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For the last class, we discussed how digital history influences how historians view space and connections. First of all, as I was going through a crazy move with my parents, space was definitely on my mind. Now that things have settled down a little, I’ve been able to think a little bit more clearly about what I want to say about space and digital history.

During the class, I proposed how it would be interesting for my research (for those of you stumbling upon this for whatever reason, that research is on video game history and masculinity.) I think the most intriguing connection that I came up with was how one game (Space War) was able to travel from MIT across the country through different computer science programs in the 1960s to influence future gaming developers, with the ultimate influences being Nolan Bushnell‘s first arcade attempt, Computer Space, and Space War gaming competitions.

Communication in the 1960s obviously was different, but due to the possibilities of digital history, it would be possible and exciting to specially map the travels of the game, as well as the different communication networks that it enabled between developers. 

Although the movement of the original game could be done through traditional mapping illustrations, I believe that the different environments, as well as the enhancements, networks, and communication would be much more useful in some type of digital environment that could show what was able to come from these connections beyond the obvious.

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This week, our readings focused on what digital history can add to the field. These elements including visualizations (which is a complicated concept, as we learned) and even extending history beyond the concept of finding your untouched archive and examining a limited amount of time and space. Digital history, from what I have seen this week and throughout my budding career, expands opportunities for historians and the field of history.

But one other aspect from this class is that these expansions from digital history can be problematic, or rather very, very complicated. Staley’s Computers, Visualization, and History was one of the works that I struggled with, as the idea of a visualization is still sort of unclear after all is said and done. Our discussions on virtual reality, augmented reality, and even illustrations makes it difficult to picture what this could look like. I feel that next week’s works on space may help put this into perspective.

Another aspect that I found very interesting this week was the importance of the visual to our culture. We discussed in class how images, movies, and anything visual has more impact in our culture today, and this is important to consider when we’re working on history in the future. How does/can the visual culture influence how we work? Is this important to consider with the visualizations and whatever else might appear in our works? I do not yet have the answer, but I am tentatively saying yes. I feel that visualizations could add a certain something element to my work, especially considering the visual nature of my research on video games.

If there is one thing that I am getting from this class, it is most certainly the fact that it is making me think and wrap my head around what all of this means. Since we are reading so many books about the opportunities of digital history and what can be done with it, it is very interesting to think about what can be done, what will be done, and how to do them. 

 

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This week, many of our readings dealt with the concept of narrative and digital humanities. There seems to be, and as we know from many digital history projects, a disconnect between a historic narrative and tying this into a digital work.

Considering the type of project that I’m considering–a full or partially digital dissertation–I, too, just consider the implications of how to incorporate a narrative into digital work.

I feel that my future dissertation lends itself well to becoming something digital, as it is already a very visual-based topic. Many of the works we read this week examined what we can learn from video games, which led to many looks at me about my thoughts. Since video games are a massive (as in my topic and sources!) part of my topic, I feel it would be important to take lessons from video games in how to promote a historical narrative within a digital work. However, I have no idea how that would eventually look.

Honestly, I cannot tell you how I can fit these pieces together. I think about it a lot, and especially since I began working on this digital history minor field. We see that the history of the field is relatively short, but still 20+ years, so it makes it more difficult that there are not as many digital dissertations developed.

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I have not forgotten my blog post this week. I am still gathering my thoughts about my project and where it would fit into the digital world and why. Blog post forthcoming!

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