From Cultural Sustainability to Culture of Sustainability: Preservation of Games in the Context of Digital Materiality


Garda Maria B. Nylund Niklas Sivula Anna Suominen Jaakko
2020 DiGRA ’20 – Proceedings of the 2020 DiGRA International Conference: Play Everywhere

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.

 

Nostalgia in Retro Game Design


Garda Maria B.
2014 DiGRA '13 - Proceedings of the 2013 DiGRA International Conference: DeFragging Game Studies

I distinguish between two kinds of nostalgia in retro game design – restorative and reflective. The former manifests itself in ‘total restoration of monuments of the past’, while the latter ‘lingers in the dreams of another place and another time’. Restorative nostalgia is visible in the retrogaming practices, such as creation of emulators, appreciation of classic titles and remaking them for new platforms. Reflective nostalgia is more detached from the past and sees history of the medium as a set of styles, it serves creativity and artistic erudition. In the article I elaborate on the nostalgic gestures of independent game designers in games such as Hotline Miami, Fez, FTL: Faster than light and McPixel. I argue that retro games are an exceedingly heterogeneous group with different authors having different objectives and motivations.