Immersion in Game Atmospheres for the Video Game Heritage Preservation

This paper proposes a method for preserving the atmospheres in which video games are played, arguing that while virtual museums and emulators now preserve game software, copies, screenshots, and commentary, the physical environment of play, its lighting, furniture, sounds, and social context, remains largely unarchived despite being among players' strongest memories. The author positions video games as a substantial cultural form, noting that the industry has surpassed cinema economically and has existed for more than thirty years, while physical game exhibitions remain rare because hardware and software are fragile and scarce.

The proposed method has three stages. It begins with an investigation in which players on discussion forums narrate their experiences before, during, and after play, guided by prompts about place and sensory perception, with forum participants able to build on one another's accounts. A synthesis step then groups recurring typical elements, such as lights, sounds, furniture, and people, into representative atmospheres, supplemented where necessary by other sources such as films. Each atmosphere is documented with a date and description of the setting, a list of elements, a layout picture, a description of permitted interactions, and the games associated with it. Implementation uses 3D Studio Max for object modeling and Virtools for assembly, lighting, and behavior scripting, with freely available assets reused where possible.

The paper presents four atmospheres: a 1995 bedroom with a Super Nintendo, a 1989 small game room with arcade cabinets, a 1982 living room with an Atari 2600, and a 1983 large game room. Across them, users can manipulate objects, such as inserting cartridges or pressing arcade buttons, and retrieve information about the games on screen. The environments can be accessed through a Web player plug-in or, for greater immersion, through a virtual reality system, and they can be linked to museum maps so that navigating an atmosphere leads users to games they might not otherwise have sought. The author identifies publishing on an existing heritage website and enabling multi-user sessions with shared interactions as the next steps.