Study finds 87% of classic video games are ‘critically endangered’
The Video Game History Foundation has released a report they conducted with the Software Preservation Network that demonstrates that 87% of games are currently out of production and unavailable in the current market. They’ve termed any game not currently available as “Critically Endangered.” Be sure to check out the study’s methodology at this link.
This initially struck me as odd, as my game closet is currently crammed with thousands of games from all periods of history. However, I am not a normal person. Many people do not have the desire, ability, or access to build a collection like mine. Most normal people only have access to what’s available in stores and digital marketplaces. As this report shows, that’s only 13% of gaming’s overall history. Sucks to be normal, I guess.
This is becoming more and more concerning. Imagine if The Beatles’ Abbey Road never got a second run. That after cassettes supplanted vinyl records, you just couldn’t buy Abbey Road anymore. Or alternatively, imagine that Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho never released outside of theatres. This is a problem that is exclusive to the video game market. There are similar problems with other media, but nowhere near on this level.
Right now, straight-up piracy is the only way for some people to play my beloved Gun*Nac or Rule of Rose. Publishers and developers understandably don’t want people going this way, but for many, that’s the only option. Asking people to just not explore a fascinating part of their hobby is just completely disrespectful, but that’s exactly what publishers are doing.
A large part of this problem is the fact that these games are built on disparate hardware and require a lot of work to get them running on new platforms. There was
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