Port or conversion? An ontological framework for classifying game versions

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Grabarczyk Paweł Aarseth Espen
2019 DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix

The notion of a “game port” appears in both: the popular discourse surrounding video games as well as the academic discourse. As pointed out in the literature, it is notoriously vague and often overlaps with other similar concepts, such as “conversion”. We show that the main reason for the murkiness of the notion of a “game port” is its close connection to the marketing narrative which changed during history. We argue, that despite the problematic nature of the concept of a “game port” it is indispensable in context such as game analysis and game preservation. For this reason, we propose a formal classification of different game versions suitable for future use in these selected contexts.

 

The Human Machine Art Interface: Arcade Port Aesthetics and Production Practices

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Nolan Kieran
2018 DiGRA '18 - Proceedings of the 2018 DiGRA International Conference: The Game is the Message

This research focuses on the aesthetic properties and production processes of arcade to home computer game ports during the 1980s and 1990s, in particular arcade titles originating in Japan that were licensed by UK based software houses for the 8-bit and 16-bit microcomputer market. The conversion teams worked within the unique constraints of 6 main platforms, namely the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad / Schneider CPC, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, and MS-DOS PC. In all the examples discussed, the original arcade cabinet was used as the core audiovisual and gameplay reference. As a human mediated process, the conversion of the digital material of arcade game to home computers not only bore the audiovisual constraints of the target platforms, but also the creative signatures of the conversion teams. The most successful home ports succeeded in capturing the essence of the arcade originals, while positively augmenting the gameplay, narrative, and overall aesthetic.