The Problem of "Additional Content" in Video Games

Abstract

Additional content for video games such as mods (modifications) or DLC (downloadable content) are increasingly prevalent in the current video game market. For cultural heritage institutions with video game collections, such content introduces various philosophical and practical challenges on multiple aspects including acquisition, description, access/use, and preservation. In this paper, we discuss these challenges and propose a solution that can alleviate the problem of managing a digital library collection including video games with additional content. While our discussion and proposed solution focus on video games, they also have broader implications for cultural heritage institutions that manage other types of digital and multimedia objects with additional content as well as serial publications.