As well as the preservation of old gaming technologies in archives such as the Computer Game Museum in Berlin and online archives such as vgmuseum.com and the previously mentioned Snesmusic.org archive there is also a community of modders and hackers. Instead of preserving these technologies the modders and hackers distort, enhance, tweak and make old technologies unique.



The term used to describe this practice is 'circuit bending' and usually takes the form of physically hacking a device. Electronic devices such as keyboards, Speak and Spell like devices, games consoles and drum machines/synthesisers are modified using an array of dials and switches that are integrated directly into the circuitry of the device. It seems that the practice involves experimental, random and a series 'known' modding processes which result in interesting and unique 'versions' of the original technology. It appears that the main focus is on the hacking of audio devices but there is also a visual circuit bending community.



As a child I would take my electronic toys apart using a screwdriver set from a Christmas cracker that I kept hidden in a drawer in my bedroom to see what was inside, to play with what was inside the plastic casing. Certain forms of circuit bending seem to be closely associated with childhood through the use of children's toys, a child-like inquisitive nature and the simple logic and experimental processes that are used. There are of course highly skilled and technically proficient circuit benders that have a detailed knowledge of the insides of the machine and how to tap straight into it. But the experimental aspect of circuit seems to be key - there is a desire to play with these technologies, make individual creations, sounds and video outputs that are absolutely unique to that bent device. These are not conventional or 'official' ways of interacting with a device, they are playful, hit or miss, unsystematic, arbitrary, completely random - taking a piece of technology, fixing it to another piece of technology and seeing what happens - mixing and matching components in order to create new sound or visuals.



There certainly seems to be an element of understanding technology at a more human and physical level associated with circuit bending. Instead of needing to know the exact science behind a piece of technology a journey of experimentation takes place during which the circuit bender learns something about the insides of a audio or audiovisual device. I am not quite sure where nostalgia fits into circuit bending culture, there are often some iconic games consoles and toys used for bending along with old toy or miniature keyboards. There certainly seems to be nostalgia bound up in the process but there is a disruption and direct modification/manipulation of the device itself instead of using it as an object with which to trigger and explore memories of interaction and play. Circuit bending has both a disruptive and dynamic effect on the reception of old technologies. There are usually elements of the 'old' technology still present in the final circuit bent form - the case, often the characteristic of the sound or visual, the physical interface. These elements often remain as without them the circuit bent device moves on to being something else, the device must (usually) be recognisable either visually, through audio or via a direct reference such as a label. But whilst we can be nostalgic about the original technology (through the clues/references previously mentioned) we are also shown a unique and new edge to the device, a series of modifications allow the device to transcend its original purpose and take on new meaning. The device has been hacked, it has been opened up, the seal has been broken, it has been manipulated and messed with - it has been reconfigured through a process of creative experimentation.