Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023
English News
  • Hyderabad
  • Telangana
  • AP News
  • India
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Science and Tech
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rewind
  • ...
    • NRI
    • View Point
    • cartoon
    • Columns
    • Education Today
    • Reviews
    • Property
    • Videos
    • Lifestyle
E-Paper
  • NRI
  • View Point
  • cartoon
  • Columns
  • Reviews
  • Education Today
  • Property
  • Videos
  • Lifestyle
Home | Features | What Happens When Games Are Taken Off Life Support

What happens when games are taken off life support

When a game is no longer operational one can still play if it has offline component. However, online games simply vanish as there are no servers to log on to

By Aditya Deshbandhu
Updated On - 12:11 AM, Mon - 7 June 21
What happens when games are taken off life support
It is important to consider that it is not just unsuccessful games but also successful ones that die over time as players move on to newer games or hardware.
whatsapp facebook twitter telegram

In the early days, when games were new and gaming devices were still aspirations, games were possessions that could be passed on. From one player to another and so on, sometimes they were part of trades or makeweights in barter deals as players searched for new games to play.

However, not all games sold and that is where this journey begins; this week we try to uncover what happens to them.

The history in this case is twofold, one when games were products and available on physical media like cartridges, floppy disks, compact disks (CDs) and memory cards and secondly, when games are services and available via remote server locations from a variety of app-stores.

Despite, the minimal cost for showcasing a game on a digital app store, an unsold game still consumes valuable screen retail space and bandwidth thus it will eventually begin to be dropped as new games arrive.

When games were sold physically, publishers would often take drastic measures to get rid of unsold inventory. The most infamous of these was Atari digging landfills in New Mexico to bury innumerable copies of the ET game, often considered to be one of the worst games ever made.

Thankfully, things have changed since then, but digital games need servers and upkeep. If games have multiplayer dimensions they need extra services for matchmaking, software to prevent cheating and additional services to keep the whole process seamless. Thus, when a publisher decides to close the virtual doors of a game it is not just deleting it from an app store but stopping all support services that made it playable as well.

When a game is no longer operational you might still be able to play it if it has an offline component, in the case of online games though, they simply vanish as there are no servers to log on to. It is important to consider that it is not just unsuccessful games that die but also successful ones over time as players move on to newer games or hardware.

Recently, there were protests from gamers when Sony decided to close the digital stores that sold games for older consoles. While the protests would indicate that there are players willing to buy games for those systems, the revenue might not have been enough to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the stores. These decisions are difficult to make as games sometimes have endless repayable value but ecosystems may not.

Games as experiences often leave us with wonderful bits of nostalgia and recalling specific instances can spur us to search and load an old title. When that moment does happen and a favourite game refuses to load up or just vanishes, remember sometimes games pass on to the afterlife as well.


Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .


 

Telangana Today Whatsapp
  • Follow Us :
  • Tags
  • Atari
  • cartridges
  • compact disks
  • ET game

Related News

  • Study suggests digital puzzle games can boost memory in older adults

    Study suggests digital puzzle games can boost memory in older adults

  • Check out this unique bowling competition in Hyderabad  

    Check out this unique bowling competition in Hyderabad  

  • Man detained at Delhi airport for carrying 19 live cartridges

    Man detained at Delhi airport for carrying 19 live cartridges

  • As the mercury soars: What to consider when gaming in summer?

    As the mercury soars: What to consider when gaming in summer?

  • Game On: Why study Video Games?

    Game On: Why study Video Games?

  • Game On: Review of Beecarbonize, a free to playcard-based game

    Game On: Review of Beecarbonize, a free to playcard-based game

Latest News

  • Khalistan supporters hold protest outside Indian Consulate in Vancouver

    13 seconds ago
  • “Terrorists have found safe haven in Canada”: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry

    5 mins ago
  • Brazilian President Lula to undergo hip surgery, will work from home for 3 weeks

    11 mins ago
  • US: Vivek Ramaswamy proposes Zero-Base Federal Budgeting

    15 mins ago
  • Asian Games: Bhavani Devi makes it to pre-quarters, fuels hope of maiden medal in fencing

    20 mins ago
  • Pak squad receive visas 48 hours before flying out to India for ODI World Cup

    24 mins ago
  • Telangana: RTA earns Rs 55 crore through auction of fancy numbers in 8 months

    35 mins ago
  • Art-Flow Movement paves way for collaborative artistic expression in Hyderabad

    55 mins ago

company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

business

  • Subscribe

telangana today

  • Telangana
  • Hyderabad
  • Latest News
  • Entertainment
  • World
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Science & Tech
  • Sport

follow us

© Copyrights 2022 TELANGANA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD. All rights reserved. Powered by Veegam