Diminutive Diatribes: The Power of Goodwill

            With net neutrality being an issue at the moment, I'm reminded of the simple statements of Nash Bozard who said that, without goodwill, we will abandon a company the instant we are able.  He was referring to the abysmal business practices of ISPs and how they have frustrated and abused their customers to the points where the instant they are not needed, their customers will toss them aside.  Well, it's the same with game companies.

Shouldn't game companies do the same?

            Goodwill is kind of an essential thing in this era of gaming, where prices are higher, income is lower, and the options are much larger.  In the 80s and 90s, you had only a few options for play, namely Nintendo, Sega, PC, or perhaps a third party console like the Turbo Grafx.  But now, we have dozens of digital distribution websites, 3 major consoles, 3 backlogs of consoles from the previous generations, and not to mention handhelds.  There are literally hundreds if not thousands of games being released every month, in some way shape or form.  So, with that many options, you have to hold onto your fans with as much vigor as you can muster, not push them away or squeeze them dry with shady business tactics.  Because a fan whom you have treated well will stick with you through thick and thin.  They'll forgive a few botched experiments, so long as you let them know you respect and care about their business.

The options we have here are staggering.

            A good example of this is Nintendo.  Nintendo has made several unusual choices in gaming in the last decade or so.  They released the Gamecube with a distinctly child-like/toyish design, they made motion control a core part of the Wii and the Wii U is meant to emulate tablet gaming.  These experimentations might push away core fans if not for the simple fact that 90% of the time, when you buy a Nintendo game, you know you buy quality.  Nintendo may not french kiss all their fans and they've made their share of mistakes, but in the age of buggy launches, early access, and outright scams via Kickstarter or Steam, it's refreshing to pick up a Mario or Zelda game and know that 1) it will work right out of the box, no patches necessary, 2) it will be a high quality experience, regardless of any experimentation, and 3) it will be accessible by almost anyone.  Fans love Nintendo because they continue to give them quality, even if the games themselves sometimes seem to repeat.  More than that, Nintendo has also generated a pseudo culture around itself, where it appears friendly, offering fans rewards via the Nintendo Club and basically making themselves seem approachable.

You bought a Nintendo game?  Come on up and pick your reward!

            On the other hand, let's look at Steam, of late.  Steam used to be a great example of a company that understood and generated goodwill with its customers.  They have frequent sales of their games and until about 2011-2012, the products released on Steam were of proven quality.  They could have bugs or patches, but they were still strong, enjoyable games that were well worth the money.  However, recently, Steam has started to become unstable.  They have released a glut of shovelware titles onto their marketplace, which, with this new influx of trash, has become harder to navigate to find the quality items, their early access releases have no quality control so a game can be for sale at full price that is effectively broken or released as a scam to take money, and their attempt at getting new, innovative products through Greenlight has been a rather depressing failure, with some games being inspiring, such as Octodad, Bunny Must Die, or La-Mulana, while other releases have been appalling disasters, such as Guise of the Wolf which is laughably bad in every way and Kingdom Rush, which was so bugged upon release that it was unwinnable past level 3.  Worse, when you start abusing your customers like this, policies that you've implemented that weren't a big deal before start becoming more apparent.  The sometimes intrusive, sometimes not DRM Steam uses to both protect your games, but also monitor you, the no refund policy under most circumstances, and the abusable comment and review systems are only a few.  When compared to GoG, which will offer refunds if your game does not work, which frequently gives out free, classic games, and which still uses a high level of quality control, coupled with DRM free titles, Steam starts to seem less and less reliable.  And if they continue, they may lose many of their regular customers to GoG, Desura, or Green Man Gaming.

Oh, Steam...what have you been letting into your inner circle?

            Now, let's look at one of the worst.  EA.  EA has frequently screwed over its customers with DRM through online passes, released buggy games, such as Simcity, which was unplayable offline at all and unplayable online for the first few weeks, and forced players to register with their online service Origin if they want access to EA's games.  These kinds of policies push consumers away and have been lampooned by people far wittier than me(See Yahtzee Croshaw or Jim Sterling.)  The sad truth is that EA doesn't value its customers.  Apologists might argue otherwise, but EA sees them as a way of making a quick profit and will do anything to get more money, such as including micro-transactions in a full price game, forcing DRM to try and shut out pirates, and releasing games too early in order to gain some quick profits.  They may be pretty big, but EA has also dealt with a lot of controversy.  Lawsuits over Battlefield 4, the outcry and hilarious media disaster that was Simcity, piracy STILL happening despite their best efforts to force consumers to prove their loyalty, etc.  If these continue, EA will lose customers...they've already been losing customers.  A franchise players love will only care a company so far.

Need I say more about EA?

            My point with this is to try and emphasize the obvious.  If a company abuses its customers, even if the abuse is something as minor as releasing a buggy game that lacks polish, then they are risking losing them.  You have to engender goodwill in your consumers if you want them to be loyal.  Elder Scrolls fans have cried foul of Bethesda on many occasions because of the bugs, but mostly forgive the series because of how deep, enjoyable, and moddable it is.  Elder Scrolls Online has pushed that, requiring a sixty dollar commitment, a fifteen dollar further commitment if they want to play the game at all after buying it, and the option of using real money to buy things like horses.  They have cast aside a lot of goodwill there.  Likewise, Konami and Kojima productions are risking reprisal when Metal Gear Solid 5 gets released due to their $40 demo sold under the title, Metal Gear Solid 5 Ground Zeroes.  Sales may be strong now, but the internet remembers...the internet remembers and it does not always forgive.

75 dollar entry fee...was Elder Scrolls Online worth it?  Goodwill, wasted, needlessly.

            Even companies like Nintendo need to be aware of how they COULD be engendering more goodwill.  Mother fans would bow down and welcome their new god, Nintendo, if they announced the release of Mother 3.  RPG fans the world over and nostalgia buffs would flock to the Wii U if cult hits like Rygar, Terranigma, and other titles would grace the Virtual Console.  And Nintendo isn't above mistakes either...the Retro Remix games they have released is dangling dangerously close to cash in, with links to the Virtual Console to buy the full version of the sample game that you can play.

I've got my eye on you, Nintendo...

            In the age of dwindling sales, game companies need, more than ever, to be willing to bow their heads, take a little bit of a pay cut here and there, and say to their fans, "Thank you for sticking with us."  The truth is, we don't have as much money, but we do have more games and more options for buying and playing them.  Hell, it's at the point where we don't even need to pay games, since something like Hearthstone or Loadout are free to play with no required buy in.

100% free to play.

            So, what can companies do to let gamers know they care?  Well, first, they can be straight with them.  Be honest if you're having problems.  Don't hide it and push your buggy game onto the market.  Say you need more time...say it might not be up to snuff...gamers will respect you more for being honest than for trying to pretend things are okay when they're clearly not. 

A little honesty might have made this less painful, Gearbox...

            Next, companies can talk to gamers like people.  Communicate not corporation to consumer, but gamer to gamer or developer to gamer.  One thing Kickstarter does well is it allows the creators of games to directly talk with and engage their fans in updates and comments.  It wouldn't be that hard to implement for anyone who's bought a game digitally.  No cryptic salesman bull crap, but just talk like a normal person.  Hell, even a regular podcast would do wonders for PR. 

            Another good way to engender goodwill is freebies that aren't just being held back or that aren't just shovelware.  Think about what would happen if Sega gave a Steam gift code to one of their titles on Steam, like Beyond Oasis, Vectorman, or the Sonic games, with each new purchase of a current game.  Fans might not use them...but they might.  They'd remember that a good game was given to them, even if it was old.  And what does that cost Sega?  Nothing.  It's a digital game made years ago.  There's no real overhead.  Extras in game packages that AREN'T collector's editions also work well with this.  Soundtracks, figurines, posters, anything that makes a gamer feel like they're getting more than their money's worth is smart and a good way to engender goodwill.

Still awesome years later, an easy way to earn kudos points with gamers.  Give it to them for free.

            Probably the best way to make gamers love you?  Listen to them and give them what they want.  Not in terms of game design I mean, since then we'd get more and more Call of Duty Clones, but for example, many Konami fans miss Suikoden or the Metroidvania style Castlevania games.  So, give them one.  If you can't make a new Suikoden game, for whatever reason, make the older ones more accessible.  Suikoden 2 is STILL awaiting release on the PSN...if it had been released 4 years ago, when the service was getting going, Konami would have been heaped with praise.  Now, we're just praying it doesn't get cancelled.  And these games?  Yeah, you might take a little loss on them at first, but think about all the people you will hold onto because you said, "We listen and we care."

C'mon, Konami, stop dragging your feet...

            The smaller things a game company can do to generate more goodwill is to not take advantage of the goodwill they've already got.  See, goodwill is like money in a bank.  It accrues interest the longer you have it and don't spend it.  If you keep getting goodwill, or even if you just don't abuse that goodwill, it will deliver in spades.  So, don't release buggy games if possible.  Don't force DRM.  Don't make on disc DLC.  Don't hold back content so you can release it AS DLC.  If you just release a game and put your all into it, you'll earn goodwill...and even if you don't, you won't squander it by abusing your consumers.

            I just wanted to write this up to remind people that sometimes, you need to play the long game.  Goodwill is like an investment.  You won't see an immediate return on it, but if you want to retire...it's a good thing to have.  It will keep making money even if you start to stumble or lose your way because you have respected and stood by your fans and they will, in turn, stand by you.  Companies need to take note, before it's too late.  You might make your money now, but sooner rather than later, your fans will abandon you when a new company, one that respects or at least doesn't abuse its players as much, joins the scene.  If you don't get people who will stand with you...then you'll have no one to help you when it all comes crashing down.

Not even great Galactus can do it alone...

            Woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.

                                                                                                - Ecclesiastes 4:10

Diminutive Diatribes: Hardware Laments and The Future of Old Games...

Guys, gonna be honest, I am just dead this weekend.  I've worked myself too hard, taken a huge exam on Saturday, and been going through a lot of stress and emotional whosits and whatsits.  So...sadly, no creator spotlight this week.  I did write up a little something for you all though, so enjoy.  Fingers crossed we get back to our regularly scheduled program next week.

Diminutive Diatribes: Hardware Laments and The Future of Old Games...

            It's fair to say that nostalgia is a big thing in video gaming.  The resurgence of the 16-bit and 8-bit pixel art style in video games, chiptunes, emulation, virtual console, everything points to the fact that we have an infatuation with games from our past.  And this can be for various reasons.  Sometimes it's purely rose tinted glasses, where a bad game felt good because we played it when we were younger and needed it as an outlet.  Sometimes it really was very polished, because with the limited memory of the 8 and 16-bit eras, you had to have a focused, polished game, because there were no patches and you wanted to build brand loyalty.  However, I've often asked the question, what happens to our old games as time goes on?

What happens to our old games when there is no one to play or love them?

            Now, since nostalgia is popular, software itself is not necessarily something to be afraid of losing.  Clone consoles of the NES or SNES are available, right now, to play original or reproduction copies of old games.  Software that was originally only built to run on DOS is being retooled by GOG so that even a Windows 7 machine can run Math Blaster or King's Quest.  We have an almost infinite number of roms for emulation software available, ostensibly, for free on the internet.  So, that part of old gaming will actually never die.  It will be around in some form or another for as long as our digital age lasts.  However, there are some things that...concern me.

They save as many games as they can, but even GOG can't do everything.

            Has anyone ever watched the Angry Video Game Nerd and seen him have to fiddle with the Atari 2600 or the Magnavox Odyssey or the Action Max?  Those games have hardware components that make them nearly impossible to play on a traditional LCD flat screen television.  The display is off and the games with them seldom work properly...you need an old CRT television, which is what the machines were originally designed to work on.  These games are, for all intents and purposes, doomed to fall prey to the march of progress, where sooner or later the components that are necessary for them to work will simply no longer exist.  CRTs will be phased out or replacement parts, like the cable box for the Odyssey, will no longer be made.  For me...that's kind of scary.  And not just because of old gaming either.

When the Angry Video Game Nerd reviewed Pong Consoles, the game was the machine...so if the machine was broken, you were flat out of luck.  That's what scares me about our modern games...

            In the modern era, hardware has become a big seller of games, not just on graphical prowess, but on the promise of a new experience.  The Wii, Playstation Move, and Microsoft's Kinect all act upon the idea of motion controls.  While we're in the present era, few people have given any thought to whether or not these games, good or bad, will ever be unplayable because we will be unable to find the component parts needed to make them work or properly emulate said component parts on another platform, like a PC.  However, this is a very real concern that people need to be aware of.

A huge misstep, in my opinion.

            With the axing of backwards compatibility in the Playstation 4 and Xbox One era of gaming, this leaves a number of games in limbo.  For example, many early games on the PS3 used the sixaxis motion controls of the proprietary Playstation controllers to create key features in their games, such as Ratchet and Clank Future's tornado weapon, which was controlled by tilting the controller, Lair's dragon flying which functioned in the same way, or a personal favorite of mine, Folklore, which used the tilting of the controller to rip souls out of enemies.  Tell me, what happens when the PS3 becomes an antique in say, 20 years, and all the sixaxis controllers are broken?  Folklore would be left in the dust bin, unplayable because we lack the proprietary software.

To pull out the soul, you must tilt it into the proper alignment with the sixaxis controller in Folklore.  What happens when there are no more sixaxis controllers?

            So, I want people to take a minute and think about all the hardware gimmicks being pushed down our throats.  We bemoan many of them but at the same time, if we have any games amongst those that we like, we could be out of luck when the hardware stops working.  Think about how difficult it is for an emulation program to run a rom.  It basically copies the hardware settings on a PC that existed for the said console and maps the controls to the keyboard or a USB controller.  Relatively simple.  However, how can you tell a PC to handle gyroscopic motion controls?  How can you tell a PC to recognize a slash or a swipe with the controller for Dragon Quest Swords?  How do you tell a PC to tilt this way or that in a game?  This is harder, because the only real way to simulate it, at present, is with hardware, either the proprietary hardware or a similar cloned version.  Even if we don't like some of the hardware tricks, like the 3DS's 3d...this may be the only generation which gets to experience them.  I'd say treasure the unique experiences and try to preserve them, because for lots of gaming, the future is hardware failure and abandonment, avoiding complete oblivion only through the graces of youtube and wikipedia.

Don't take it for granted.  When it's gone, it might never come back.

            I don't have an answer for this problem other than be aware and try to preserve so that if we ever need to make a clone console or whatever, we can, but I also don't want to end this on such a downer.  The idea that swathes of games could be lost to the future because they are tied to a special piece of hardware that no one makes anymore is terribly sad...however, some savy gamers are trying to find ways around it.

            Software is a versatile thing and many hackers and programmers try to work around issues that the hardware had.  This can be shown through the creation of clone consoles and the like, but also with certain special projects online.  The BS Legend of Zelda project is an excellent example of this.  The BS Legend of Zelda games were three titles, technically four but let's not get into that, released only in Japan for the Satellaview, an add-on to the Super Famicom.  The Satellaview was a great example of a hardware system that we couldn't carry into the future, because it relied on satellite broadcasts for the games to work.  Orchestral music, game data, and live voices would be transmitted via the satellites and arrive at your console.  However, when service for the Satellaview cancelled and the satellites stopped transmitting, many games on it were thought either lost to time or to the few savy collectors who made back ups on blank cartridges.  Some savy hackers, however, managed to find the code for the Legend of Zelda games on Satellaview and repair the missing code, putting in a soundtrack for the music and adding cues to make up for the voices.  It's now available, online, right here.  And BS Zelda wasn't the only one.  Other games, like the fantastic Radical Dreamers were also saved through the use of the internet.

On the left, we have the NES Zelda, on the right the BS Legend of Zelda from Satellaview.  So glad this was saved ^_^

            Hope isn't dead yet for old games that rely on hardware.  As we advance into the future, some hackers or programmers realize the value of certain control schemes and can create mods or whole programs to simulate them.  The Logitech USB controller, for example, has a special program which not only lets you customize controls for PC games, even ones without controllers support, but can also simulate mouse movement with the analogue sticks.  If that is possible, perhaps even motion control could one day be simulated in our USB controllers.  Perhaps...

A miracle worker.  I've even played point and click games on this...

            While the thought of Folklore vanishing forever makes me sad, hope isn't lost.  If enough people remember and like a game and there are those who like it enough to try and fix it for the future, like the BS Zelda crew, then even hardware failures might not be the death of certain games.  We can keep them alive.

            However, the future isn't written.  We don't know if any of these hypothetical hackers will make it so we can emulate motion controls or make clone consoles of the Wii or 360 years and years down the line...and even if they could, will they?  Will they care?  So, I say take pleasure in the new experiences offered by new hardware...cause they won't be here forever.  Remember them.  Treasure them.  And try to keep their legacy alive, because I don't want us, as gamers, to lose any part of our history.  It's all valuable, even the bad parts.

What he said.

            The future isn't hopeless.  It's waiting for us to create...so we should try and create one worth living in.  A future where hardware laments don't exist, and old games are just as new as the day they were released, 30-50 years previously.

Ownership of Digital Games: When the Servers Come Down

            I love my game collection.  All told, I’ve probably got over 300 game discs, cartridges, and the like.  Even more if you think about my collection of digital games.  But…are the games I “own” online really mine?  For that matter, digital distribution brings up a whole slew of issues that I think need to be addressed, especially in light of the idea that companies are no longer selling games but “licenses” to play games.  This may be a newsflash to some game companies…but that is one of the worst ways to market your games.

            I’ve grown to be quite fond of Steam and Good Old Games or GOG, in recent years and I think digital distribution can do wonders for bringing games to the masses.  That said…well, let me run a quick scenario by you.  Picture this: It’s long after society has ended and you’re holed up inside a tiny shack that’s about to be overrun by mutated humans and all you’ve got with you is a tiny generator, a TV, and enough gasoline for an hour of power.  If you still had a physical copy of Super Mario Bros and an NES, you could still get in one or two last speed runs before the end.  If you’d only bought digital games though, you’d be screwed, since the servers would have all collapsed.  This leads me to my first major issue with digital distribution services like Steam and GOG.  Server issues.

The best in digital distribution of video games

 I’m not referring to the kind of server issues such as overcrowding with Diablo 3 or cheaters on Battlefield 3.  I’m actually referring to the fact that when an online game server is taken down because it’s no longer profitable or active enough to make money the entire game becomes unplayable and all the hours and investment players have put in amounts to naught.  Ironically, this is an issue I have already discussed at Suite101, which can be found here.  So, rather than repeating myself, I’ve decided to delve into a deeper issue with severs that actually worries me a great deal and which not many people have addressed.  The servers that handle digital distribution.

Annoying, but not what we're talking about this time

 I love Steam and I’m not the only one.  It’s a platform for indie game developers to make a tidy profit off their work without having to bend over backward for corporate approval.  The frequent Steam sales are great for promoting lesser known games and DLC.  The ability for the service to remember games also helps with computer space as players can always delete a game they’ve beaten then re-download it later if they’re short on disc space.  Steam is a fantastic service that caters to its customers and has earned their loyalty because of it.  However…what happens when the servers go down?

I may be a big proponent of Steam, but I’m not so arrogant as to say that Valve and Steam will be around forever.  Someday they may go bankrupt, retire their service, or become subsumed by a larger corporation that wants to axe the gaming division.  All of these are real possibilities.  Or worse yet, there could be an act of cyber terrorism or a massive power failure which wipes out their servers.  So…if that ever occurs, what happens to the hundreds, nay, thousands of dollars that Steam patrons may have put into the service?  How will Valve know who has bought what?  How can people redeem their games if they’re no longer remembered?  And since a lot of Steam games require a connection to the Steam servers to update or play, this could leave people who still have games downloaded unable to play games they’ve paid for.  It’s a real issue that very few people seem to have addressed at length.  It covers the idea of owning a digital game and just what rights we have as consumers.

Well, at least Steam makes you FEEL like you own your digital games...

 I’m not trying to say Valve is at fault with this or that they’re unprepared.  Knowing Valve and their record of customer service, they probably have backup files to know which users bought what and will reimburse them if any calamity happens.  However…Steam isn’t the only game in town for digital distribution and re-downloadable titles.  EA’s Origin, GOG, Nintendo’s virtual console, the PSN, and dozens of other smaller stores employ a similar model to Steam’s.  Are they prepared for the worst?

Society keeps pushing towards digital distribution and live streaming of almost all our media and people like David Jaffe have gone on record stating that within the next ten years, video game consoles will be obsolete and all games will be streamed through computers or televisions.  While this does, on paper, seem like a great thing, I question the server issues.  Digital distribution means cheaper games, more space, and the possibility of no longer needing top of the line computers or consoles to actually play games.  It could revolutionize the gaming world.  But what happens when the servers crash?  Will we lose everything?  Will we be reimbursed?  These are real issues that some companies need to think about.

Behold digital distribution.  The future of gaming.

             I’m not saying that people need to be sent out an annual ticket with all the games they’ve bought up to that point so that they can redeem it in case of a disaster, as that could lead to dishonest practices amongst consumers, but there are alternatives.  Linking up these digital distribution sites to email, facebook, twitter, or the like could guarantee that there are multiple records on file for emergencies.  There is also some merit in old fashioned printed records which are not in danger of being destroyed by cyber terrorism or the like. 

These issues I’m bringing up will crop up sooner or later on a massive scale, such as the disaster Sony faced when they were hacked by Anonymous, and companies need to be prepared.  Some publishers might see such an incident as free money, as thousands if not millions of players would have to re-buy their favorite games.  But if they don’t feel like they own them, they probably won’t buy them again.  And worse, they won’t trust the publisher enough to buy any of their future games.  This will hurt the industry as a whole and in order to advance into the age of digital distribution, publishers and developers need to stop looking at games as “theirs” which they are selling the license to use.  Because if they don’t they’re not going to scare off pirates, win new customers, or retain their consumer base.  They’re going to create a new generation of people who distrust the publisher and feel it is their right to pirate a game simply because they’re going to be screwed out of their money eventually.

Yeah, EA?  Being evil and corporate is all well and good, but if you're not gonna value you your customers, you won't survive.

            Before I finish up my thoughts on this topic, I’d like to explore one more issue in relationship to digital ownership.  You see, most people view games that they’ve paid for as theirs and feel justified in having access to them at all times and control over how they are used.  So, when someone throws in the towel with gaming, they don’t usually don’t want to be left with a bunch of games they’ll never play.  In that situation, what can people do with their games?”  Well, if they have a storage room of game cartridges or discs, they can sell them online, give them to friends, bequeath them to their children, etc.  So…what happens with the digital games someone “owns” if they decide they want to quit gaming?  Can they resell them?  Probably not.  Get trade in credit towards the Steam store or its equivalent?  Again, also probably not since digital copies are able to be made with the press of a button rather than having to deal with the manufacturing process which is expensive and has made used games such an appealing proposition.  This hurts the idea of ownership, perhaps even more so than server issues, even if it might be far less widespread.

            This issue will inevitably need to be resolved, since not all gamers stay gamers until the day they die.  And many will want to find a way to deal with all their games that they have paid for when the time to stop playing rolls around.  Companies who can figure out a solution to this will likely hold customers in the palm of their hand and foster a fiercely loyal consumer base.  For example, if a grandfather decides to close out his Steam account for good and asks that his games be distributed to his family and friends, Steam should comply since at one point, the games were paid for and if he closes his account he can’t play them anymore anyway.  Likewise, if a person decides they want to sell the games they have stored on Steam, Steam should let them.  It can take a portion of the profit, certainly, but it would be a way to give more control to the consumers, and give more money back to gamers who have grown tired of gaming or have little money to begin with.

Gamers won't be gamers forever.  What happens when Grandma wants to put the wiimote down?

 Control is the name of the game.  And I have a feeling that Valve will be leading the charge in this area.  It’s similar to other gamers who don’t want to pay for a re-release of a game they already own simply because their new console isn’t backwards compatible.  They want to save money and have control over their own games.  Resolving the issues of ownership alongside the server issues will be the biggest hurdle, I believe, to the oncoming age of digital distribution.  And this issue can’t be swept under the rug or hidden within a service agreement for the digital service.  If companies start doing that, gamers will take notice and they will abandon the service in droves.

            The advent of digital distribution was slow in coming over the world, but it has become far more prolific in recent years and new services are being created everyday to offer digital games and movies that can be sold to people everywhere.  However, issues like those I’ve mentioned above are in the long term and don’t seem to be addressed by mainstream gaming.  The idea that someday Steam could go down and I could lose all my games terrifies me.  And the thought that someday I might want to bequeath my games to my kids from Steam but that they won’t just to squeeze a few extra dollars out of me(which I doubt Steam would do, but just saying) enrages me.  These kinds of down the line issues need to be addressed sooner rather than later, as gamers are getting older and digital distribution is becoming more prevalent by the day.  I’m not going to say that none of these issues have been tackled yet, as I don’t know what goes on in Valve, EA, GOG, or the like behind closes doors, but it seems like its received scant publication, so…this is my contribution to the server issue and the idea of owning a digital game.  I hope it gives people both inside and outside the industry something to think about.

Once again, the images used here were collected around the internet.  If anyone is offended or dissatisfied with how I have used their images, please let me know and I will take them down immediately.