Phil SalvadorWe just dropped a big new study that proves that almost 9 out of 10 classic games are out of print, and it's not gonna get better.
Libraries/archives need more exemptions to close the game preservation gap! https://gamehistory.org/87percent/
moralrecordings@shadsy Geez such a cynical study! I mean right now if I wanted a copy of uhhh... [spools through massive crossed-out list] Super Mario Bros 3 from 1988? I could simply buy a Switch and pay Nintendo $5.95/month and it's mine until they get bored! How is that not a perfect system?
@shadsy (for real though, this study is incredible and you should be proud)
@moralrecordings Thank you! It's been dispiriting to see the number of people who say "whatever I'll just pirate games" but great to see the growing numbers of people who do get what's at stake here
@shadsy I hope studies like this are a turning point for exemptions! Really feels like the ESA have been free to coast along with "nah there's a thriving market for older titles! See these 357 games on Wii Virtual Console? Preserved forever!" and the copyright office just taking their word for it
@moralrecordings Exactly. Our goal was to move this conversation out of anecdote and into the realm of statistics, and those statistics are not flattering
@shadsy I love the "comparable to the survival rate of silent-era films" statistic, if only because it's a reference that might resonate a bit with octogenarian decisionmakers