Abandonwarez: the pros outweigh the cons
First posted on 24 July 2000. Last updated on 15 September 2006.
When a person creates something, whether that creation is a building, a novel, a poem, a song, or a film, that person is doing so for 2 reasons. First, that person is satisfying a personal desire to create. It is not possible to point out exactly what it is that drives creation, but if you ask someone who creates the answer you probably receive is that it is somewhat like an itch that demands to…
Enter Your Comments
Previous Comments
-
By vh1967 • On 06 January 2008 • From London, UK -
By Heatblizzard • On 03 January 2008 • From Somewhere - By Heatblizzard • On 03 January 2008 • From Somewhere
-
By Adam Gerencser • On 11 March 2007 • From Hungary - By Rich • On 04 March 2007 • From Boston, USA
- By Mike • On 17 February 2007 • From Detroit, USA
-
By Tim Hildyard • On 12 February 2007 • From Christchurch, New Zealand -
By Just Another Net user • On 30 January 2007 • From SuburbNSW, Australia - By Denny Pomfer • On 03 January 2007 • From LA, CA
- By jack sore • On 31 August 2006 • From Somewhere
I recently purchased a revised version of the space quest series. It said on the back it was able to run on XP. It did not work on my XP system. I think the problem with old games is that there is no gold standard for the operating system that they are meant to run on, and that if game creators and operating system creators had dialog or at least an agreement to keep some parts of the operating system static (like DOS or like an emulator does) then perhaps games could be sold for longer as they would not go out of date. If I am prepared to spend ages trying to get an old game to play on my new system even if the graphics and sound aint all that then I am sure plenty of other would not mind playing a less glossy game on their modern operating system too. Maybe then they would be sold on the shelves for longer (or for digital download, for money?)
I belive strongly and am going to die for it that digital media in general should be preserved by law.
After a few years of production 2-4yrs frame plus however the company wishes to do it or the governemt will put it in a public archive of somesort. Then the new stuff will still be getting money while the old stuff won’t be forgotten and played buy a different group.
I am going to double post into two parts since I have bad grammer after a couple sentences due to mechanaial problem with my hands. You stole the words right out of my mouth Solitary. If these old games aren’t preserve they are going to wind up on the dusty old shelve like in Toy story 2 where Andy said “I don’t want to play with out anymore” and in the garbage he goes. If you haven’t seen the story I am not going to spoil it just rent/buy it.
Adventure games constitute a special genre within what we now refer to as abandonwares. As opposed to effects/appearance-driven action games, which are indeed dated by today’s standards and will probably not appeal to the younger generations; adventure games such as Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars, or Gabriel Knight I, are the PC-equivalent of a literary work. A novel, a story with the player in the lead role: a game, but nonetheless an experience comparable to reading a book. There is nothing that could be added to the sound or visuals of these games - they are timeless (my little brother Aron played Broken Sword I a year ago and was as enchanted by the atmosphere as I was a decade earlier). Add 3D graphics and what you get is indeed a diminishment (as was the case with the above mentioned Broken Sword series).
Another fond memory of my childhood was SSI’s Panzer General. No need to add anything to it, until this day it stands its ground as a game that’s hugely absorbing, easy to learn and easy to share - it can be played by two on the same PC, a feature I sorely miss from today’s commodified ‘virtual entertainment’.
Abandonware collecitons on the internet recently awoke my inner child again and occasionally, in our free moments, we like to rediscover old games with my partner, that she and I used to play when we were kids - indeed, the same games, though she grew up in Borneo, and I in Hungary, thousands of miles apart…
The way I look at it is like this:
I have a clear conscience about downloading ‘abandonware’ titles, but only if it is a game that I have paid for in the past. For example, between the time I was 9 years old and 15 years old, I physically purchased, at full price, practically all of the Sierra adventure library.
So just because I’ve had to get new machines that don’t offer the medium (ie, 5.25 disks, 3.5 disks) of the originals it means that I have to pay the same price again for the same game I bought 15 years ago?
On the flip side of the coin, if you haven’t in some form purchased the titles for yourself at some point, whether it be by the orignal releases or the cd-bundle packages, then yes, I believe it is stealing. You can’t really make this argument very well on behalf of Sierra because they have done a pretty good job of keeping their older titles on the market, but alot of other companies probably don’t even have the original source code to their older games anymore and I’m sure as hell willing to be they don’t have any distribution deals for them either. Yet they still want to say that you can’t trade that software over the internet? That’s wrong.
These companies need to s**t or get off the pot and by that I mean either re-release the games to the modern market or just give them away as freeware.
Companies should set up sites loaded with advertisements where you can download their classic games for free. They’ll be making plenty off the ads, people will be playing their games and learning their history, and the gamers can have their fun with a clean conscience.
Some people consider it stealing, I see it as something to remember the “roots” of video games. From Pong and SMB to Halo and Gears of War, all these games have their roots to the past.
About downloading emulators, personally, its a good idea considering all the Nes and Snes have stop being produced to american and international consumers. It is called fair use laws. In short, as long as its not used for profit, its okay. Duh, I don’t advocate using stolen copyrighted work, but this is downloading an emulator and the roms, therefore it is okay under the fair use rule. the thing is, you can’t abuse the laws otherwise the FBI and others will bust you for theft, plagarism and others. This is I think the only legal way to remember the “roots” of video gaming is by using the emulators that people offer on the Internet. Plus you save time and money.
I’m not that old, honestly. At 25 I consider myself still very much a child, at least in terms of what the world throws at me. How is it then, that with only a few sparse years of experience under my belt, some of the most amazing, compelling, inspiring and mesmerising achievements of the electronic age have had their glorious moments in the sun, then been cast to an eternal condemnation?
Yes, I would actively defend my stance promoting the distribution of games that no longer see the sales register. I, and many people I know, still cling to the experiences older games allowed us to grow up with. For me, it was games like Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, or Monkey Island, games with the heart and soul that made them so fantastically endearing to play. They took themselves so seriously, sweeping my imagination with them. If the companies behind these games cherished them as much as I do, we’d never see these titles cast from view.
Yes, it is a crime to distribute a copyrighted production, and I fully understand the ramifications my actions take. It makes me a criminal to copy and maintain these games without having purchased them. But I believe it to be of a far greater crime to allow these works, which are so key to how many of us grew up and were inspired by, to vanish into oblivion simply because a tight-fisted profiteer has lost interest distributing a treasure-trove of gaming history. Bach, Beethoven, Van Gogh, Shakespeare, Tolkein; All were men who produced something that, to this day, means a fantastic amount to the modern person. All stay well-maintained, even after hundreds of years, promoted, celebrated and prosperous, moreso than they were in the times they were created.
These games were created by dedicated teams of people, and the quality and value of their work should be equally captured in time. Shakespeare’s scripts did not vanish into obscurity when his newest play was written and performed, nor was Van Gogh’s Sunflowers when newer artists produced astounding work. They remain as cornerstones of their art, a reminder that the classics are quite often, the greatest we have seen. Video games should be no different. We love them like old friends, and to play them again after years of wondering what happened to them is a joy that words fail to properly express.
A copyright says “No excuses, you’re a criminal.” But place a razor-wire fence between myself and all my dear old friends, you’d better believe I’d end up cut and happy every time.
Here’s to the continuation of our older games. If they die, more is lost than code.
Space Quest.... Damn, that brings me back, and yeah I agree with your argument, but because of those big corporations, their legal rights which most of them persue diligantly and their technology which may be a lot superior to the specs that are released, you’d have to be bloody crazy to host or store them gems.
I mean, good luck with the slammer, bay-be....
Such tripe! Not of earth-shattering significance, like say, Donald Duck, or even Porky Pig.
I think its about time to approach the library of congress with an appeal to the preservation of games. we have now come to a point in history where game experiences are as memorable and inspiring as some classic novels. myst?
final fantasy tactics? silent hill is as thought provoking for me as lovecraft. ultima. how many are there in a glimpse yet even a collection of avid preservationists will lose against market forces and they’re stubborn hold on ideas being a value some day, therefore something to defend till the idea itself is dead.. how many companies defending the right to their games have the original code any ways? the visual code base for babylon 5 was lost and only recovered because some gamers thought to recreat that universe. the only non-threatening way for us to preserve these games will to bring the library of congress into play. they now understand the value of saving the voice recording of aluets made on early wax rolls, why not help to restore the history of gaming witch will promise to be the next venue for a literary revolution,preserve the dreams and roles of a generation.
Join Our Team!
We need your help! We are now seeking talented gamers to join our team as volunteers to be editors or contributors. No prior experience is required. If you like to write about adventure gaming for this site and see your work read by your fellow adventure game fans worldwide, read our authors' instructions and contact us for further information.
Last Comments
- For Maniac Mansion
- For Dead Reefs
- For Overclocked
If you google maniac mansion, you can find a remade version by Lucasfan. Same goes for King’s quest…
This is not a point-and-click game. This is a keyboard control game and it sucks. This game could…
Arr - There are no dead-ends and you cannot die in this game. This is a beautiful game. You can buy…