Understanding the “expanded notion” of videogames as archival objects: A review of priorities, methods, and conceptions

Abstract

This paper aims to show how videogames are construed as archival objects in the videogame‐preservation literature by investigating drivers and motivations, selection of material, and methods of preservation. The review focuses on the expanded notion of videogames (“the EN”), a concept this paper introduces to collectively refer to the cultural and social aspects of videogames—for example, game culture, experiences, play, and community life and activity. The study's research aims are pursued on the basis of a critical systematic literature review of 42 publications originating from academic research and videogame‐archiving projects. The study's main finding is that the archiving literature construes the EN of videogames in three principal ways: i) as an essential part of the videogame as an archival object; ii) as a useful resource in archiving videogames, able to provide documentation of game culture and social context; and iii) as a useful resource in inquiries focused on the current state and recent history of society and culture from a sociotechnical viewpoint. The study suggests videogame community dynamics, videogame ontology, the development of archival theory, and videogame‐archive studies as rewarding directions for further research.