![]() ![]() Books, movies, and music can generally make the transition to new media with ease, whereas the rapid evolution of software can render a game completely unplayable. The specific obsolescence problems with computer and video game technology have forced the issue. ![]() Philosophically, the "abandonware" argument is one that goes beyond the legal sphere into the realm of artistic morality: it is the assertion that a company that refuses or is unable to profit from a work for which it has gained the legal rights, is immorally acting to the detriment of art if they choose to sit on the property and allow no access to it from the world at large, and are behaving as the Miser from Aesop's namesake fable who hoarded gold he refused to actually spend, thus ironically making it completely worthless in practice. For example, 3D Realms still offers all their old DOS titles (most notably Rise of the Triad) for sale from their website, and as such they're very difficult to find on abandonware sites. Many abandonware websites maintain a semblance of good faith by refusing to allow download of any game still being offered for sale and will voluntarily remove titles if contacted by a publisher. Now, websites such as Abandonia exist to allow people to play once again games that they used to have for their old 386 but can no longer be purchased in retail or directly from the publisher. Prior to the internet, the only way to find abandonware was to to make and share physical copies. ![]()
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