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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Wow – excellent list. Independent games, as a category,
particularly struck me. I wasn’t thinking in that direction but of course you’re
right that they are particularly susceptible to being lost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Stuart<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
game_preservation-bounces@igda.org [mailto:game_preservation-bounces@igda.org] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Devin Monnens<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 28, 2008 10:16 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> IGDA Game Preservation SIG<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [game_preservation] White Paper: Case Study Research!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>Agreed. There are many things that are ready to tumble in or
have already (some are stuck on ledges of the chasm as 'lost' games, but a
skilled climber can find them). I made a short list of the ones ready to tumble
in one of the appendices of my paper - <a
href="http://www.deserthat.com/Preservation.pdf">http://www.deserthat.com/Preservation.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>I also noticed it actually starts with the wrong title page,
but the content is all there :-)<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><br>
With the current very incomplete state of archives at the moment, I'd say
efforts are better put towards preserving more obtainable items, especially
"lost" items which have been released but are of a limited amount or
hard to find.<br>
<br>
Andrew<br>
<br>
Stuart Feldhamer wrote: <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>I agree, it is a question of
scope. That's why I was curious to hear others' thoughts on this. Should be not
be preserving unreleased games? If a game was unreleased, do we want to
"officially" pretend that it doesn't exist?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Stuart</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> <a href="mailto:game_preservation-bounces@igda.org" target="_blank">game_preservation-bounces@igda.org</a>
[<a href="mailto:game_preservation-bounces@igda.org" target="_blank">mailto:game_preservation-bounces@igda.org</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Devin Monnens<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 28, 2008 9:59 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> IGDA Game Preservation SIG<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [game_preservation] White Paper: Case Study Research!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Unreleased games sounds like a question of scope as well. This isn't
something we normally think of when we think 'videogame preservation' and
unfortunately, it's incredibly difficult to ensure preservation of these (I
remember an IGN interview that stated Rare has a VERY uncensored version of
Conker in their vault that NOBODY will ever see). This all came back to a
database of known released and unreleased games (though some companies don't
want ANYBODY knowing about this stuff).<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p>Unreleased games also find their way to the underground collecting market
(there was a big article in the Escapist on this). Resident Evil 1.5 is one
good example, but I haven't heard any reports of leaked copies of Castlevania
Resurrection... One of the most famous cases of unreleased games later found
was 'EarthBound 0' which was mentioned at one of the GDC roundtables. I don't
think anyone's found a fabled beta cartridge of EarthBound for the 64DD though.
And then another good example was Military Battlezone, which was thought lost
and perhaps not to even exist (?) until some guy found in his barn. That was
chronicled in From Sun Tzu to XBox I believe.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p>Maybe we want to illustrate that the case for 'lost games' isn't to a point
where many things are actually being lost wholesale, but is one where we're
dangling over the edge like How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Only a few things
have fallen into the abyss like the red ornament, but it's on such unstable
ground that a whole lot more could fall in. We could equate the Grinch to many
characters in the drama, and given the overbearing weight of bit rot, DRMA,
etc, it may very well take the strength of ten Grinches (plus two) to keep the rest
from falling in.<br clear=all>
<br>
-- <br>
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.<br>
<br>
"Until next time..."<br>
Captain Commando<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div><pre>_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>game_preservation mailing list<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><a
href="mailto:game_preservation@igda.org" target="_blank">game_preservation@igda.org</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre><a
href="http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation"
target="_blank">http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre> <o:p></o:p></pre></div>
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_______________________________________________<br>
game_preservation mailing list<br>
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</blockquote>
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<p class=MsoNormal><br>
<br clear=all>
<br>
-- <br>
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.<br>
<br>
"Until next time..."<br>
Captain Commando<o:p></o:p></p>
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