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A gift to another age: Evaluating virtual machines for the preservation of video games at MoMA
Journal of Digital Media Management,
13
(1),
59-72
(2024)
Abstract
This paper investigates the use of virtual machines for the preservation of video games. The study uses Rand and Robyn Miller’s classic adventure game ‘Myst’ (1993) as a sample record to evaluate the performance of four different emulation options for the Mac OS 9 operating system — SheepShaver, QEMU, Apple’s ‘Classic Environment’ and Yale University Library’s emulation-as-a-service-infrastructure platform. Serving as the control for the experiment, Myst is first documented running natively on an original PowerMac G4 and iMac G3 at MoMA. The native performance is then compared with each emulation software. Finally, a fully configured virtual machine is packaged as a single file and tested in different contemporary computing environments. Due to both its performance and accessibility, SheepShaver is found to be the optimal choice for Mac OS 9 emulation for the purposes of accessing classic Macintosh computer games. The paper concludes with a call for further research into the issue of emulator obsolescence. More generally, this project clarifies the risks and challenges that arise when using virtual machines for the long-term preservation of computer and software-based art.
Keywords: emulation; video game preservation; virtual machines; case study; preservation project
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Kirk Mudle is the Program Manager for the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network — a joint initiative between the Pratt Institute and New York University. He is also Archive Manager for the New York African Film Festival. Kirk holds a master’s degree in moving image archiving and preservation from New York University. He has also studied East Asian film history, book-to-film adaptations and documentary film at San Francisco State University. His current research focuses on software preservation, intellectual property law and the preservation and exhibition of video games in libraries, archives and museums. Kirk has previously interned with MoMA’s David Booth Conservation Department, where he worked alongside the Media Conservation team to conduct a holistic review of the museum’s video game collection.
