Liquid Crystal Discourse

Advancing a History of Handheld Screen Mods

This article uses the recent release of an alternative backlighting solution for the Game Boy Advance to consider the social and aesthetic protocols that underpin the ongoing maintenance and repair of retro handhelds. Released in 2001, the Game Boy Advance remains a favorite among retrogaming enthusiasts for its appealing form factor, beloved software library, and backward compatibility with earlier devices in the Game Boy line; however, its lack of a backlit screen has been a major detraction since launch. For over two decades, hobbyists have been altering the handheld’s hardware to improve the display and guarantee its continued relevance at a time where backlights have become staples of screened technology. While the maintenance and repair of residual media gestures toward questions of sustainability and ostensibly resists the corporate logics of planned obsolescence, this paper argues that hobbyists ultimately participate in a smaller-scale version of the commodified gaming industry. Through the development and circulation of maintenance and repair protocols, hobbyists accrue status as knowledgeable experts within online modding communities, gaining both cultural and economic capital. Drawing from primary research conducted at a North American modding company, this article argues that techniques of maintenance and repair highlight the power dynamics that inform the active and often unintended use of technologies within hobbyist communities.