Preserving Play: Why We Must Save Gaming's Past
It’s a little daunting to think about just how far gaming has come along. What was originally a hobby for “nerds” has slowly expanded into a pastime that anyone can enjoy. Audiences all over the globe love all sorts of games, from creepy, spooky horror games to more engaging, immersive stories in RPGs and adventure games!
But even as gaming evolves, it risks lesser-known titles slowly becoming inaccessible and forgotten to the general public. Thousands of games have slowly been lost to time and are either impossible to buy on modern storefronts or even impossible to play on modern hardware!
As gamers, we should take the time to preserve our gaming history and ensure that no future games are forgotten!
Game Preservation - Why It’s Needed
For starters, game preservation isn’t just about being able to play old titles. It’s also about being able to appreciate just how far gaming has come! Games like Doom Eternal have followed in the footsteps of their predecessors. Having access to older games lets us appreciate just how far games have come!
Classic Doom vs Doom Eternal | Courtesy of Id Software
Not only does it let us actually play these games, but it also lets us appreciate things we’d normally have taken for granted. Important quality-of-life features, new graphical options, and even new game modes are all things we can cherish more because we know just how far along we’ve come.
Total War Medieval 2 vs Total War Warhammer | Courtesy of Creative Assembly
Not to mention, we should be thankful for the ability to play these classics. Old gems like Battle Realms and Empire Earth would’ve gone the way of Battle For Middle Earth had they not been taken care of, and many other titles like Marathon and Myth: The Fallen Lords survive only because of their fans’ devotion.
Game Preservation - The Grim Reality
That is something we need to always remember when we play our games. As time moves on, games get harder and harder to play. Part of it is because hardware eventually becomes obsolete! Can’t expect games to keep running on systems forever, and with games receiving less and less updates as time goes on, it’s no surprise that some older games simply don’t run anymore
The more insidious issue, though, is how developers and publishers eventually abandon support. Games like The Crew or American McGee’s Alice are impossible to play because of the game’s publisher. No longer sold on storefronts, these games are functionally impossible to play, and are a grim reminder that not every lost game is lost to time; some are lost just because their rights owners don’t want them to exist anymore.
The Crew’s Delisted Steam Page
If we want our games to stay preserved and playable, we need to hold publishers responsible when they remove them from stores. We must fight to keep our games alive, or they’ll eventually be lost and forgotten.
This goes double for physical media as well! CDs and consoles have limited life spans. Even if we do our best to take care of them, there’s only so much time left before they degrade and become unusable.
Protect Our Games - Support Video Game Preservation!
To protect our games, we need to do our part to ensure the world does not forget! Movements like Ross Scott’s Stop Killing Games are a great start! He has a video detailing his intentions, and anyone interested in video game preservation should lend a hand and do what they can.
Similarly, video game preservation sites like The National Video Game Museum act like museums would, keeping copies of games framed and preserved for their cultural impact. Sites like the Internet Archive also do their own part, hosting their own servers with digital copies of games available.
If you want to do your part, consider starting your collection and preserving your library of games! We’ve already published an article on how to manage your own retro game collection, and every little bit helps to preserve gaming history.
If you want to do more for gaming, consider helping the industry change! Be the change you want to see, and help keep gaming alive! Visit our LinkedIn, and do your own part in keeping gaming alive!
About the Author
Alexander Cuaycong is a writer with a passion for history and video game. When he's not busy buried in dusty books, he's out there trying to make his fantasy worlds come true. For him, gaming isn't a hobby so much as a calling, and it's one he's been doing his best to follow. Whether it's reviewing games, or writing about their history, he's on a mission to spread that love with others.
