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GDC has come and gone, with our white paper now released, <a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/White_Paper/Before_It%27s_Too_Late:_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/White_Paper/Before_It%27s_Too_Late:_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper"
rel="nofollow">go read it</a>!
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">
Preservation SIG March 2009 Work </span></h3>
<p>The white paper "<a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/White_Paper/Before_It%27s_Too_Late:_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/White_Paper/Before_It%27s_Too_Late:_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper"
rel="nofollow">Before It's Too Late: A Digital Game Preservation White
Paper</a>" was finished, and is available in several flavours: <a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/8/81/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.doc"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/8/81/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.doc"
rel="nofollow">DOC</a>, <a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/a/ab/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.odt"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/a/ab/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.odt"
rel="nofollow">ODT</a>, <a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/8/83/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.pdf"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/images/8/83/IGDA_Game_Preservation_SIG_-_Before_It%27s_Too_Late_-_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper.pdf"
rel="nofollow">PDF</a>, <a
href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/before-its-too-late-a-digital-game-preservation-white-paper/6497160"
class="external text"
title="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/before-its-too-late-a-digital-game-preservation-white-paper/6497160"
rel="nofollow">Lulu Copies</a>
</p>
<p>March also hosted, of course, the Game Developers Conference. I have
put up <a
href="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/SIG_Resources/2009_Roundtable"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/SIG_Resources/2009_Roundtable"
rel="nofollow">my notes</a>
and created the relevant project placeholder links on the wiki. Tell me
or Henry if you are interested in any of the projects, or have a
suggestion for an area to cover!
</p>
<p>Finally, the panel submission for DiGRA has been put forward by
Dan, so we'll hear news on if that is successful or not in the coming
months.
</p>
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline"> Future
Work for April 2009 </span></h3>
<p>My work will include cleaning up ready for new projects and pages,
but the SIG as a whole can contribute to the flow of ideas for new and
old projects and information to work on. Hopefully this month I will
get started into a bibliography website for putting various resources
related to videogames.
</p>
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline"> Mailing
List Discussions </span></h3>
<p>If you've not joined our <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation"
rel="nofollow">mailing list</a>,
please do so. We've never tried using our forums it seems :) we stick
to old-fangled email. This will eventually change when the IGDA site
changes over - although those wanting email can still get it.
</p>
<p><a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/thread.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/thread.html"
rel="nofollow">March</a> had discussions on the <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000965.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000965.html"
rel="nofollow">laments of young gamers not knowing about arcades</a>, <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000972.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000972.html"
rel="nofollow">Google's book digitising project</a>, Henry Lowood
appearing on a podcast focusing an episode on the history of videogames
called <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000977.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000977.html"
rel="nofollow">A Life Well Wasted</a>, and a short discussion on <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000997.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000997.html"
rel="nofollow">preserving websites</a>.
</p>
<p>Other minor stuff - there was our <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001026.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001026.html"
rel="nofollow">GDC flyer</a> made up by Henry, and some neat article
finds - <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001016.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001016.html"
rel="nofollow">Fallouts design document</a> and <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000984.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/000984.html"
rel="nofollow">the first(?) lightgun</a> with additional discussion on
the museum that hosts it.
</p>
<p>Finally, the <a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001034.html"
class="external text"
title="http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/game_preservation/2009-March/001034.html"
rel="nofollow">white paper was released</a>! Feedback very welcome!
</p>
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">
Preservation SIG Blog Updates / Links </span></h3>
<p><i>Have I missed anything this month? Then email it in to
preservation_news @ igda.org !</i>
</p>
<p>The format of the news will likely change in the future. Without
help I am falling behind on the actual useful stuff to report on for
preservationists, historians and the like (no one emails me any news,
luckily I guess!). I'll probably post useful news immediately, on
techniques, events (both ones you attend, and big events like something
shutting down!), preservation/history projects and SIG items. I will be
working on the Bibliography project for more or less interesting
historical or game history articles, where I will likely point a feed
from for more regular "Updates of articles related to game preservation
and history that you might be interested in reading", whew!
</p>
<ul>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/before_its_too.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/before_its_too.html"
rel="nofollow">Before It's Too Late: A Digital Game Preservation White
Paper Released</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/meet_nolan_bush.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/meet_nolan_bush.html"
rel="nofollow">Meet Nolan Bushnell, the man who created the videogames
industry</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/speak_atari_how.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/speak_atari_how.html"
rel="nofollow">Speak, Atari - How the 2600 forged the home video game
future</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_history_of_7.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_history_of_7.html"
rel="nofollow">The History of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: Ollies, Grabs,
and Grinds</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/learning_to_let.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/learning_to_let.html"
rel="nofollow">Learning to let go</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_center_for.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_center_for.html"
rel="nofollow">The Center for the History of Electronic Games</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/endless_loop_a.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/endless_loop_a.html"
rel="nofollow">Endless loop: A brief history of chiptunes</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/byte_back_repor.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/byte_back_repor.html"
rel="nofollow">Byte Back Reports</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_stunning_ar.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_stunning_ar.html"
rel="nofollow">The Stunning Art & Design of the Atari 2600</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/on_atari_cartri.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/on_atari_cartri.html"
rel="nofollow">On Atari Cartridges In Deep Caves</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/heart_on_fire_d.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/heart_on_fire_d.html"
rel="nofollow">Heart on Fire: Deleted Scenes - #04A</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/a_history_of_qw.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/a_history_of_qw.html"
rel="nofollow">A History of... Qwak?</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_pacman_doss.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/the_pacman_doss.html"
rel="nofollow">The Pac-Man Dossier</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/looking_back_at.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/looking_back_at.html"
rel="nofollow">Looking Back at Ensemble Studios</a>
</li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/_the_history_of_1.html"
class="external text"
title="http://www.igda.org/preservation/archives/2009/03/_the_history_of_1.html"
rel="nofollow">The History of the Pinball Construction Set</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline"> Final
Thoughts </span></h3>
<p>Hope anyone who went to GDC had a good time, and those that didn't
don't feel left out. The roundtable was definitely more a general
discussion and not focused much on SIG work except for suggestions on
what to do :)
</p>
<p>Andrew Armstrong
</p>
<p>IGDA Game Preservation SIG Site/Blog editor
</p>
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