Accidental Archivists: YouTube Gameplay Content and Game Preservation

This paper examines whether YouTube and Twitch gameplay content, particularly walkthroughs and "let's play" videos, can support game preservation efforts. Its central argument is that existing preservation work has focused largely on published console games and emulation, neglecting the broader player experience, including strategizing, social play, and fan culture, that unfolds outside the game world. Because cultural heritage institutions lack the resources to preserve every game and gameplay session, the authors propose that player-generated content already being produced and hosted online can help fill these gaps.

The study's main empirical contribution is a preliminary taxonomy of gameplay content. Researchers selected 31 English-language YouTube channels across five game categories, including mobile, sandbox, multiplayer online battle arena, triple-A console, and multiplatform titles, using criteria of subscriber size, channel longevity of at least two years with recent activity, and focus on games with prolonged lifespans. Ten videos were randomly sampled from each channel, yielding 310 videos coded in pairs through consensus coding. The resulting taxonomy comprises 20 categories of content. Beyond conventional gameplay and walkthroughs, these include collaborative play with viewers and developers, critical reviews of builds and strategies, community documentation of bugs and reception, offline gaming culture such as conventions, game theorization, fan re-creations such as cosplay, and comparative discussion of intertextuality among titles.

The authors conclude that content creators function as "accidental archivists," often producing the most comprehensive records of a game's history and context. They characterize these creators as fans, expert players, and holders of intimate community knowledge that is valuable for long-term preservation. The study is explicitly preliminary, based on a single coding team and a limited sample, and the authors note plans to expand the analysis to additional channels. Its broader aim is to encourage a more symbiotic relationship between institutions, fans, and fan-creators in preserving games.