[game_preservation] Frank Cifaldi's preservation article on 1Up

[Martin Goldberg]

On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 4:43 PM, Andrew Armstrong <andrew at aarmstrong.org> wrote:

> Release dates are basic information you'd hope they keep records of

> (shipping accounts, store release dates, marketing posters would all have it

> right?).


Well, to most it's just part of daily business.  Once the release
happens they're on to new ones, and that stuff goes out in the trash.


>I think we'd find more reliable information going to the shops and

> stores and asking them sometimes, in fact it's something I'd not mind trying

> on stores in the UK. I'm sure they keep release date information better then

> manufacturers/producers of things do.


Certainly for more recent games and such.  For the older stuff, the
only things we have to go by are accounts from people that were there,
and recovered internal documents when that's lucky enough to happen.

Regarding stores, official release dates aren't always the same as
availability dates, so some store info may be contradictory as well.
For example, the "official" introduction day for Atari's port of
Pac-Man was April 3rd when they had national Pac-Man day -

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ruYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4164,6921922&dq=atari+pac-man

However, Sears and other retailers began selling them in early to Mid March.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-JAsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QvsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3713,3812502&dq=pac-man+sears&hl=en



Marty