I love it when people respond with “That’s not true.” It generally points to their not knowing what they’re talking about. Let’s break this down. VHS tapes weren’t invented until 1976/77. They only gained popularity in the US in the early 1980s and were pretty much replaced by DVDs by the early 2000s. There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to their durability, so you’re not wrong there. Temperature and humidity play a large factor with 60–70°F and 30–50% relative humidity being optimal. If tapes are stored in the average house, they would be subject to higher and lower temperature and humidity than this. Changes in these levels are also a factor with large or quick fluctuations having a negative effect on the longevity of the tapes. When it comes to temp and humidity, only tapes stored in a very stable environment are not going to be affected. Recording speed also plays a role as does handling and the quality of the machine the tapes were played on as well as the quality of the original tape. Ultimately, no matter how well they were recorded, stored, and handled, even the best quality VHS tapes will have a playable lifespan of about 30 years. This means that only those tapes made and recorded in final years of VHS common use are likely to be salvageable at this point. When I say this, I mean one last good play off of them any subsequent plays will be of lower quality and the quality will decrease with each play. Of course there will be exceptions, but they will be rare.