Preservation

 Say goodbye whilst it still matters

Moving on from yesterday's discussion regarding the future, what about we talk about the past and specifically the art of preserving it. (I absolutely did not plan this, these stories just lined up together.) For as I have mentioned before, when it comes to the constant growth of technology and the mechanical means at developer's disposal, there is a always a casualty somewhere down the line and it's not just our wallets. (Although I will say, these new consoles are stupidly expensive.) As anyone with a penchant for dabbling with older software will tell you, the more advanced modern hardware becomes the harder it gets to reach back. Typically this hasn't been a huge issue because most programs are always upgrading, but when we think about how an artform functions on this slide of depreciation, things might not be so straightforward. (No, not talking about NFTs. At least not today.) I think this is the sort of conversation that'll become ever more important in the near future, especially as recent events have panned out.

But first, I should start by saying that I totally understand why newer hardware tends to usher out older software, I do. It's not some nefarious plot to sell the newer gear (at least, not entirely) and nor is it really something that can be easily prevented without dedicated efforts towards preservation, so I can understand how those who don't keep it on the mind might loose track of where old systems end up. As technological understanding evolves, software developers simply find cleaner ways of working with data interpreters, or more effective programs or maybe even the OS evolves and improves. In such instances it's only natural that the ineffective or older programs get left behind, else what was the point of improving in the first place? However, this can sometimes lead to situations where programs that matter, old classic games for instance, are rendered incompatible for newer systems, and they have to rely on independent community members to stay alive.

Take the old-school Arkane RPG, Arx Fatalis, for instance. There's a game that boasted mechanics that I'm sure were rather cutting edge for the time, such as a first person interface which required the player to use the mouse in order to make fine motor movements. (Think Elder Scrolls Arena, but for everything) Nowadays, however, the simple refresh rate of bog standard monitors is enough to send that very system into haywire. (Making it virtually impossible to case any of the spells which require said fine movements) Of course, for this instance we have some fan patches to supplement the issue and change the core system so that the game is once again playable, but what happens when there is no one with the knowhow, or even the ability, to fix the problem? There was a period when Fallout 3 was unplayable because of certain OS updates, and that period was agonisingly long considering Fallout 3 is widely considered a masterpiece of the genre. Then there's all the really ancient DOSBOX games which require one to emulate the entire MS-DOS operating system just that they can function.

The examples I've provided so far have all been exclusively on the PC, because I think that's a perspective in which people would be most familiar with what I'm talking about when I mention hardware outpacing software. Additionally, this represents a platform for which any problems that do arise can feasible be fixed with adequate elbow grease and back door solutions. (Most of the time, anyway. Sometimes you just have to sit back and hope the developers still care for whatever reason.) But things become much murkier when we look at the consoles, your Xboxs and Playstations, for those are platforms entirely dependant on direct and constant support from the manufacturers. Should that ever falter for whatever reason, there's often no recourse. When we talk about the fears of game preservation falling to the wayside, I think of these platforms first and foremost. And such fears seem particularly apt recently, considering what's happened.

Just the other day Sony announced that the online stores for the Playstation 3, PSP and Vita will be closing down in the summer, and that marks a very real moment of loss in the gaming ecosystem as a countless number of titles are about to be wiped away forever. And I'm not being hyperbolic, whilst many of these games have PC versions that provide their existence with just a smidge more permanence, exclusive Playstation 3 games are about to become existent for all those that don't have a physical copy. Some are going to be due rereleases, sure, (Like Infamous 2, no doubt) but what about the games that don't have a now-powerful benefactor as the licence holder? Due for the aether, I suppose, destined to be wiped. Like 'Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle', for instance. (Yeah, you knew I'd find the Jojo game there somewhere, didn't you?)

And to some degree it makes sense. I mean these Online store fronts all have to be maintained with server costs by the console manufacturers, and if no one's actually using them the question must be raised of why they're still open. Of course, we're not in a situation where literally no-one uses the online services of the PS3 (Which is something I'm not even saying to play devil's advocate, I literally know someone who plays Battlefield 1943 on the PS3 daily) but if numbers aren't enough to justify server costs, then what's the point? Of course, one could argue that the price of paying for servers (which is so easily swallowed up by Sony's profits that it doesn't even make a ripple) is worth it for preservation's sake; but that would imply business decisions should be made with artistic pursuits primarily in mind, and that's just not how the world works. 

It's in an inevitability to be sure, but that doesn't make it any easier a pill to swallow. We've known for years that the consoles stores would go dark someday, but we've never actually had to face this reality to any significant degree until now. (With obvious exception to Nintendo Stores) The PS2 generation and all beforehand didn't rely on online stores, and the PS3 generation just about grazes the period in which games were still playable out the box and didn't require online patches for the other half of the game. So if this the cut-off then? When the next generation of Playstation hits will the PS4 go dark? And so and so forth? Will Xbox follow suit? We've heard Microsoft's grand talks about backwards libraries that they're all good and proud of, but when the precedent has just been set by Playstation the burden of ultimate disappointment is no longer on them. If they can save a few bucks by cutting the old online services, I wouldn't put it past them.

So what could be the possible solution? Well, in my mind there only thing we could hope for is some sort of non-profit that steps in to take hosting these services off of Playstation's hands for the soul purpose of preservation; but that's a pipe dream with too many unanswerable questions to pick up any real traction. (Such as, why in their right mind would Sony agree to that?) Still, I think this summer a cold chill will shoot up the spines of every gamer, as they feel a disturbance so great it'll be a like million voices cried out and then were silenced. Is this the future of game preservation on consoles? Decided solely by the whim of cynical money men? I certainly hope not, but the die, it seems, has already been cast.