The team that runs the online gaming store GOG has made the big leap into helping preserve classic and beloved video games. At the same time as celebrating the shop’s 16th anniversary, they announced the beginning of the GOG Preservation Program. This comes in the wake of a federal decision to not support video game preservation. The announcement is already being praised by gamers around the world because their favorite titles have a better chance of living forever.
Helping Games Live Forever
The GOG Preservation Program was created to further support the company’s goal of keeping video games alive and well. That includes titles that have become classics along with those that will earn the title in the future. Not only will the games inducted into the program be readily available, but they will be updated to run smoothly as technology continues to progress. This means the issue of these older games constantly crashing on higher-tech PCs might become a problem of the past. The games in the program receiving these updates can be identified with an official Good Old Games stamp.
Games On The Preservation List
The program is being launched with over 100 games receiving the stamp of preservation. In the next few months, people who shop on GOG will see more games being placed into the program. Luckily, for lovers of the great gaming hits of the past, many of the games that are in the program are older gems. Some of them spawned series that have lasted through the decades. And the others that may just make you feel that powerful sense of nostalgia.
A Few Games In The Catalogue
- Resident Evil
- Riven (1997)
- Fallout
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Blade Runner
- Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
The Importance Of Preservation
Video game preservation has never been more important. In October, the U.S. Copyright Office announced that it would not grant an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to allow libraries and archives to share video games remotely with researchers. The Video Game History Foundation, the organization that supported the exemption in the hearing, expressed great disappointment in the ruling. However, the foundation expressed still-living hope for the future in an official statement. A portion of that statement reads, “We’re not done fighting here. We will continue our advocacy for greater access and legal allowances for video game preservation and working with members of the game industry to increase internal awareness around these issues.”
The foundation also encouraged everyone in the video game industry who shared the feeling of disappointment to ask their leadership to push for greater support of video game preservation. Specifically, they were encouraged to seek support for libraries and archives where the U.S. Copyright Office didn’t deem fit to receive any on the federal level. However, this isn’t the only way that industry professionals and lovers of games can help.
How Gamers Can Help
Thanks to programs like the GOG Preservation Program, the goal of keeping games living forever has gotten more within reach. For this program specifically, developers and publishers can reach out to have their games inducted into it. To spread the word about the good that this program can do for the gaming world, gamers should share the news on social media sites like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Reddit, Bluesky, etc. Spreading the word in this way can only do good since more and more studios, both big and small, will be able to reach out to have their works preserved in this manner. Word of mouth, even virtually, is a powerful tool. It’s one that can be used to keep beloved video games around forever.
