A Plea for the Preservation of Early BASIC Game Programs

Abstract

Based on a consideration of the outlooks of the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT), Actor-Network Theory (ANT), as well as theories in the philosophy of technology, this critical essay is an argument for a greater recognition of the need to preserve significant early computer games written in BASIC and to provide improved public access to these programs. Although many of these programs have been preserved and presented to the public by hobbyists, there are significant gaps that have the potential to prevent recognition by future researchers of the pivotal role played by non-corporate actors in the early development of the video-game industry. Such informal efforts at curating these items so that they can be easily accessed are also limited by copyright laws.  Effectively addressing these issues requires increased support from museums and scholarly institutions.