Group Aims to Save 'Critically Endangered' Video Games
2023-07-13
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1A non-profit group that studies the history of video games estimates that about 87 percent of classic games have been lost over time.
2The estimate was recently published in a study by the Video Game History Foundation.
3The foundation aims to "preserve, celebrate and teach" the history of video games.
4It also leads public events to raise awareness about historical classic games.
5The study suggests most classic video games are currently completely unavailable to people who want to buy them.
6This makes such games "critically endangered," the organization said.
7Other areas of pop culture - such as films, books and music - faced similar problems.
8But it is still easy to find those products in stores or on the internet.
9For example, there are many online video services that show classic movies.
10And major music services like Apple Music, Google Play, Pandora and Spotify offer huge collections of old music favorites.
11It is much harder, however, to find places that sell classic video games.
12For the study, the Video Game History Foundation examined the availability of all video games released before 2010.
13That is around the time game makers began to sell their products digitally.
14Earlier than 2010, game makers usually sold physical copies of games.
15The non-profit group says it used a list of 1,500 video games provided by the online information website MobyGames.
16The research showed that just 13 percent of those games are currently available to buy in the marketplace.
17The foundation noted that the only classic games currently widely available are ones that have been re-released.
18This means fans of popular classic video games like Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man and Donkey Kong - which were popular in the 1980s - can still be purchased.
19But hundreds of others cannot.
20Researchers involved in the study identified the ways fans can currently get classic games.
21These include searching for and buying collectible games and old hardware, called consoles.
22People can also travel to libraries that might lend classic games.
23In addition, some classic games can be downloaded online, but this method might violate copyright laws.
24In a statement, the Video Game History Foundation states that "anyone should be able to easily explore, research and play classic video games" in the same way they can enjoy classic books, music and movies.
25Frank Cifaldi is the co-director of the foundation.
26He tweeted, "Nine out of ten classic video games are no longer available...and that number is unlikely to get any better. It's practically guaranteed that something you grew up with is gone, forever."
27The foundation is calling for organized efforts to preserve classic video game products.
28This includes a campaign to get libraries and historical organizations to expand their work to save video games, just as they have for old books, movies and music.
29Phil Salvador is the Library Director for the Video Game History Foundation.
30He said in a statement that since 2012, libraries, museums and historical organizations have sought new exemptions from the U.S. Copyright Office.
31These would ease current copyright restrictions for classic games and permit new preservation efforts.
32So far, the foundation said those efforts have been blocked by groups representing the video game industry.
33Industry officials have said companies have already established an active, growing market for classic video games.
34They point to the current availability of some popular classic games.
35Game makers argue that libraries might try to interfere with their own efforts if current copyright rules were changed.
36Such preservation efforts might hurt their businesses.
37The foundation admits there are currently more classic video games being released than ever before.
38But it says stronger preservation efforts are needed to protect more games.
39Kelsey Lewin is co-director of the Video Game History Foundation.
40He said the main goal of the study was to call attention to "how dire the state of game availability is."
41He said his group hopes to effect "changes to our copyright laws that will make video game preservation stronger, and able to take on the challenges of the future."
42I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A non-profit group that studies the history of video games estimates that about 87 percent of classic games have been lost over time. 2The estimate was recently published in a study by the Video Game History Foundation. The foundation aims to "preserve, celebrate and teach" the history of video games. It also leads public events to raise awareness about historical classic games. 3The study suggests most classic video games are currently completely unavailable to people who want to buy them. This makes such games "critically endangered," the organization said. 4Other areas of pop culture - such as films, books and music - faced similar problems. But it is still easy to find those products in stores or on the internet. For example, there are many online video services that show classic movies. And major music services like Apple Music, Google Play, Pandora and Spotify offer huge collections of old music favorites. 5It is much harder, however, to find places that sell classic video games. For the study, the Video Game History Foundation examined the availability of all video games released before 2010. That is around the time game makers began to sell their products digitally. Earlier than 2010, game makers usually sold physical copies of games. 6The non-profit group says it used a list of 1,500 video games provided by the online information website MobyGames. The research showed that just 13 percent of those games are currently available to buy in the marketplace. 7The foundation noted that the only classic games currently widely available are ones that have been re-released. This means fans of popular classic video games like Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man and Donkey Kong - which were popular in the 1980s - can still be purchased. But hundreds of others cannot. 8Researchers involved in the study identified the ways fans can currently get classic games. These include searching for and buying collectible games and old hardware, called consoles. People can also travel to libraries that might lend classic games. In addition, some classic games can be downloaded online, but this method might violate copyright laws. 9In a statement, the Video Game History Foundation states that "anyone should be able to easily explore, research and play classic video games" in the same way they can enjoy classic books, music and movies. 10Frank Cifaldi is the co-director of the foundation. He tweeted, "Nine out of ten classic video games are no longer available...and that number is unlikely to get any better. It's practically guaranteed that something you grew up with is gone, forever." 11The foundation is calling for organized efforts to preserve classic video game products. This includes a campaign to get libraries and historical organizations to expand their work to save video games, just as they have for old books, movies and music. 12Phil Salvador is the Library Director for the Video Game History Foundation. He said in a statement that since 2012, libraries, museums and historical organizations have sought new exemptions from the U.S. Copyright Office. These would ease current copyright restrictions for classic games and permit new preservation efforts. 13So far, the foundation said those efforts have been blocked by groups representing the video game industry. Industry officials have said companies have already established an active, growing market for classic video games. They point to the current availability of some popular classic games. 14Game makers argue that libraries might try to interfere with their own efforts if current copyright rules were changed. Such preservation efforts might hurt their businesses. 15The foundation admits there are currently more classic video games being released than ever before. But it says stronger preservation efforts are needed to protect more games. 16Kelsey Lewin is co-director of the Video Game History Foundation. He said the main goal of the study was to call attention to "how dire the state of game availability is." He said his group hopes to effect "changes to our copyright laws that will make video game preservation stronger, and able to take on the challenges of the future." 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on reports from the Video Game History Foundation. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21classic - adj. describes something that has been popular for a long time and is considered to be of high quality 22preserve - v. to keep something the same or prevent it from being damaged or destroyed 23digital - adj. relating to computer technology, especially the internet 24hardware -n. equipment for a particular purpose, especially computer equipment 25copyright - n. the legal right to control the use of an original piece of work such as a book, movie or song 26practical - adj. relating to real situations or actions instead of thoughts or ideas 27library - n. a room or building that contains a collection of books and other written material that people can read or borrow 28exemption - n. special permission not to have to do something 29dire - adj. very serious or bad 30challenge - n. something difficult that tests one's ability or determination 31____________________________________________________________________ 32What do you think of this story? 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