Recently I read an article talking about how a few libraries are starting to carry video games......but more importantly a few colleges feel its important to create a central library just to carry video games, memorabilia and more importantly video game code. The thought process is that video games are essentially a new media and the time when most of a new culture/media is lost is in its baby steps. That if gamers and game developers want to preserve their history and games that there should be a video game library created.
From the moment I read this I thought it was a brilliant idea. The reasons for this were the typical ones, I thought it will gain gaming respect and that ya we dont want to loose any games....and who knows maybe one day we can borrow games like books! But the truth is the video game library is important for much bigger reasons. The data base would ensure that not only do we not loose any games in the sense of time washes them away......but it could be used to ensure that gamers dont loose games out of their personal collections and maybe save some developers cash in the meantime.
Downloadable games are becoming more and more popular, and many companies see DLC and DL distribution as the future of gaming. I think it is great, but at the same time it raises a lot of questions and a lot of legal battles will come from these questions. Who owns that copy of God of War 5 you will download to your Playstation 4, you or Sony? And what happens when 10 years later your PS4 dies and Sony has stopped offering the game as a down loadable title meaning you have no way of getting your game back? Something like this may sound a long way off or it may sound like it will never happen....but it already is. MS announced a while back they were considering taking down games from XBLA that they considered under performing. So what would happan then after these games were taken down and your 360 crapped out on you and you needed to re download them? What about when other more popular games start to dwindle in sales? Will all games be taken down? And if not how is MS going to recoup the money they will loose hosting 100s and eventually 1,000/10,000s of games?
I think this is where the video game library should come into play. I think that developers should come together and support the idea of a video game library not only in words but financially. I think that the VGL could be used as a data base where old games go to "retire". Every game company would offer a yearly due to the VGL and in return as their content gets old it goes to the VGL central data base. This would serve several purposes. First off It would indeed preserve the history of gaming from here on out. Second it would give much needed funds to the VGL to keep itself going. Third off I think it could save the industry a lot of money in the long run.
Paying the library a small due in return for having your game hosted can ensure that these companies save money on multiple ends from law suits from angry gamers to the hosting of an expensive data base and even maybe get a kick back from the library(why not when a game retires to the library allow the library to charge a very small fee for its rental or purchase but then give money to the developer?).
From the moment I read this I thought it was a brilliant idea. The reasons for this were the typical ones, I thought it will gain gaming respect and that ya we dont want to loose any games....and who knows maybe one day we can borrow games like books! But the truth is the video game library is important for much bigger reasons. The data base would ensure that not only do we not loose any games in the sense of time washes them away......but it could be used to ensure that gamers dont loose games out of their personal collections and maybe save some developers cash in the meantime.
Downloadable games are becoming more and more popular, and many companies see DLC and DL distribution as the future of gaming. I think it is great, but at the same time it raises a lot of questions and a lot of legal battles will come from these questions. Who owns that copy of God of War 5 you will download to your Playstation 4, you or Sony? And what happens when 10 years later your PS4 dies and Sony has stopped offering the game as a down loadable title meaning you have no way of getting your game back? Something like this may sound a long way off or it may sound like it will never happen....but it already is. MS announced a while back they were considering taking down games from XBLA that they considered under performing. So what would happan then after these games were taken down and your 360 crapped out on you and you needed to re download them? What about when other more popular games start to dwindle in sales? Will all games be taken down? And if not how is MS going to recoup the money they will loose hosting 100s and eventually 1,000/10,000s of games?
I think this is where the video game library should come into play. I think that developers should come together and support the idea of a video game library not only in words but financially. I think that the VGL could be used as a data base where old games go to "retire". Every game company would offer a yearly due to the VGL and in return as their content gets old it goes to the VGL central data base. This would serve several purposes. First off It would indeed preserve the history of gaming from here on out. Second it would give much needed funds to the VGL to keep itself going. Third off I think it could save the industry a lot of money in the long run.
Paying the library a small due in return for having your game hosted can ensure that these companies save money on multiple ends from law suits from angry gamers to the hosting of an expensive data base and even maybe get a kick back from the library(why not when a game retires to the library allow the library to charge a very small fee for its rental or purchase but then give money to the developer?).
