The problem I see with archiving games is that in this age of CD media, they'll get trashed pretty quickly after multiple rentals. And unlike books, games generally aren't reprinted. In other words, any game worth archiving is something too valuable to lend out. I'd say any serious games library would have to follow more of a "rare book room" or "research library" model.
Were it the case that the love and devotion of many a forum member here was reSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMcated [edit: WTF - rec-i-p-r-o-cated, SPAM?] in the general public, I would agree. It is not however, therefore the degradation of their pieces will go side by side with the aging literature, falling apart covers and sticky tape matched pages of books from years past. Maybe we should set up a community fund for a rare console/game library archiving museum to be setup one day...? :110:
That's what I'm saying though. You can replace the beat-up copy of "Oliver Twist" in the library with a new copy for a couple bucks, but I'd hate to be the librarian trying to find, say, a new "Chrono Trigger" after little Caitlin barfed all over the library's copy.
That's only due to age. The same is true with many works that are still copyrighted but only had limited print runs. If it were to fall out of copyright and into public domain, you could surely buy a new copy of Chrono Trigger.
The other question would be are the contained games and/or books be worthy of a showing. My library used to have some of this, but it was pretty crappy. A disservice to all those who love video games.
That's true, but the problem is exacerbated in the case of video games because reprinting stops much sooner, once the next console comes out. Even books that are still under copyright stay in print if they're decently popular - you should have no trouble finding "The Hobbit", "Jurassic Park", "Dr. No", etc. in your local bookstore today. But you can't do the same for even the biggest video game hits like "Super Mario Bros. 3". On top of that, the collectors' market works differently for books and games. Old books' values generally fall to nothing if they're not first editions of famous authors, or the like. But old games become instant collectors' items if they're complete and in decent condition and not a sports game. Finally: books can take more punishment than games and still be usable. A beat-up, yellowed, dog-eared, stained book is still readable, but a scratched CD is a coaster. Given all that, I'm still skeptical that lending out games to the public from a library is the best idea.
this is true. at my Blockbuster, we've already got defective copies of Fable 2 because customers like to skateboard with them or something...
The media is a big factor here, books have stayed the same for hundreds of years, unlike consoles which have a shorter span. I think it could be argued that Nintendo and Sonys online schemes offer a way around this, by offering older games for download, albeit a small selection of titles. I`d hope that what is bought now wont have to be rebought when the next generation of consoles come in. Personally if I wasnt working in a library I wouldnt pay the fees (even if they low for rentals) for CD's\DVD`s. The games rental service I use which is with an online company was free for 3 months but I`ve kept it going. I`m using it really only to rent games I wouldnt otherwise buy or titles that wont take long to complete. It`s useless for longer games or those you want to play online for a couple of weeks.
Many games, like books get reissued on newer systems (with changes or not, similar to later editions of books). You used the example of the hobbit. In the first edition, the whole encounter with Gollum is different because the importance of the ring hadn't yet been established. You can't pick up that version in a library but you might get a 3rd or 4th edition. You might not be able to get/use SMB3 but you might find Super Mario Allstars or Super Mario Advance 4 or when the years finally advance to the right time, a library computer on which you can call up this public domain game for use in an emulator.
