[game_preservation] Personal/Oral Histories Discussion

[Andrew Armstrong]

This wouldn't be something you could print off and use, but knowing a 
baseline of what kind of things people get asked and are important to 
get asked is a good one, examples are even better, thus my last comment.

Saying "It's good to ask what has changed" is fine, but a example of 
that kind of question is good too ;) (I never put any question marks 
behind what I put down there for the very reason they were generic 
examples, and easily expanded or changed!)

Thanks for the input, I'll note it down when necessary.

Andrew

Devin Monnens wrote:

> I think the questions will depend on what you are researching. So you 

> can't have a list of questions and just ask everybody those because 

> you won't get the answers you want! Of course, there may also be some 

> things the developer wants to talk about that nobody has asked before 

> (What's one story you'd like to tell that nobody's asked you to tell 

> before?).

>

> If we're talking about game history, it's probably a good idea to ask 

> about what game development was like then versus now. History seems to 

> be about change (change is also on the news today): how things differ 

> today from yesterday, what things have stayed the same, what events 

> happened, how events shaped history and how history shaped today.

>

> I guess maybe one other thing would be 'Who have you mentored?' Who 

> has the developer taught and influenced directly? That seems like a 

> pretty important question because it allows connections to be made 

> through historical design.

>

> -Devin

>

> On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 11:11 AM, Andrew Armstrong 

> <andrew at aarmstrong.org <mailto:andrew at aarmstrong.org>> wrote:

>

>     Before I finish off my list of changes for the SIG's main wiki

>     page (see: Spring Cleaning earlier. Comments still welcome!), I

>     want to bring up the start of a discussion on recording people's

>     personal histories.

>

>     I'm thinking that a guide written to provide a list of basic

>     information that could be collected when interviewing or

>     researching a person (who could be anyone from a developer, to a

>     journalist, to a producer, to admin staff, to an academic, to a

>     historian ;) "...related to videogames").

>

>     This would help firstly start out the project, and secondly, it'd

>     be damn useful.

>

>     For instance, I might have possibly been able to discuss getting

>     interviews, at least via. email or other mediums then face to

>     face, with several classic developers when I've seen them at

>     various events or places. However, not knowing what to ask, since

>     the project wasn't started, lead to me not bothering.

>

>     Therefore, let's start outlining the kinds of things needed to be

>     done. Here's some initial thoughts:

>

>     ===================

>

>     Get their permission to print the information as freely available

>     online, and if something needs to be withheld, mark it

>     specifically as such.

>

>     Gather a factsheet (asking the person or researching elsewhere):

>     - Full name, and how they pronounce it (recorded if possible)

>     - Gender (sometimes this isn't wholly obvious in today's world :) )

>     - Date of birth

>     - Country of origin, places lived (perhaps)

>     - (Optionally) Marital status, spouse, children, relations (at

>     least ones related in industry)

>     CV information

>     - place of education, degree type

>     - previous work (IE: the stuff on a person's CV), especially games

>     developed and under what title.

>

>     A list of generic interview questions for necessary information,

>     or just so you can compare answers between interviews.

>     - On work: How did you get involved in the industry. Why you left

>     company X, or joined company Y (job changes). What inspires you at

>     work. What resources do you use to work.

>     - On people: What are they like.

>     - On games: Why are they important to you personally. What do you

>     enjoy playing in your spare time. Your most favourite games. What

>     are you playing this week. If you can remember, what was the first

>     videogame you played, and/or what was the first non-videogame you

>     played.

>     - On other things: What activities do you enjoy outside of

>     videogames. What physical activities do you enjoy (sports, gym,

>     outdoor things).

>     - On other media: What do you think of other art (books, films,

>     music, sculptures, paintings/artwork, dance, poetry, architecture,

>     comics, opera, etc.)

>

>     Need more topics - perhaps depending on the person, certainly

>     their age and experience, but also some generic ones about the

>     time they've spent in industry too (perhaps on gender, pay,

>     quality of life, the business side, etc.)

>

>     A photograph (or more then one) of the person if possible. Finding

>     photographs of some developers is nigh on impossible, even if they

>     are famous (I found a total of 1 for the Bubble Bobble creator!).

>     They are more likely to have copies of photographs themselves.

>     Highest quality is better.

>

>     A copy of their "signing" signature, most ones who get asked for

>     one make their own up for this, so it's nice to have a record.

>

>     ===================

>

>     I have a feeling that asking Jason Scott and a few people who do

>     interviews at different historically-inclined sites would help

>     too, and I might do this, and report it on the blog too. Here's

>     the starting place however!

>

>     So, any additional generic interview questions, example interviews

>     to take questions or ideas from, tips for doing specific types of

>     interviews (written interview notes done in person, email, chat

>     client, skype, doing a proper oral history in front of a camera or

>     microphone), and advantages/disadvantages of them. Tips for a

>     progression from initial contact to finished historical

>     information. Tools of the trade...and so on.

>

>     Andrew

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>

>

>

> -- 

> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>

> "Until next time..."

> Captain Commando

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