Preserving Video Games as Cultural Heritage
Assembling Auras
In this paper the author Dany Guay-Bélanger attempts to redefine what makes up a game, showing that we need to understand them much more as fluid assemblages that hold auras of “the original”. The final question then being:
“what are game historians and preservationists aiming for, accuracy or authenticity?” (Guay-Bélanger, 2022, p. 671)
According to Dany Guay-Bélanger, notions of assemblage, intertextuality, paratextuality, and the concept of the aura can help for video game preservation emphasising authenticity (Guay-Bélanger, 2022). He argues against the possibilities to be accurat, and focusing on being authentic instead.
“In essence, being accurate refers to an attempt to reproduce the original as closely as possible, while being authentic suggests that the meaning of the original is put forward.” (Guay-Bélanger, 2022, p. 671)
“there needs to be an approach to video game preservation emphasising authenticity, meaning it acknowledges the presentness of a game and that some aspects of games cannot be saved unless compromises are made and scholars of video game preservation consider diverse materials and alternative tactics.” (Guay-Bélanger, 2022, p. 672)