Discussing Game Preservation with Frank Cifaldi

[godslabrat]

Hey all,

 

I try to avoid cross-promotion here, except when it's dead-on related, and this is as close as you can get.  I got to talk to Frank Cifaldi about game preservation, and I was surprised to find that the coolest idea we got to play with was the role that being a direct sale product had in preserving the materials from ages ago.  Compared to movies or TV, where the audience's money gets funneled through intermediaries, games became unique from the very beginning.  What do you all think?  I'll link the video, but if you prefer your podcasts in audio form, click here.

 

 

[Sho]

This was a great interview.  I got a chance to talk to Frank last year at Long Island at LIRG, and I could really tell the passion he has for game preservation and in a way that far supersedes what some people usually think (ROM preservation, simple game collection). 

 

Games were always unique from the beginning due to not only being an interactive piece of media, but also having multiple parts which could all be considered separate.  The box & box art, the manuals, flyers and inserts, the cart, it's form factor, and then finally the data itself.  From there, the guides (by the companies, 3rd party companies, and independent writers), the commercials created for it, artwork, and more.  Each of these parts can stand on it's own and should be considered "art".  And all should be preserved and have serious preservation efforts for them.

 

I did tell Frank this after our almost hour conversation -- I was happy and proud that people who were hyper obsessive about this stuff like him existed and push every single day to save this stuff.  There's simply no way that companies will care enough about preserving their own media, or if they do, they won't put in the money or time to go about it.  Fans of video gaming really will have to pick up the torch and make this effort.

[mr_me]

Even stuff that are not direct sale like arcade machines are pretty much preserved thanks to the efforts of a few enthusiasts.  There will be a few lost games such as those that were not released as well some of the earlier non-software based machines but for the most part arcade preservation is pretty good.

 

There was a good discussion about how to present classic games for resale to the public.  Cifaldi thinks that most people don't necessarily want to play them but might be interested in the history.  I think it's correct that it's important to put them in historical context.  Like why did atari 2600 pacman sell so many copies when 5200 pacman is so much better.  Why wasn't it better.  How was it received at the time.  And ideally they should be sold together with arcade pacman but that never happens.  What they didn't talk about was the problem with controllers.  It's pointless putting missile command on an xbox or switch because of the controller.  The same can be said for some intellivision games.

 

There was also a discussion about a video game market of "lapse" gamers.  Should modern games be simplified for them.  The Amico was mentioned as going for the "lapse" gamer market and Cifaldi doesn't think that market exists.  But I don't think Amico is going so much for lapse "gamers", well they are, but they are primarily going after young families with children ages seven and under; not unlike nintendo in 1986/87. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by mr_me

[godslabrat]

Yeah, knowing what I know now about the direction the conversation took, I'd want to try and specify what groups of "gamers" really exist.  I think Frank is right in that there are gamers who grew out of the hobby and will never return to it.  I'm less sure I agree that people don't really want to play old games.  I tend to think some people will reach for a Pac-Man or a Centipede if it is convenient.  This is the "app" gamer. How many senior citizens of the 90s fired up MS Solitaire on a daily basis?   I also agree with Frank that a lot of people buy their micro consoles and get bored with them in a month... but I also wonder if that trend would be the same if the micro consoles weren't intentionally sold as toys?

 

Im not saying I have all the answers, but it's something I'm definitely banking for a future conversation, if it ever happens.