Description
"This project is an evaluation of third-party software tools for archiving Discord, the VoIP instant messaging and digital distribution platform. Discord has become one of the most widely used communication services and community platforms for both video game developers and gaming communities. The ability to preserve accurate records of Discord servers is crucial for understanding the development, social, and cultural history of many contemporary video games. Due to the platform’s unique properties and invite-only access system, Discord cannot be indexed by conventional search engines, archival tools, or web crawlers. In response, several independent software developers have created tools for the purpose of saving content and metadata from Discord servers. I tested three of these tools to 1.) evaluate their appropriateness for use in a web-archiving workflow, and 2.) clarify the technical challenges an Archive will face when ingesting, storing, and providing access to archived versions of Discord servers. My poster compares the basic functions, technical properties, use or installation restrictions, and advanced functionalities of each tool. This analysis revealed three technical challenges not fully addressed by any of the evaluated tools: linked media files and attachments within servers, the lack of access to user activity data, and the dynamic nature of Discord itself. By evaluating the functions and limitations of existing Discord archiving software, this poster lays the groundwork for further research into the curatorial, legal, and ethical challenges related to the preservation and future interpretation of archived versions of Discord servers.""
See the spreadsheet referenced in the poster: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wh1pXHCGF4d9uHGXqfIIr8rpO-yPhUIifKJqdU9kFuU/edit?usp=sharing "