It's up to us to save Video Games

Summary

This video explores the challenges of video game preservation, emulation, and piracy in the context of outdated copyright laws in the United States. It highlights the difficulty in accessing old, out-of-print games legally and the limitations of current services like Nintendo Switch Online. The video discusses the role of the gaming community in preserving games through emulation and the efforts to reverse-engineer old titles, as well as the ongoing battle with game publishers and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) over digital access. Ultimately, the video advocates for more accessible, legal options for preserving video game history.

Takeaways

• 😀 Video games have been around for only about 40 years, which is relatively short compared to other forms of media like books, music, and movies.
• 🎮 Accessing out-of-print video games is complicated due to strict copyright laws in the United States, which hinder video game preservation.
• 📚 Libraries and online archives allow easy access to books, movies, and music, but video games are not treated the same, limiting access to older titles.
• 💸 To play classic games like 'International Superstar Soccer 64', users may have to pay high prices for physical copies or rely on emulation, which can be illegal.
• 🚫 Downloading ROMs for emulation is often considered piracy, even if the user owns a copy of the game, due to the illegal circumvention of security measures.
• 🛒 Subscription services like PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online provide limited access to older games, but these libraries are small and unreliable for long-term access.
• 🔒 Game preservation is being heavily hindered by major game publishers, who offer minimal support for preserving out-of-print games, leaving the community to step in.
• 💻 Archive.org, a major source for digital archives, has a DMCA exemption but faces challenges from game publishers like the ESA, who argue against broad emulation and ROM distribution.
• 🎮 The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which includes major game publishers, often opposes game preservation efforts like emulation and wants to control how older games are accessed.
• 🧑‍💻 The gaming community, not the industry, is doing the real work of game preservation, including emulation, decompilation, and the development of hardware preservation solutions like FPGA consoles.
• ⚙️ Decompilation projects, like those for Majora's Mask and Starfox 64, are helping preserve game source code, which is crucial for future emulation and historical research.
• 🌍 Community efforts like Pretendo and Insignia are maintaining online servers for older games, allowing continued multiplayer experiences even when official servers are shut down.

Q & A

Why are video games considered a relatively new medium compared to books, music, and movies?

Video games have only been around for about 40 years, which is significantly shorter than the history of books, music, and movies. This makes them a relatively new form of entertainment compared to other media.

What is the primary reason why video games cannot be accessed in the same way as books, music, and movies?

The primary reason is due to complex copyright laws in the United States that restrict access to out-of-print video games, preventing online libraries from offering them the way they can for books and movies.

What challenges do players face when trying to play old video games like 'International Superstar Soccer 64'?

Players face several challenges: they may have to buy physical copies at high reseller prices, find original hardware to play the game, or resort to illegal methods like downloading ROMs or using emulators, which can involve legal complications.

What is game dumping, and why is it difficult for the average person to do legally?

Game dumping is the process of transferring a game from its original format (like a cartridge) to a digital file (ROM). It is difficult for most people to do legally because it involves circumventing security measures, which is prohibited by law in many cases.

How do services like PlayStation Plus and Nintendo’s Virtual Console relate to video game preservation?

Services like PlayStation Plus and Nintendo’s Virtual Console attempt to preserve old games by offering them digitally to users. However, the selection of games on these services is limited, and many older titles are not available for legal download.

Why is the argument that players had plenty of time to make purchases before digital stores shut down flawed?

This argument is flawed because it assumes all players were invested in the ecosystem at the same time. Many people may have only discovered a love for a particular system or game after the digital store was shut down, leaving them without a legal way to access the game.

What role does Archive.org play in video game preservation, and what challenges does it face?

Archive.org is a vast online archive that includes out-of-print video games and other media. However, it faces challenges due to legal pressures, as game publishers and organizations like the ESA work to remove the DMCA exemption that allows Archive.org to offer such content.

Why do some game publishers and the ESA oppose efforts like emulation and ROMs for preserving video games?

The ESA and some game publishers oppose emulation and ROMs because they prefer to control access to games through their own ecosystems. They also see emulation and ROM use as a threat to their business models, especially when it comes to retro gaming.

What are some examples of companies that support the preservation of old video games?

Valve and GOG are examples of companies that support game preservation. Valve has called software piracy a 'services problem,' and GOG allows players to own games permanently without restrictions, offering them freedom to modify or enhance them.

What is the importance of emulators and FPGA hardware in preserving video games?

Emulators and FPGA hardware are crucial for preserving video games, as they allow old games to be played on modern systems, even after the original hardware is no longer available. They also enable the enhancement of games with improved visuals, frame rates, and new features.