playback
device for a century and old nitrate prints can run through modern
projectors but the texts of video games are tied to the constantly changing
video game console contexts. It is for this reason that traditional
strategies of print, painting, and film conservation are ill-suited for
video games. 

 

If you are part of a video game collection, could you please help me out and
comment on or be willing to talk to me about how you go about selecting and
preserving video games, both text and context? Most websites of video game
archives do not go into depth on these aspects.

 

Thank you,

 

Henry Borchers

University of Amsterdam, 

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