Simple question, do you think videogames are ready and culturally significant enough to be preserved? If you say yes, how would you preserve them, would you have to keep the consoles too, and how would you decide which games to keep?
Should games be preserved? If so, how and which ones?
- Thread starter Professor James
- Start date
Recommended Videos
You probably could preserve some of the older games or collector's/limited editions when that term meant what it said, same goes for older consoles.
For games these days however, with the amount of mass produced games out there and especially with the rise of the digital platform there probably isn't much need to preserve many of them. For example, there are so many 360s out there that it would take a while for any single unit to be worth anything if that ever happens.
For games these days however, with the amount of mass produced games out there and especially with the rise of the digital platform there probably isn't much need to preserve many of them. For example, there are so many 360s out there that it would take a while for any single unit to be worth anything if that ever happens.
I'm inclined to say yes.
As to how...
Hardware examples, while in good condition not necessarily in working order.
Same to be said of software in the way it was distributed.
As to games...
Store in data format and find a way to successfully emulate archived games.
Essentially a living museum of games evolution, from pong all the way onwards.
The cut off point would probably be best at a decade ago minimum.
What games to keep?
Selection would be difficult but there could be multiple criteria to apply.
Biggest seller that year?
Archive it.
Highest reviewed?
Archive.
Lowest reviewed?
Archive too.
Award winners.
New genres.
Games that were considered to have evolved a genre in new directions.
Etc, etc.
Then, perhaps, open up voting and gather the top }specified number goes here{ to the archive.
As to how...
Hardware examples, while in good condition not necessarily in working order.
Same to be said of software in the way it was distributed.
As to games...
Store in data format and find a way to successfully emulate archived games.
Essentially a living museum of games evolution, from pong all the way onwards.
The cut off point would probably be best at a decade ago minimum.
What games to keep?
Selection would be difficult but there could be multiple criteria to apply.
Biggest seller that year?
Archive it.
Highest reviewed?
Archive.
Lowest reviewed?
Archive too.
Award winners.
New genres.
Games that were considered to have evolved a genre in new directions.
Etc, etc.
Then, perhaps, open up voting and gather the top }specified number goes here{ to the archive.
Well yes, they ought to be preserved. Which ones? All of them. There's no reason not to. It's not as if preserving data is the same as preserving physical art like paintings or statues. You don't have to allocate physical space (well, you do but not in the same sense), pay for protection(thick walls, guards), or take measures to protect data from the air itself.
How? Emulators in the case of consoles, and compatibility layers and DRM cracks for PC games. I don't think publishers or console manufacturers will play a major part in the process because it doesn't make sense for them economically.
How? Emulators in the case of consoles, and compatibility layers and DRM cracks for PC games. I don't think publishers or console manufacturers will play a major part in the process because it doesn't make sense for them economically.
In a thread I made similar to this on another forum, someone brought up the issue of copyright. Since very few are public domain, how would this issue be dealt with?
I would store as much as possible in the 'salt mines', which aren't what they sound like. Some of them are limestone. It's long-term, underground, secure storage that's good enough for old school celluloid films [http://www.undergroundvaults.com/industry-answers/film-and-sound-archiving/], so it should be good enough for electronics.
Well if you preserve anything it should be all of them, so when anyone does research on games shit isn't just skipped over because it wasn't popular at the time.
And you keep them in an always accessible digital space not some underground vault that will never be seen again, needs to be of use or it's a waste.
And you keep them in an always accessible digital space not some underground vault that will never be seen again, needs to be of use or it's a waste.