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[Pixel_Crusher]

So yeah, first post. Not sure if this is the right place to start a topic like this, but given my concern for the indie gaming scene in general, I felt that I just had to do it here.

So for many years, the internet has sites like Redump.org, No-Intro and The Software Preservation Society handling the preservation of commercially released games from systems such as the PlayStation, Super Nintendo and Commodore Amiga. They only store game hashes, not the actual games, so piracy isn't a concern.

Thanks to these projects, many games for many of these systems are bound to be enjoyed for many generations of gamers to come, but most importantly, they serve as a way of preserving and documenting the history of gaming as we know for many years to come.

Then I thoguht to myself: "But what about free and commercial indie games?"

Since 2006, I've been enjoing a great deal of what many amateur programmers have been putting out for free or for sale on the internet, games that not only manage to be fascinating endeavors into the realms of gaming, but also, have managed to start some sort of a movement I ilke to call the indie renaissance. These people and their games have developed a rightfull place in the history of gaming which I believe it deserves to be as equally preserved as any profissionally made commercial product out there.

As of late, I've noticed that some indie PC games have been lost in the sands of time forever and that mekes me feel really sad given on how it always represents a loss (no matter how small) in the indie community.

When you look at it, indie gaming trascends back to the times of the ZX Spectrum! So, while it would be a colossal task to start a project like this entirely to indie games, I believe it would allow for a long term preservation of what has made this community so special to many and allowed its slow exposure to the mainstream gaming market of nowadays.

It as always been my dream to see something like this come into fruitition, yet unfortunatly, I lack the time and resources for such, and I've never heard of any projects that seems to be striving for these goals.

So, to my fellow indie gamers and developers out there, I make here a plea for your opinion regarding this situation and of what we could do together as the community we are to make this dream of mine for everyone and our legacy to come true.

[Pixel_Crusher]

C'mon you guys, 105 views and not a single reply? 

Surely there must be someone here willing to share their thoughts on the matter. I for one would like to hear your opinions on this.

[Mipe]

Well, when I saw the title, I first thought "uh, does that include all that shovelware?". Face it, there are far too many titles to even bat eyelashes at, let alone store them in a somewhat organized manner.

The good titles remain afloat. There are those people who tend to keep their favorite games somewhere to be unearthed by their grandchildren. The not-so-good titles... well, let 'em sink, I say.

[Udderdude]

I know there was a blog I ran into at one point that documented and attempted to locate lost freeware/indie games, but ironically I forgot what it was ..

[effete_denizen]

 A month or so ago I went to an event called Game City Nights and it focused almost entirely on game preservation and brought up Indies and homebrew preservation. I think there is a project underway to archive them, but as Mipe said, that is a huge amount of ground to cover.

 I've been trying to dig up the details for you but no luck so far.

 Here's their homepage, might help.

 http://nights.gamecity.org/

[sergiocornaga]

I know there was a blog I ran into at one point that documented and attempted to locate lost freeware/indie games, but ironically I forgot what it was ..

http://missinggames.tumblr.com/

[tnr]

I think a indie game preservation project is a fantastic idea, at least for freeware games. I know that I keep the installers and other files related to all the freeware games I download that I like, or that I think other people may like, and I tend to hunt down the zip files of games whose websites and developers have disappeared as well... so I'd probably submit stuff to it if it were created.