[game_preservation] The role of comment/opinion on referencing game history articles/things

[Melanie Swalwell]

Andrew,

I don't have experience doing this with references, but I did invite 
users to contribute their thoughts, responses, etc to the game history 
interactive piece I made in 2006, with Erik Loyer: "Cast-offs from the 
Golden Age".  It generated some useful comments, and some nice praise, 
though I would have liked people to engage more with the actual research 
questions and provide more of their own anecdotes -- not that I don't 
like praise...it's always nice :)

If you're interested, Cast-offs is here: 
http://vectorsjournal.org/index.php?page=7&projectId=66&issueCurrent=3

I think your question goes to deeper issues on doing game history, 
certainly methodological ones, but also the fact that users and fans are 
the keepers of much knowledge on game history (i.e. rather than 
institutions).  For me, asking for contributions from people is one of 
the most important ways -- often the only way -- to fill in some of the 
'gaps'.  It's something I'm very keen on.  Eg. I did a pilot project in 
2007 to map the local early software scene in New Zealand, and built a 
database and solicited for contributions.  Asking people what they did 
and what they know is *the* only way to find out about this material.  
In a (planned) Australian game history and preservation project, we plan 
to expand this into a Popular Memory Archive.  It will help to document 
the games as understood through experience, rather than simply as artefact.

If you're interested, the Early NZ Software Database is here: 
http://nztronix.org.nz/main.php

Your question was about commenting on references, though.  Don't forum 
discussions capture the type of commentary you're envisaging?  Wouldn't 
linking a forum thread (say) to a particular entry in a bibliographic 
database achieve this?

cheers,

Melanie


-- 
Dr Melanie Swalwell
Senior Lecturer, Screen and Media,
& Course Coordinator, B. Media
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide SA 5001

278 Humanities Bldg

Ph: +61 8 8201 2619
Fax: +61 8 8201 3635

melanie.swalwell at flinders.edu.au