Several weeks ago, Steam reminded its users that they don’t own the games they purchase. If Steam shuts down or if the devs stop supporting the game, the players who bought them will lose them whether through licensing or incompatibility. GOG (Good Old Games) on the other hand, is providing a beacon of hope by launching its preservation program that aims to let players have access to the games they buy in perpetuity.
Just recently, GOG launched its very own GOG Preservation Program with the goal of ensuring that classic games remain playable. Most old games are either unsupported by developers or studios who have gone bankrupt or have moved onto other projects, which prompted GOG to take action.
“By maintaining these iconic titles, GOG helps you protect and relive the memories that shaped you, DRM-free and with dedicated tech support,” according to GOG’s program. Since they are DRM-free, you can also have their installer stored on your PC’s storage. This allows you to uninstall and reinstall them anytime without worry or even without the internet.
More importantly, certain old titles with low resolutions will also be updated to fit better onto modern displays.
Not All Old Games are Included
The GOG Preservation Program isn’t without its limits, however. At the moment, there are only 100 games on the program because GOG had to tiptoe around certain legal conditions. Most of the time, they can’t exactly determine the ownership of the intellectual property or they can’t edit the game’s build.
Still, they already have some important cultural cornerstones in the program such as Diablo and its Hellfire expansion, Fallout: New Vegas, Legacy of Kain, the old Resident Evil games, and even Dragon Age: Origins (even though BioWare’s still alive and kicking).
GOG is working on adding more titles, of course. So in the event that a nuclear apocalypse happens, you can count on GOG to provide you with games to last you a lifetime in a nuclear fallout bunker. That sounds oddly familiar…
