Summary
GOGhas revealed a new video game preservation initiative, whose goal is to ensure that aging titles aren’t lost to time. Though the company was originally founded to compete with the rampant video game pirating market prevalent in Poland in the 90s,GOGeventually pivoted to offering DRM-free digital versions of classic games that had previously only been available via physical purchase.
This focus on providing access to titles, old and new, in a digital format without rights management limitations has naturally led to GOG being considered a forerunner invideo game preservation. The first line on the company’s “About Us” page states clearly: “We make games last forever.” One step in this process is ensuring that older releases continue to play well on modern operating systems and hardware, “even if the game is older than you are.” GOG thoroughly tests the titles available on its platform, patching issues as necessary, to make this happen.
The company has now launched the official GOG Preservation Program, which will add an official “Good Old Game” stamp to titles that have been tested and improved by GOG. This “seal of approval,” so to speak, will let buyers know that these games are compatible with modern systems. While searching for games on the GOG storefront, users will be able to filter specifically for releases sporting the “Good Old Games” tag.
The GOG Preservation Program Is More Than Just a Label
As the company points out, in 2023, the Video Game History Foundation revealed that87% of video games released before 2010 are no longer easily accessible. This is a problem that an increasing number of video game lovers and historians are taking steps to amend.
For its part, the GOG Preservation Program is starting by re-releasing 100 classic games from its catalog. Even titles that are no longer supported by the developers have been tested and updated to make sure they remain playable and accessible to gamers. In total, the Preservation Program has made more than 500 improvements to a range of beloved classics, includingHeroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete, Fallout: New Vegas, System Shock 2, Myst: Masterpiece Edition, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain,andDiablo + Hellfire.Also, in the name of preservation, the company recently confirmed that it will even allow people totransfer ownership of their GOG-purchased games in the event of death.
The video game preservation movement also faced a setback, possibly temporary, in October. A petition filed by the Software Preservation Network asked for an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act so that out-of-print video games could be shared digitally for non-commercial use. This would have enabled them to be safeguarded by museums, libraries, and other archives, but theUS Copyright Office denied the video games preservation petition.
