2021
Garda, Maria B.; Suominen, Jaakko
In Memory of Memory Gliders: Preservation of EU-Funded Serious Games as Digital Heritage Book Section
In: Močnik, Nena; Duijzings, Ger; Meretoja, Hanna; Beti, Bonface Njeresa (Ed.): Engaging with Historical Traumas: Experiential Learning and Pedagogies of Resilience, pp. 257-270, Taylor & Francis, 2021, ISBN: 9781000395563.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game preservation, Memory Gliders, Serious games
@incollection{Garda2021c,
title = {In Memory of Memory Gliders: Preservation of EU-Funded Serious Games as Digital Heritage},
author = {Maria B. Garda and Jaakko Suominen },
editor = {Nena Močnik and Ger Duijzings and Hanna Meretoja and Bonface Njeresa Beti},
doi = {10.4324/9781003046875},
isbn = {9781000395563},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-05-04},
booktitle = {Engaging with Historical Traumas: Experiential Learning and Pedagogies of Resilience},
pages = {257-270},
publisher = {Taylor & Francis},
abstract = {The aim of this chapter is to investigate possible preservation strategies of serious games in order to reflect on the sustainability and long-term accessibility of these digital artefacts. We focus on a case study of the game Memory Gliders (Ulric Games 2019). As a digital game, it is a born-digital artefact and for that reason, it is prone to issues such as technological obsolescence or digital decay. As an educational game, Memory Gliders cannot rely on hobbyist engagement in the preservation work, like in the case of entertainment games and retrogaming communities. Should then the weight of this effort rest on the back of project coordinators (i.e. scientific network members), game developers (as a part of company’s portfolio and legacy), funding bodies (e.g. EU centralised solutions), research centres (e.g. on the history of education), or memory institutions (e.g. local libraries)? In this chapter, we explore short-term solutions for reinforcing the academic and societal impact of the game, as well as long-term solutions for its preservation as a digital heritage artefact.},
keywords = {Game preservation, Memory Gliders, Serious games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
The aim of this chapter is to investigate possible preservation strategies of serious games in order to reflect on the sustainability and long-term accessibility of these digital artefacts. We focus on a case study of the game Memory Gliders (Ulric Games 2019). As a digital game, it is a born-digital artefact and for that reason, it is prone to issues such as technological obsolescence or digital decay. As an educational game, Memory Gliders cannot rely on hobbyist engagement in the preservation work, like in the case of entertainment games and retrogaming communities. Should then the weight of this effort rest on the back of project coordinators (i.e. scientific network members), game developers (as a part of company’s portfolio and legacy), funding bodies (e.g. EU centralised solutions), research centres (e.g. on the history of education), or memory institutions (e.g. local libraries)? In this chapter, we explore short-term solutions for reinforcing the academic and societal impact of the game, as well as long-term solutions for its preservation as a digital heritage artefact.
Nylund, Niklas; Prax, Patrick; Sotamaa, Olli
Rethinking Game Heritage: Towards Reflexivity in Game Preservation Journal Article
In: International Journal of Heritage Studies: IJHS, vol. 27, iss. 3, pp. 268-280, 2021, ISSN: 1352-7258.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Critical heritage, Game culture, Game preservation, Game studies, Intangible heritage, Participatory heritage
@article{Nylund2021,
title = {Rethinking Game Heritage: Towards Reflexivity in Game Preservation},
author = {Niklas Nylund and Patrick Prax and Olli Sotamaa},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202006045916},
doi = {10.1080/13527258.2020.1752772},
issn = {1352-7258},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-03-04},
journal = {International Journal of Heritage Studies: IJHS},
volume = {27},
issue = {3},
pages = {268-280},
abstract = {While games and the cultures that have sprung up around them are diverse and vastly different from each other, most exhibitions dealing with them are based on a limited understanding of games that relies on symbolic brands on one hand and on the centrality of playable experiences on the other. This bias is potentially replicated by heritage institution collections starting to define how games become cultural heritage. While games research has shown that games are firmly nestled in a participatory grassroots culture, these kinds of perspectives are curiously lacking in exhibitions. By connecting previous work on critical and intangible heritage with game studies literature, this paper emphasises the importance of various productive communities for game heritage. The concepts of intangible and critical heritage suggest that the inclusion of players and communities into the game heritage process could offer a more diverse heritage discourse. But participatory practices in collector run museums tend to produce game heritage which is implicitly working towards the same kind of one-sided understanding of games that has been criticised heavily in game studies. The critical expertise of museum professionals is needed in order to start incorporating the varicoloured practices of communities into our understanding of game heritage.},
keywords = {Critical heritage, Game culture, Game preservation, Game studies, Intangible heritage, Participatory heritage},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
While games and the cultures that have sprung up around them are diverse and vastly different from each other, most exhibitions dealing with them are based on a limited understanding of games that relies on symbolic brands on one hand and on the centrality of playable experiences on the other. This bias is potentially replicated by heritage institution collections starting to define how games become cultural heritage. While games research has shown that games are firmly nestled in a participatory grassroots culture, these kinds of perspectives are curiously lacking in exhibitions. By connecting previous work on critical and intangible heritage with game studies literature, this paper emphasises the importance of various productive communities for game heritage. The concepts of intangible and critical heritage suggest that the inclusion of players and communities into the game heritage process could offer a more diverse heritage discourse. But participatory practices in collector run museums tend to produce game heritage which is implicitly working towards the same kind of one-sided understanding of games that has been criticised heavily in game studies. The critical expertise of museum professionals is needed in order to start incorporating the varicoloured practices of communities into our understanding of game heritage.
2020
Nylund, Niklas
Game Heritage: Digital Games in Museum Collections and Exhibitions PhD Thesis
2020, ISBN: 978-952-03-1696-9.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Cultural heritage, Game heritage, Game preservation, Games, Heritagization, Museum, Play, Playing, Preservation, Reflexiveness
@phdthesis{Nylund2020,
title = {Game Heritage: Digital Games in Museum Collections and Exhibitions},
author = {Niklas Nylund},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1697-6},
isbn = {978-952-03-1696-9},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-09},
urldate = {2020-10-09},
publisher = {Tampere University Press},
abstract = {Digital games are undergoing a process of heritagization, as demonstrated by how they are increasingly displayed in exhibitions and preserved in heritage institution collections, not to mention engaged with by numerous heritage communities both online and offline. What is lacking, however, is a critical understanding of what constitutes game heritage and how it is produced by the stakeholders involved. In order to provide a critical framework for thinking and working with games as heritage, this dissertation engages in theory building and conceptualizations around key heritagization issues.
The study utilizes a versatile methodology consisting of interpretive analysis and extensive use of insider knowledge and participant observation, as well as theoretical triangulation between heritage studies, games studies, and game preservation research. With the help of these approaches, the dissertation conducts pragmatic theory building around issues related to the heritagization of games, as well as provides critical frameworks for engaging with it.
In the results, the study shows how social actors beyond retrogamers and hobbyists act as stakeholders in the heritagization of games. Further, the dissertation provides a high-level theoretical ontology for dealing with the complex assemblage of games and play, which looks beyond playable games. After that, the research shows how games are changed and modified when becoming heritagized. Finally, the study sheds light on tensions that exist between various stakeholders and their heritagization strategies.
As such, the dissertation demonstrates how the complex issues and processes that arise when games become heritage are in need of more reflexive practices. In the discussion, the study points towards possible strategies that can be used in order to mitigate stakeholder tensions around the ownership of game heritage. However, further empirical research is needed in order to validate the theoretical constructs and guidelines provided in this study.
},
keywords = {Cultural heritage, Game heritage, Game preservation, Games, Heritagization, Museum, Play, Playing, Preservation, Reflexiveness},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Digital games are undergoing a process of heritagization, as demonstrated by how they are increasingly displayed in exhibitions and preserved in heritage institution collections, not to mention engaged with by numerous heritage communities both online and offline. What is lacking, however, is a critical understanding of what constitutes game heritage and how it is produced by the stakeholders involved. In order to provide a critical framework for thinking and working with games as heritage, this dissertation engages in theory building and conceptualizations around key heritagization issues.
The study utilizes a versatile methodology consisting of interpretive analysis and extensive use of insider knowledge and participant observation, as well as theoretical triangulation between heritage studies, games studies, and game preservation research. With the help of these approaches, the dissertation conducts pragmatic theory building around issues related to the heritagization of games, as well as provides critical frameworks for engaging with it.
In the results, the study shows how social actors beyond retrogamers and hobbyists act as stakeholders in the heritagization of games. Further, the dissertation provides a high-level theoretical ontology for dealing with the complex assemblage of games and play, which looks beyond playable games. After that, the research shows how games are changed and modified when becoming heritagized. Finally, the study sheds light on tensions that exist between various stakeholders and their heritagization strategies.
As such, the dissertation demonstrates how the complex issues and processes that arise when games become heritage are in need of more reflexive practices. In the discussion, the study points towards possible strategies that can be used in order to mitigate stakeholder tensions around the ownership of game heritage. However, further empirical research is needed in order to validate the theoretical constructs and guidelines provided in this study.
The study utilizes a versatile methodology consisting of interpretive analysis and extensive use of insider knowledge and participant observation, as well as theoretical triangulation between heritage studies, games studies, and game preservation research. With the help of these approaches, the dissertation conducts pragmatic theory building around issues related to the heritagization of games, as well as provides critical frameworks for engaging with it.
In the results, the study shows how social actors beyond retrogamers and hobbyists act as stakeholders in the heritagization of games. Further, the dissertation provides a high-level theoretical ontology for dealing with the complex assemblage of games and play, which looks beyond playable games. After that, the research shows how games are changed and modified when becoming heritagized. Finally, the study sheds light on tensions that exist between various stakeholders and their heritagization strategies.
As such, the dissertation demonstrates how the complex issues and processes that arise when games become heritage are in need of more reflexive practices. In the discussion, the study points towards possible strategies that can be used in order to mitigate stakeholder tensions around the ownership of game heritage. However, further empirical research is needed in order to validate the theoretical constructs and guidelines provided in this study.
Garda, Maria B.; Nylund, Niklas; Sivula, Anna; Suominen, Jaakko
From Cultural Sustainability to Culture of Sustainability: Preservation of Games in the Context of Digital Materiality Proceedings Article
In: DiGRA ’20 – Proceedings of the 2020 DiGRA International Conference: Play Everywhere, DiGRA, 2020, ISSN: 2342-9666.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Cultural sustainability, Digital materiality, Game heritage, Game history, Game preservation
@inproceedings{Garda2020,
title = {From Cultural Sustainability to Culture of Sustainability: Preservation of Games in the Context of Digital Materiality},
author = {Maria B. Garda and Niklas Nylund and Anna Sivula and Jaakko Suominen},
url = {http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/from-cultural-sustainability-to-culture-of-sustainability-preservation-of-games-in-the-context-of-digital-materiality-2/},
issn = {2342-9666},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-06-02},
booktitle = {DiGRA ’20 – Proceedings of the 2020 DiGRA International Conference: Play Everywhere},
publisher = {DiGRA},
abstract = {In this paper, we set out to explore some of the most prevalent questions regarding cultural sustainability in the context of preservation of digital games. Since the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development has been successively expanded to incorporate not only environmental and economic aspects but also the social and cultural, as well as relating to values such as human rights and broadly understood equality (Stylianou- Lambert et al. 2014). We would like to examine what kind of issues and considerations should be taken into account while developing a holistic approach to game preservation that also supports a culture of sustainability focused on broadly understood game heritage. What kind of unique challenges do game cultures and ludic artefacts present in this context? In our paper, we will look at a national case study of Finland where innovative and progressive approaches are currently being developed.},
keywords = {Cultural sustainability, Digital materiality, Game heritage, Game history, Game preservation},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In this paper, we set out to explore some of the most prevalent questions regarding cultural sustainability in the context of preservation of digital games. Since the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development has been successively expanded to incorporate not only environmental and economic aspects but also the social and cultural, as well as relating to values such as human rights and broadly understood equality (Stylianou- Lambert et al. 2014). We would like to examine what kind of issues and considerations should be taken into account while developing a holistic approach to game preservation that also supports a culture of sustainability focused on broadly understood game heritage. What kind of unique challenges do game cultures and ludic artefacts present in this context? In our paper, we will look at a national case study of Finland where innovative and progressive approaches are currently being developed.