The GOG Preservation Program Is Saving Your Favorite Games

GOG.com is doing the damn thing when it comes to protecting the future of video games! The website recently started its GOG Preservation Program, dedicating itself to preserving as many classic games as possible.

“With the GOG Preservation Program, we’re putting our heart into protecting timeless classics. Our resources will support a growing collection of hand-picked games, keeping them playable as technology evolves. Every game in the program will receive ongoing updates and care from GOG, preserving the spirit of gaming for today’s players and generations to come,” the website states.

“When you buy a game from the GOG Preservation Program, you can trust it to work on current and future PC setups. You’ll receive the most complete version available, including compatibility, manuals, bonus content, and downloadable content—even features missing from other editions. If technical issues arise, GOG’s Tech Support will be ready to help, and, as always, you’ll have access to offline installers to safeguard your games your way.”

The GOG Preservation Program Is doing the hard work of preserving games when others won’t

Over the past few years, there have been so many worrisome signs regarding the future of video game preservation. The US Copyright Office struck down an exemption in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that would’ve fully allowed libraries and archives to remotely share digital access to out-of-print video games in their collections. It’s been a struggle to find the momentum needed to actually retain video games past a publisher deeming them “profitable.”

But, now, GOG.com has answered the call! Currently, there are over 100 games protected by the program. With many more to be added going forward! “Our goal is for all games, whether recent or classic, to eventually become part of the Preservation Program. For a game to qualify for the Program, our team must run it through many quality tests. If these tests fail, our team updates and improves the game until it matches our quality standards,” the website guarantees.

“Only then, we stamp the game with our Preservation Program and grant it Good Old Game status. There is a long backlog of classic games available on GOG that may already qualify for the program, but our Team has not been able to confirm that yet. We aim to support as many games as possible, but it’s not always entirely up to us.”

The website might not be able to save all the games, obviously. But at least someone is walking the walk and making an effort. Perhaps this will be the first of many successful game preservation initiatives! (Check out the ongoing preservation movement here!)