Preserving Digital Play: Strategies and Challenges in Game Preservation

Recently, Dr Jennifer Cromwell, the Manchester Game Centre co-lead, was invited to speak at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence Conference organised by Ross Fifield & Florence Smith Nicholls.

iGGi is a collaboration between the University of York and the University of London, and is training the next generation of researchers, designers, developers and entrepreneurs in digital games. iGGi PG Researchers' work helps to increase the use of games as a tool for scientific research and societal good, as well as for entertainment.

The conference panel addressed the multifaceted challenges of preserving video games. As the games industry evolves rapidly, the importance of preserving not only hardware and software but also play experiences becomes increasingly critical. This panel explored the roles of various stakeholders, including academia, industry, and archival institutions, in ensuring the longevity of digital games. Key topics included the potential for new archival releases by industry players, standardisation of codebases for future emulation, and the feasibility of creating a reference library akin to the Bodleian Library for games. The panel aims to generate actionable insights and encourage collaborative efforts in game preservation.

Panellists included Dr Guy Schofield, University of York; Dr Colleen Morgan, University of York; Professor James Newman, Bath Spa University, as well as Dr Jennifer Cromwell, Manchester Metropolitan University, who spoke about the Manchester Game Archive.