Why Piracy Fears are Keeping Some Researchers from Accessing the Games They Need ["Academics want to research games from wherever they are, but the ESA is fighting back."]
Why Piracy Fears are Keeping Some Researchers from Accessing the Games They Need ["Academics want to research games from wherever they are, but the ESA is fighting back."]
Last month, the Software Preservation Network (SPN) made arguments in support of a Digital Millennium Copyright Act amendment that would allow libraries to bypass digital locks on video games so that academics and credentialed researchers could study them. But the games industry is fighting back.
man, some of those comments really got under my skin.
Like, they were so insensitive to the issue and dismissive it was honestly pretty alarming. Like they couldn't understand why you can't just go and buy a copy of an unpopular NES game, or why academic study is even a good thing. Like, these are the illiterate, inbred stereotypes that resent having to do book reports because 'they don't read good'. It'd be comical if it wasn't alarming.
The games industry already uses people with psychology degrees to come up with ways of tricking your brain into wanting more or other ways of manipulation to coax you into certain paths in the game; how can they not see the value of more research on games that may lead to more bullshit like that? 🤷🏻♂️