The Blessings of Vintage: Exploring Technological Change made by Users of Discontinued Home Video Games Hardware

The paper analyses the relation between use and technological change, emphasising three points that are not usually mentioned in the literature: the need to study technologies and products beyond the typical Product Life Cycle model, the need to study the role of users as agents of technological change, and the need to study technology “in use”, and not only new and upcoming technologies. Based on those premises, an empirical study of the home video games industry was conducted, combing qualitative and quantitative research activities through the “crystallisation” technique. The qualitative component was used to analyse online communities of users that perform technological changes to discontinued home video games hardware (modders) and their activities. The qualitative component comprised an online questionnaire to 20 users. Results confirm that “old” technologies continue to exist and to be improved long after they are discontinued, due to users’ technological changes. These technological changes are complex processes, done through incremental steps, on an individual learning by doing basis, within a context of information sharing, and support within the communities. Although relevant from a technical point of view, the outcomes do not feedback into the innovation processes of companies.