3 ms·

About the only thing you can do is keep a copy of them, keep the copies updated and backed up, then wait 20-30 years, and assuming anyone is still using the har

by cr0sh 8y ago

About the only thing you can do is keep a copy of them, keep the copies updated and backed up, then wait 20-30 years, and assuming anyone is still using the hardware, let them out then. Likely, any principals or others with any interest about the game probably won't remember or won't care - heck, they might even be happy. It has happened with a lot of 8-bit stuff from the 80s (mostly home computer software); with the exception of Nintendo of course. The Disney of games I guess. Ultimately, you have to wait and hope such companies pass away - though as we both know, Nintendo is a very old company, so that might not be an option. At that point, I'd just wrap up your archive, then figure out a way to put it on the internet with plausible deniability and/or anonymity (it can be done).

cableshaft 8y ago
I don't have the code to these, at least. I wish I did. I worked for the publishing company, and we never got the actual code, just the builds. I think I still have a few older builds around somewhere, though. I still have a copy of the code for a game for another defunct startup, and every once in awhile I get the urge to try to contact someone and see if they don't mind me porting it (I don't see how they could, they barely cared about the game even back then). I have tons of other projects that are higher priority, though. Still pains me that that one isn't still available for people to play, though. Honestly, I wish all of these things that I put so much of my life could still be playable. Basically my entire professional career in the game industry is a black hole, whereas the games I made and released on my own 6 years previous to that are still playable online, and I'm currently working porting and updating a game I made and released on the Xbox 360. Trying to get that out in time for its 10th year anniversary next year. Part of the reason why I started getting into board game design is because once they're made, they're out there, and people can play them, they can't be taken down by a company or become obsolete due to dying platforms, and if I ever want to show them to new people, I can just bring them to a party. And I can always put a print and play copy up that people can mess about with.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  You might consider getting in touch with Jason Scott at the Internet Archive (@textfiles both here and on Twitter), and shipping him a hard drive to put the files you mention into cold storage (where they’re archived, but not accessible). The Internet Archive has an emulator to enable the playback of orphaned video games in browser.
  - cableshaft 8y ago
    That's good to know. I actually have some other things that are possibly rare and/or unique that he might be interested in too, that I wasn't sure what to do with, but didn't want them to just sit in my basement until they stop working. They're on flash cards for consoles though, not hard drives.
    - toomuchtodo 8y ago
      I have no doubt Jason can facilitate the extraction from whatever media you have.

by cr0sh 8y ago

cableshaft 8y ago

I don't have the code to these, at least. I wish I did. I worked for the publishing company, and we never got the actual code, just the builds. I think I still have a few older builds around somewhere, though. I still have a copy of the code for a game for another defunct startup, and every once in awhile I get the urge to try to contact someone and see if they don't mind me porting it (I don't see how they could, they barely cared about the game even back then). I have tons of other projects that are higher priority, though. Still pains me that that one isn't still available for people to play, though. Honestly, I wish all of these things that I put so much of my life could still be playable. Basically my entire professional career in the game industry is a black hole, whereas the games I made and released on my own 6 years previous to that are still playable online, and I'm currently working porting and updating a game I made and released on the Xbox 360. Trying to get that out in time for its 10th year anniversary next year. Part of the reason why I started getting into board game design is because once they're made, they're out there, and people can play them, they can't be taken down by a company or become obsolete due to dying platforms, and if I ever want to show them to new people, I can just bring them to a party. And I can always put a print and play copy up that people can mess about with.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
You might consider getting in touch with Jason Scott at the Internet Archive (@textfiles both here and on Twitter), and shipping him a hard drive to put the files you mention into cold storage (where they’re archived, but not accessible). The Internet Archive has an emulator to enable the playback of orphaned video games in browser.
- cableshaft 8y ago
  That's good to know. I actually have some other things that are possibly rare and/or unique that he might be interested in too, that I wasn't sure what to do with, but didn't want them to just sit in my basement until they stop working. They're on flash cards for consoles though, not hard drives.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    I have no doubt Jason can facilitate the extraction from whatever media you have.