[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

>>

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>>

>>

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>

> --

> 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>

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