Video game preservation is something of an uphill battle. A recent study by The Video Game History Foundation discovered that a whopping 87% of games can no longer be purchased or played through legitimate means. This paints a very clear picture that not enough is being done to preserve gaming history for future generations. To make matters worse, there was recently a panic when it was reported that Ubisoft is deleting games along with inactive accounts.
Fortunately, we now know that was a false alarm. The Verge recently reached out to Ubisoft so it could clarify its position on deleting inactive accounts. Ubisoft can only delete inactive accounts with zero purchased games in them. If you do have any games in your account, they should be safe from deletion. However, this scenario still feels as though it’s an all too real threat.
Ubisoft Isn’t Deleting Games, so Was It All an Overreaction?
I’ll completely admit that I was guilty of immediately believing the claims of Ubisoft deleting games. After all, it didn’t seem too far outside the realms of possibility. Anyone reading this article probably knows that Ubisoft has something of a notorious reputation. While I have better things to do than get upset at them all the time, even I couldn’t resist getting a little bit upset when I heard about the supposed risk of losing your Ubisoft games.
The fact that it’s so easy to believe a story such as this says something about the state of Ubisoft and video game preservation. Sure, some may claim that there’s nothing to be concerned about and that we all should’ve been more cautious about things we hear on the internet. However, Ubisoft itself didn’t exactly help the situation at first. It’s worth keeping in mind that it was a poorly worded tweet from their account that caused all the upset.
Sure, this was likely just an accident made by whoever was managing Ubisoft’s Twitter account at the time. Nevertheless, there are still many growing concerns surrounding game preservation and the ownership of games. It’s completely reasonable that people would interpret this the way that they did.
Why It Was Worth Being Worried About Ubisoft Deleting Games
It’s become clear that most companies do not care about preserving the history of games. I can’t exactly blame them, as it is likely not a very profitable endeavor. Compared to other mediums, it can be very difficult to preserve video games. They are programmed to function within specific digital environments, and it isn’t always easy to translate them to a different digital environment.
However, I do not wish to tolerate practices that actively work against the preservation of games. Even though it wasn’t intentional, Ubisoft has set a new example of what companies need to avoid. I’m not even a big fan of modern Ubisoft titles (and have even ranted about them a bit in a recent article), but people should be able to download these games without any concern about losing them.
To be very clear here, I do not endorse piracy. Please acquire your games legitimately. However, it’s cases such as these where I might understand why an individual may consider playing games through illegal means. Imagine losing access to a game you previously paid for. You might feel a bit robbed, right? Unfortunately, practices such as invasive DRM only help validate piracy in the eyes of the average consumer.
DRM Sucks, Especially if It Requires an Internet Connection
I primarily play games on PC, so I am used to playing most of my games digitally. I’m fine with it, but I don’t really have any other options, as “physical” PC games are essentially a joke. I enjoy building a retro collection on my shelves, but I’m fairly content with keeping a large digital library as I wouldn’t be able to physically store all of my games anyways. As long as I can play my digital games offline and have access to all the files, I’m happy.
However, as someone who cares greatly about game preservation (I even think bad games should be preserved), I strongly dislike DRM (digital rights management). If it’s not at the top of the list for threats to game preservation, then it’s very much near it. It’s why I try to support digital storefronts such as GOG, as they provide DRM-free games. Even Steam isn’t that bad, as I can still log in offline and enjoy the majority of my games offline.
However, game launchers such as Ubisoft Connect may present a pretty big problem. Having to log in to your account every so often may not seem like a huge deal. Unfortunately, it is. If an internet connection is even occasionally required to access games you have purchased and downloaded, that’s no good. This means you risk losing these games for good.
More Needs to Be Done to Preserve Video Games
If there’s anything we can learn from this, it’s that current game preservation efforts are not enough. I am a fan of what emulation has achieved and believe it is currently the best bet we have at preserving the history of games. Unfortunately, emulators rely on shaky legal ground that could crumble at any moment.
Most of the time, the average person is still going to have a much easier time being able to watch an old movie or read an old book compared to playing an old game. There is a good reason for that, but that doesn’t mean things should be that way. Ideally, the average consumer should be able to have easy access to the majority of old games. Unfortunately, that goal may not be entirely realistic. I don’t know exactly what the solution is, but we need to be doing more to make old games more widely available.
A good sense of ownership is important as well. Even as someone who mostly plays digital games, it is concerning to me that more and more games are ditching physical releases (Like a Dragon Gaiden and Alan Wake 2 for example). A potential situation where you could lose your digital games due to an inactive account sounds a bit too realistic for comfort. While Ubisoft doesn’t seem to be deleting anyone’s games, this situation hasn’t done anything to ease the fears surrounding the lack of ownership of digital games.
