Why It Is Important to Keep Retro Archives of Games

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If you were born in the 70s-, 80s-, or even early 90s- era, you would truly understand how valuable it is to have a retro game archive collection. These retro games dominated our childhood, and we have an unforgettable nostalgia associated with it.

Just having the thought of never being able to play these games again is enough of a nightmare for most of us!

But is that enough reason to make retro game archives?

Why is it Important to Preserve Retro Games?

Discontinued / Unsupported Hardware

Moreover, the hardware consoles that run the retro games originally ran on are either discontinued or abandoned by their companies.

This means that they are neither no longer manufactured nor any hardware support is rendered by the concerned hardware gaming company.

Hardware Degeneration with Time

Moreover, the bitter reality is that all electronic hardware components degrade over time, to the extent that they are not able to execute the data stored in them.

In worse scenarios, the electronic hardware is not even able to power up, let alone access the data… This is why video game preservation is important.

No Spare or Extra Parts

I don’t want to sound even worse, but the thing is, there are no spare or extra hardware components that can be used to replace the downgraded or damaged parts of the original hardware.

This is why we need retro game archives. Archives that can store these games for long-term storage so they can be accessed anytime when needed.

No Digital or Online Games

Previously, there was no concept of digital games or online games. All the retro games ran on hardware consoles, such as coin-operated arcade cabinets, Nintendo video gaming consoles, and PlayStation Portable.

And with no digital versions of these games, plus outdated and degrading hardware, the issue of video game preservation becomes even more important.

What is the Point of Video Game Preservation?

Surely, one might ask: Why do we need to preserve video games? What is the point? The answer is that games are key to understanding modern culture.

There is a lot to be learned from video games. By studying video gaming history one can attain valuable insights on culture, development, marketing, and business.

“Play is something that’s universal and continues throughout our life cycle,” Dyson says. “The result is that play pervades almost every aspect of our lives. Video games are, in some sense, the most recent form of play.”

Jon-Paul Dyson is director of The Strong Nation Museum of Play’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games in Rochester, New York

Another Reason…

Another reason why video game preservation is important is because I want to play them all… hah, just kidding, never mind.

Anyway, there are many people out there, like me, who want to relive the legendary age of retro games. After all, these games influenced us one way or the other and had a role in making us become what we are today.

After coming home from work, playing these games serves as a great way to replenish my exhaustion and get to have a great time with my kids, playing multiplayer with them on King of Fighters.

However, since neither all arcade cabinets are functional nor older consoles are supported anymore, there is no way to access them the way we did years ago. The majority of them have been downgraded due to aging.

Luckily, and timely, many noticed the threat of forever losing access to the retro games and made ways possible to make a retro archive collection. There are several ways that I can list down and explain, but that would detract us from the purpose of this article.

As of today, we have a large number of retro archives safely stored and they are accessible to everyone. As such, the Pandora Box home arcade machine is a very good example of retro game preservation. This arcade box seamlessly powers up to the 4 decades of retro games ever made!