Knowra Video game preservation Video game preservation Video game preservation keeps games playable and documents their history, design, and cultural context. It addresses software, hardware, documentation, and the conditions needed to experience games over time.
Software emulation : Software emulation reproduces one computer system’s behavior on another, allowing software designed for the original system to run. Emulators can make games playable after their original hardware becomes scarce or fails.
Game preservation at the National Library of Sweden : The National Library of Sweden collects and catalogs Swedish-published video games as part of its national cultural heritage holdings. Its collection illustrates how a national library can preserve games through collecting and cataloging.
Original hardware : Original hardware is the physical computing equipment for which a game was designed or on which it first ran. Running games on original systems preserves platform behavior but depends on aging equipment.
Digital obsolescence : Digital obsolescence occurs when technology, formats, or services become unusable or inaccessible as systems change. Obsolete platforms and online services can strand games even when their data survives.
Digital preservation : Digital preservation maintains digital information and its accessibility over time through managed storage, documentation, and migration. Game preservation draws on its broader methods for keeping digital files usable.
Internet Archive Console Living Room : Console Living Room is an Internet Archive collection offering browser-based access to emulated console games. It demonstrates public access through web emulation, while raising questions about rights and authenticity.
Game remaster : A game remaster is an updated release that improves or adapts an existing game for newer hardware or displays. Remasters can extend availability, but changes may replace aspects of the historical version.
Lost media : Lost media is creative or informational material that is missing, inaccessible, or known only through incomplete evidence. Unpreserved games can become lost media when no playable copy or reliable record remains.
Bit rot : Bit rot is the gradual loss or corruption of digital data caused by storage degradation or other errors. Corrupted game files can become unusable even when copies appear to survive.
The Strong National Museum of Play : The Strong is a museum in Rochester, New York, devoted to the history and exploration of play. Its collections and exhibitions place video games within the broader history of play.
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