[game_preservation] Remakes

[István Fábián]

NP, I take this as a compliment :)
"How" is not really a problem anymore, strictly speaking of technical issues
and our project regarding floppy disc media. We can go for the original art
so we do it, before it's too late. Home computer games that we are talking
about - at SPS/CAPS - are originally on copy-protected floppy disks, and
their life-span is soon to end. We have proof that many of the FD disks from
1985 are no longer readable and of course later disks are developing errors
as we speak right now.

Yes, some companies would say what you think however you'd be much surprised
on others, but consider a license like Tomb Raider: the original authors
from Core Design - or Core Design in fact - are long gone, but it is still a
valuable license - despite the second movie ;)
Or take a look at Nintendo franchise, Mario, Donkey Kong etc is admittedly
the only IP they really hold onto, as the are the only products that can
sell yet another console system from them, otherwise doomed to be DoA just
like GCN.
So IP, likenesses, franchise and other related assets are valuable to many
of their ownersand understandably so.

You don't have to go very far, although I am making my IP freely accessible
I do reserve all the copyright since it has commercial value.

Thee are other issues of course just like making the archives accessible,
creating digital libraries of video games of the past, education, fair use,
research and so on.

Also another big issue (for us that is) is funding, this is pretty much a
full time job, not to mention getting some of the older titles are
increasingly difficult and more and more expensive - these we support from
our own pockets, but this can't go on forever. If we take into account the
amount of time devoted to our project with average salaries (not even IT
ones...) we are speaking in six/seven digit figures, but we have five digit
ones even on just purchasing titles.
Many of the developments we wanted to do, but couldn't is simply a financial
decision, and due to lack of funds and hence resources and time.
So here is the financial issue, that is the only "technical" issue that our
project faces.

István
ps: more details and faqs on:
www.caps-project.org


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <n8dunn at juno.com>
To: <game_preservation at igda.org>
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 4:26 AM
Subject: Re: [game_preservation] Remakes


>
> Wow Istvan, you are full of knowledge :) (no sarcasm intended, btw).
> I was the one who asked about remakes, and did so only as idle curiousity.
I agree that preserving the original work is much, much better, I was just
throwing out a possible idea as to HOW to preserve it. Probably the best
idea, as far as staying legal is concerned, is to start finding out who owns
what, get ahold of them, and get some nice written permission. I have a
feeling most of the responses would be "you want to what!? uh... sure, go
ahead.... loony." or something similar. The process could (will) take a LOT
of time, but it would probably be worth it in the long run. Of course, if
the laws allow us to just archive classic (read: obsolete) games without
permission, then might as well go ahead and do that too. I think it comes
down to whether the archive would be publicly accessable. I would say that
it really should, otherwise the point of doing it is modified.
> Bah, law... my mind is fried from thinking about it, watching the
debates... I'm going to go take a nap, or blast something, or whatever. :-D
>
> later,
>
> Nathan Dunn
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Graduate 2004 Full Sail Real World Education Game Design and Development
Degree Program
> http://www.geocities.com/n8dunn/Resume.doc
>
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