02/24/2002 Archived Entry: "Abandonware"

Via Slashdot, I found an article on Gamespot titled "The Skinny on Abandonware". The article is a cogent and lucid discussion of the abandonware issue, and is well worth a read.

Abandonware, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to software that is old--usually older than five years--and no longer distributed or supported by its manufacturer. For instance, Electronic Arts' Sentinel Worlds, another of my favorite games, is abandonware. So is Starflight, which I talked about a number of entries ago. If you wanted to purchase these games today, you would be unable to do so. If you pulled out a copy that you bought years ago and tried to get a set of replacement disks from the manufacturer, or technical support from the manufacturer, you would be unable to do so.

That, really, is the crux of the abandonware issue. If I want to acquire "Destructo-Blast Doom Pit," which was released in 1985, I can't buy it. However, I still want it. Because I can't buy it, I'll download it. If the copyright holder chooses not to make it available, then my only way of acquiring it is by downloading it.

This opens up another can of worms--to what extent should the copyright holder be allowed to control distribution of his or her work? Obviously, the law specifies that the copyright holder is indeed allowed to control distribution and availability.

At the risk of offending copyright holders worldwide, I don't care. I really don't. I want to play an older game that you're not selling anymore. You tell me I can't because you don't want to sell the game, for any one of a hundred reasons. This doesn't do me any good--my want for the game is still unsatisfied. So, I will download the game.

Selfish? Yes. Illegal? Yes. But keep in mind that with very few exceptions, the game designers--the men and women who poured their souls out into the creations of light and sound we indulge in--do not hold the copyright for their works. I'll end this entry with a quote from the Gamespot article.

"Personally, I'd rather my old games were stolen and played for free than forgotten about."
-Tim Schafer, Double Fine Productions

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