Working with Amiga Floppy Disks in Historical Video Game Research

This text explores the challenges and considerations associated with researching digital-born media, particularly video games designed for the Amiga computing system. The author emphasizes the importance of experiencing games on both emulators and original hardware to capture a comprehensive understanding. The acquisition of an Amiga 500 set serves as a catalyst for the exploration, leading to the need for specialized hardware, such as the Greaseweazle, to read and write Amiga floppy disks on modern computers. The author details the process of obtaining the required components, highlighting the scarcity of certain technologies and the importance of preserving them for game preservation efforts. The text underscores the urgent need for efficient procedures to aid in the preservation of ageing video games and emphasizes the invaluable role of such technologies in the author's research project, facilitating data extraction from floppy disks and enhancing the overall research process.