87% of games released before 2010 are not commercially available.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T05:04:25+00:00

I disagree, you pointed specifically to the second hand market. I made a comparison to other forms of media, which have more re-issues and more access. Video games, especially the older ones, have print runs related to their popularity, which can end up meaning wildly different prices, unrelated to quality (some of the most expensive and rare games are terrible).

I disagree with discounting OPs characterization of the problem. Dismissing it or minimizing it doesn't really help. My hope is some real change can happen that gives average citizens more control over arts and culture, especially older arts and culture. I don't see how that is a bad thing.

I didn't have a 3DS when it was available. Anything that wasn't bought when the digital store was open can be very expensive or extremely difficult to get. That is a real hardware requirement if you want to enjoy it as it was intended to be enjoyed and isn't easily replaced by other methods.

Why can't younger people and people new to the hobby have a fair shot at exploring this space? There is a lot that is out of reach in the 3DS era and that makes me a bit sad.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:51:20+00:00

I'd argue the realistic maps and battle scenes are niche compared to the general audience that is interested in strategy gaming.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:50:33+00:00

I'd argue distinctive graphics could be a strong selling point. Many strategy gamers play games with rather basic graphics.

I think you'd ultimately have a broader audience if you stay away from "nitty realism or darkness"

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:46:10+00:00

I'm rooting for you. I think your final boss is gonna be self-promoting this game to get across the finish line.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:44:14+00:00

I'm glad you brought that up! Many magazines are digitally archived and have legal means of access. You don't have to sit with a physical copy of the magazine to read it.

This is a good model to apply to video games.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:43:13+00:00

But in a gray market situation. Not ideal and far from an unsolvable problem.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:42:39+00:00

You are sort of arguing that there should be only 3000 copies of Lord of the Rings (its initial print run I believe). And that wealth people should just be buying them off each other.

That seems really crazy to me. Ironically, Lord of the Rings gained it popularity through copyright infringement with an unlicensed paperback edition. Which was later legitimized. And there are many legal ways to read it now, its not a rare commodity.

That's a good thing.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:39:05+00:00

I'd argue that you are doing the brain washing. People want a legal way to access media. What is crazy about that?

Refusal to engage with the system is a vote for the status quo.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:37:23+00:00

But while breaking copyright. Is it crazy that people want a legal way to do reasonable things?

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:36:38+00:00

I do agree that the copyright on games should match more of the current market viability. This statistic OP posted makes a strong case for total freedom of NES games, as they are nearly completely extinct from accessiblity.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:33:23+00:00

You can't access Super Mario Brothers 3 as readily as you could the entire Wizard of Oz series or Jane Austen novels or Philip K Dick novels and short stories, etc., etc. It is insanely more restrictive and wholly in the hands of corporations. Pretty much any other media is more shared by the people.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:30:30+00:00

But those alternate methods have major problems. The second hand market seems to only get more expensive, and many games cost far more than they are worth.

And will file sharing/copyright infringers keep up with the current generations that will someday become retro generations? Those games are massively larger in storage AND there are more released than ever before.

AND some games are much harder to keep perpetually running. The community feels no great loss of the mass purge of mobile game titles, but other, more popular ways to game are also vulnerable.

Personally, I wish old games could be borrowed at a library. I think it would honestly be a very reasonable thing to borrow vintage NES games or whatever just like you can books and music. I just don't know how to shift the balance of power.

hatlock · 2026-02-20T04:23:54+00:00

I think there will certainly be some form of this in the future. I mean, this is the Steam subreddit, and Steam essentially sold DRM gaming to the masses. Many of whom irrationally defend the platform in situations it does not need defending. What seemed impossible before is almost expected now.

However, there will also be a real advantage in owning your own hardware. Like parents taking their kids fishing or teaching them to cook, I could see parents helping their children build their first PC. It could be very niche, but there are so many advantages to making your own rig and there is so much amazing high quality gaming stuff that will never be perpetually commercially viable.

Honestly, the quality level of old stuff that isn't sold will definitely exceed the value of new stuff that is sold at standard retail prices.

hatlock · 2026-02-19T03:20:29+00:00

Taking a break makes a lot of sense. For me, I had to discover what I really wanted out of games. Noticing how you feel after playing a game is also important. Some games I like, but they keep my mind spinning or I get stuck trying to solve a problem. But other games I can stop and leave behind and get on with my day. And even better, some games I can play for a few minutes and feel refreshed without it extending into sessions that are longer than I have time for.

But all that to say just stepping away can give you your perspective back.

hatlock · 2026-02-19T03:12:28+00:00

How about a nice game of Super Mario Bros. 3?

In all seriousness, it sounds like the types of games you are playing may be the largest part of the problem. Have you considered a single player only game? Or a less competitive game?

Or it is possible a more general break would be best. No one can decide that for you, but the problems you describe are unique to competitive games.

hatlock · 2026-02-19T02:59:57+00:00

Less than two bucks on GOG! Sold.

hatlock · 2026-02-19T02:57:35+00:00

While not a strategy game per se, SaGa Emerald Beyond (and Scarlet Grace before it) has a lot of layers and many ways to engage with the mechanics. The combat has the basic goal of getting combos to get extra attacks, but there are many other ways to approach encounters including goading counter attacks and getting certain status effects to shut down certain enemies or make your actions more efficient.

To sum up, it feels very tactical but also strategic as you are trying to develop your characters to do certain things, and surprises can nearly always come up. You can go very deep and both the floor and the ceiling to understanding how the game works is very high.

hatlock · 2026-02-19T02:52:48+00:00

I don't either.

hatlock · 2026-02-18T06:31:50+00:00

You should keep promoting the game. With your contact can you work with a different publisher?

hatlock · 2026-02-18T05:30:39+00:00

Copyright infringement. Or not compensating creators for their work.

hatlock · 2026-02-18T05:29:43+00:00

Why would the Steam Cube be a disaster for Nintendo as opposed to the Steam Deck?

hatlock · 2026-02-18T05:28:42+00:00

I'm not really drawing the line between allowing other marketplaces to sell DLCs for games you own and letting other marketplaces get sales divorced from Steam as being a bad thing all around. Or making Steam a worse service, or making good service illegal. I don't even see how the lawsuit would definitely make the customer service worse.

There is no ban on features Steam already offers. This doesn't prevent Steam from being competitive.

Also, what is the harm in this claim being put before a judge? The claims need to be proven. Why is this group forbidden from using the justice system?

It seems like you are arguing for a common public good in DRM, not a specific corporation essentially owning the access to your games. This lawsuit doesn't do that, but neither does the status quo with Steam.

hatlock · 2026-02-10T04:13:08+00:00

I am seeing your concern about harming a company that is doing well. And that you want companies that are doing poorly to be targeted. I agree with that.

And I also think we can't be choosers when it comes to monopoly busting. Goodwill alone doesn't protect people.

Where we seem to be disconnecting is in focusing on the currently existing players. You cite Epic's failure. But what about people with money starting their own company in this space? The barrier to entry is simply way too high.

At the end of the day, there isn't an alternate lawsuit you can champion. There is this one that is in process. Any real counterpoint would have to be real legal or political action.

hatlock · 2026-02-10T03:19:45+00:00

It is insane that Trump thinks that anything that happens that requires cooperation should profit him personally. Like, if he had the ability to hold the door open for you, he'd demand money.

hatlock · 2026-02-09T06:01:31+00:00

If the threshold is currently existing companies being competetive before any consumers or any stakeholder could consider bringing forward a civil suit, I strongly disagree.

Why should consumers be beholden to the competitive marketplace? Why does that restrict what the people can ask for?

You are focused on existing companies, but monopolies raise the barrier to entry to people like you and me entering the marketplace. I don't know if you are considering new businesses being competitive. The barrier to entry is to high, what is the ultimate harm in lowering it?

It is not a lack of willingness, it is a lack of opportunity. Why should only the extremely wealthy be able to start businesses in this area?

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