Did you know that classic video games could disappear forever?

Video games are already part of our lives.It's hard to find someone who has never played a console or app.
Video games have been with us for a few years now, One of the first to appear was Tennis for Two in 1958, then came the Odyssey Magnabox in 1966 And so began this whole story that is still being written.
Now, classic video games—those games that came on cartridges or consoles and were enjoyed ten, twenty, or more years ago—are increasingly difficult to keep in good condition, so they are in danger of disappearing.

According to a study conducted by the Video Game History Foundation, 871% of classic video games are in danger of extinction, and that percentage continues to grow. Only 131% of video games released before 2010 are still commercially available thanks to physical and online stores that use digital formats.. 
In the foundation's view, there should be places like libraries and archives where anyone can play these classics, just as one can read novels, watch movies, and listen to classical music. But laws and copyright laws prevent institutions like the Video Game History Foundation from collaborating in their preservation.

What did the study of classic video games cover?

The research analyzed more than 4,000 historical video games released in the United States before 2010. to find out if they've been reissued or are available through the rights holders. Therefore, they divided the sample into four groups, which we list below:

• One group was the historical games released in the United States before 2010.
• Another was the Commodore 64 Games, a platform that represents an abandoned ecosystem with very little commercial interest.
• Games for the Game Boy family (Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance), a platform with an abandoned ecosystem, but with some commercial interest.
• And finally, PS2 games, which have an active ecosystem and high marketing interest.

To do this, they decided to take a large dataset of historical video games and compare it with those currently available on the market. The data was extracted from MobyGames, a database containing video game releases..

The results of the study

In the foundation's research, which consists of a 51-page report, they came to the following conclusions:

• Only 131 TP3T of classic video games released in the United States are currently on the market. This value is very similar to that of pre-World War II audio recordings (101 TP3T or slightly less) or American silent films (around 141 TP3T), two media with a high risk of loss.
• In the case of the Commodore 64, only 4.51% of the games are available on the market. Furthermore, some are available through a single publisher, called Antstream Arcade.
• Of the PS2, with an impressive catalog, only one 12% has survived to this day.
• American copyright laws have many obstacles that prevent the preservation of video games.

It's worth noting that all of this has led to a discussion regarding these laws, and a review is expected in 2024.
In conclusion, video games are part of history, of our culture, and through them we can see the evolution of technology. Their historical and cultural value is invaluable, so they should be preserved, and to a certain extent, laws should be consistent with this goal. If you own a video game cartridge, you may have a piece of great value.

Image: Geekine