[game_preservation] Spring Cleaning the SIG+2009 ideas (Please respond!)

[Stuart Feldhamer]

OK, so I can understand Steve Meretzky and Warren Spector, and even Henry
Lowood, but who are the other 2 people on the panel? I mean, why were they
chosen?

 

Funny you should mention the National Film Registry:

 

http://www.loc.gov/film/vote.html

 

I am still digesting your comments about collectors and oral histories.

 

Stuart

 

From: game_preservation-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Armstrong
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 9:52 PM
To: IGDA Game Preservation SIG
Subject: Re: [game_preservation] Spring Cleaning the SIG+2009 ideas (Please
respond!)

 

Stuart Feldhamer wrote: 

I meant to ask this a long time ago, but how were the initial choices for
the Digital Game Canon determined?  I don't remember there being any sort of
open voting. I ask because this could be one of the reasons why there seems
to be a low degree of interest in this project.

The first year was chosen by 5 people (Matteo Bittanti, Christopher Grant,
Henry Lowood, Steve Meretzky, and Warren Spector) who presented 2 each after
much discussion (via. email). Like the National Film Registry, it's experts
in the field choosing entries, not "Joe public". I doubt there would be any
voting from the SIG members - at least not anyone who signs up, since it's
open and therefore open to abuse, especially without dialogue.

Henry is running it though, and I think he did mention something about
2008's also being done, but of course, no session to present it at means
either doing it online or otherwise. So we'll see. Also, unlike the National
Film Registry which has the facilities to archive the films, we don't have
physical facilities to archive the games/systems, so it's more a starting
list for people who want to know what games are really important in history
and why (although I hope in the future the games can be secured in multiple
locations at least with emulations of their system so they can be accessed).
In that respect, if it does become more important, it can be more formally
sorted (with a panel of experts, set guidelines, etc. etc.) but it's more a
starting point AFAIK.

As for interest for a GDC session? Nah, the GDC people just don't like
history sessions. They're pretty glossy in what they choose I guess, and the
focus is on the "here and now" not "the past". Since there were people going
to the session and good feedback in 2007, it's bizarre, but whatever. Note
that, of course, the "Joe public" doesn't have any say in what gets accepted
at GDC either.



Collectors - what do you want from this section? One thing I will say is
that it's difficult to generalize about why collectors do what they do -
they are very different people with different motivations (and psychoses :
)).

Motivations and psychoses might be different between people, but knowing
about what they collect (and don't), what they value (and don't), and how
they go about it is very similar in the vast majority of cases. I keep an
eye on some collectors sites, ebay checkers and whatnot, but hardly know
enough to write anything more then what's up there already.

Basically, it needs to be accessible information for those who are not
collectors. A-B-C's kind of thing. Historians, archvisists, book writers and
just interested developers might want to know. Especially so if they need to
write about the subject or possibly interact with them ;) (like finding out
if they can get a photo of a certain game, or check if a game exists, or
something the community of collectors can help with since they literally own
"everything", although might not actively put it up in any accessible form
anywhere).



Oral Histories - this sounds like a very interesting project, but maybe a
bit too ambitious. I think the hard part won't be getting volunteers to
perform the interviews, it will be getting the project the initial
legitimacy it needs to get the interviewees willing to sit down for the
interviews. Maybe we can leverage existing work here.

Haha, this was originally brought up by people at last years round table,
the two main ones I recall were Steve Meretzky and Warren Spector and a few
other developers too. Since they murmured it was more important (and no one
was doing it!) there is interest to have those oral histories done, as long
as someone else does the serious legwork doing them!

If I were in America and had a camera/recording equipment I'd start them
myself around conference times - since many of the people in history still
actively go to conferences and work, it'd be likely nice to get a few at
once. Or if I had the time and money, man, Jason Scott is like living the
dream of this kind of work, and I'd want to do something similar but
per-person (and Jason is a perfect example that there are a ton of people
who are willing to be interviewed too) :)

So the last option is online stuff. Which kinda sucks. Therefore, if there
are volunteers who can go in person with a camera and microphone, with a
good list of questions and a general knowledge (or research) about the
person, it'd be great. I am sure if we actively sought out people just for
this (not business, not for pestering about anything else) they'd be happy
to help (time permitting) since some of them brought it up in the first
place.

I think therefore it's still a volunteer issue, not a source issue. There
are many more developers out there then I see volunteers to do this, in the
region of thousands:0 at the moment ;)

Andrew

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