The UK government addresses gaming digital obsolescence through a multi-faceted approach focusing on preservation, accessibility, and research.
Legislative & Policy Framework
Expanding Legal Deposit: The Non-Print Legal Deposit Regulations 2013 mandate publishers, including game developers/distributors based in the UK, to deposit digitally published works, such as video games and associated software/e-manuals, with designated institutions like the British Library, National Library of Scotland, and others. This ensures copies are archived, irrespective of future commercial availability.
Supporting Archival Institutions: Funding and strategic support are provided to national libraries and archives to develop the infrastructure, expertise, and processes required to preserve complex digital objects like games.
Practical Technical Measures
- Emulation Development: Institutions like The National Archives develop and refine emulation technologies, enabling obsolete software and games to run on modern hardware within controlled archival environments.
- File Format Preservation: Significant efforts focus on archiving software source code (where possible and legally permissible), dependencies, and preserving original file formats alongside migration to sustainable, open standards like TIFF/JPEG2000 for assets.
- Metadata & Documentation: Rigorous capture of technical metadata (hardware/OS requirements, file structures) and contextual documentation (design docs, manuals) is crucial for future understanding and access.
Collaboration & Research
- Industry Engagement: Facilitating dialogue between cultural institutions and rights holders (developers, publishers) through bodies like UKIE (UK Interactive Entertainment) to navigate legal, technical, and copyright challenges surrounding preservation.
- Academic Partnerships: Supporting research collaborations, such as those focused on emulation fidelity, metadata standards, and long-term digital preservation strategies tailored to interactive media.
- GDPR Compliance Framework: Ensuring preservation activities respect user privacy through strict adherence to data protection regulations.
Core Challenges Addressed
- Legal Deposit Scope: Primarily captures published UK output; preservation of global titles, physical-only releases, or complex online services requires supplemental approaches.
- Copyright Complexity: Licensing, DRM, and third-party assets remain significant hurdles for broad public access initiatives.
- Technical Resource Intensity: Preservation requires ongoing investment in specialized skills and infrastructure.
The strategy emphasizes long-term archiving through Legal Deposit combined with active research into overcoming technical and legal barriers to future accessibility.
