[game_preservation] Game Canon
Rowan Kaiser
rowankaiser at gmail.com
Tue Sep 14 17:46:22 EDT 2010
This is pretty interesting, thanks.Certainly more detailed and specific than
I'd have expected, but very readable.
Rowan
On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 2:32 PM, Jose P. Zagal <jzagal at cdm.depaul.edu>wrote:
>
>
>
> One idea that I've had for a long time is an encyclopedia of video
>> games. But not like a Britannica or World Book where it's ostensibly a
>> collection of facts presented in a neutral voice, but like some of the
>> film encyclopedias which present a series of essays on each of their
>> subjects. This allows for more interesting opinions, more diverse forms
>> of writing or argument, and, at least conceptually, a sort of
>> user-generated canon. Maybe I don't care about, say, The Legend of
>> Dragoon, but one of its fans can write convincingly about why it's
>> interesting or important. Likewise, a game like Starcraft is important
>> in completely different ways to completely different people. One essay
>> could talk about its role in competitive gaming, while another focuses
>> on its interesting use of narrative for a strategy game.
>>
>
>
> Although it's arguably more academic in tone, the Well-Played series
> published by ETC Press (and also available for free in PDF via a creative
> commons license) captures a lot of what you're describing.
>
> http://www.etc.cmu.edu/etcpress/wellplayed1.0
>
>
>
> Jose
>
>
>>
>> Rowan
>>
>> On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Andrew Armstrong <andrew at aarmstrong.org
>> <mailto:andrew at aarmstrong.org>> wrote:
>>
>> Replying to everyone here at once; I agree with everyone! Firstly;
>> Canon should be expansive - why not if we can do so? :D However, the
>> degree which it is classified Canon is just so that it isn't
>> /everything/, and probably it'd take both influential (ala Bill and
>> Matts work, although their website goes a lot deeper!) and the
>> pioneers and tech instigators. Like other technology mediums, there
>> is a lot of good first attempts, with the polishers really shining
>> it later for real use, but both are important.
>>
>> Secondly; that list was just an example which sprung this idea again
>> - that there are tons of appendixes and short lists of games without
>> the kind of historical context most people here recognise, thus have
>> massive flaws. Daikatana? Trespasser? Both perhaps good examples of
>> some really poor design, even if it tries to pioneer some aspect or
>> other, but otherwise only interesting at all in how bad they are.
>> Even Lets Play's of these games are notorious! Not quite canon
>> material perhaps, but it does depend...they'd have their place but
>> it'd be low down the list.
>>
>> The IGN list is actually surprisingly interesting for noting the
>> pioneers and influencers, even if it is very boring, and also oddly
>> not really complete or in depth (it again is like a book appendix,
>> and has similar issues with the choices in games perhaps, but so
>> does anything!).
>>
>> Thirdly; That is great news Henry that you've still got it on your
>> mind. I'm certainly up for helping whatever effort. It would be the
>> case that a great step would be to get the LoC to consider games
>> properly. I could check out the UK scene on it too, and I am sure
>> some other European institutions might be interested since they
>> preserve films but not games as such (we can assume the actual game
>> museums/archives will protect them but they of course need to be
>> notified of these important games too :) so a list is always good).
>> Even just getting them on board to protect the actual media if not
>> much ephemera would work wonders for posterity.
>>
>> In any case, glad there is some interest, however minor! I think the
>> easiest part for many people is arguing why a game is really, really
>> important in a good way - which is the major first step. I said
>> perhaps start small, and this is mainly because if anything, the IGN
>> list shows that even a small few-paragraph description of "why" is a
>> good starting point for further investigation.
>>
>> Andrew
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> game_preservation mailing list
>> game_preservation at igda.org <mailto:game_preservation at igda.org>
>>
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> game_preservation mailing list
>> game_preservation at igda.org
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>>
>
> --
> José P. Zagal
> Assistant Professor
> College of Computing and Digital Media
> DePaul University
>
> http://www.ludoliteracy.com/
>
> http://facsrv.cs.depaul.edu/~jzagal<http://facsrv.cs.depaul.edu/%7Ejzagal>
> _______________________________________________
> game_preservation mailing list
> game_preservation at igda.org
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/attachments/20100914/cfa313ec/attachment.htm>
More information about the game_preservation
mailing list