<
https://www.timeextension.com/features/we-might-be-about-to-lose-a-powerful-force-in-the-world-of-video-game-preservation>
'"Currently, in our bank account, we have £2100 (around $2800). It's not even
enough to pay the rent for one month," explains Joseph Redon, head of the
Japanese Game Preservation Society. He's describing the end of the non-profit
organisation he set up in 2011 with the aim of properly safeguarding Japanese
gaming history before it is lost forever.
The GPS has successfully preserved thousands of Japanese games—including many
floppy discs, which have a finite lifespan—and related media, such as magazines
and books. Honorary members of the society include Tomohiro Nishikado (creator
of
Space Invaders), Yuzo Koshiro (
Streets of Rage composer), Yoshio Kiya
(
Dragon Slayer,
Sorcerian) and Tokihiro Naito (creator of
Hydlide)—yet,
despite attracting the support of such legendary figures and operating in one
of the world's most influential nations when it comes to interactive
entertainment, the organisation is on its last legs.
"I'm paying 25% of the rent," reveals Redon. "Meaning we are already virtually
out of business. We have monthly supporters but are losing between £260 and
£420 every month. So when you do the maths, we are completely out of cash in
September. And a non-profit organization cannot be out of cash. We're then out
of business. What we really need is to bring in at least £750 every month. It's
not that much if it's 400 people giving £2 a month. Some people might give
more, so we need 300 people to become supporters so that we can stay afloat.
Otherwise, we shut the laboratory and won't have a place to do preservation or
archiving. It's the end of the adventure."'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
