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General discussionGOG 2022 update #3: The future that comes from the past(130 posts)(130 posts)
(130 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted April 06, 2022
Through the years, as GOG evolved, we explored many directions, and developed in ways that supported the needs presented by them. As mentioned in the first 2022 update, one of the things we’d like to do this year is to come back to our classic games roots, with the knowledge and experience that we gained during GOG’s existence.

Originally, GOG stood for Good Old Games. The idea for the company was born from the wish to play older games in a legal and easy-to-use way. As the classic games hold a special place in our heart, we’d like to devote more attention to highlighting them. It means that our goal is for GOG to become, once again, the best place for the classic PC games.

Our job isn’t to simply release the games that are already on the market. It’s to make them available to everyone - that oftentimes means fixing them, and making sure that they will run on the modern systems that you have. So far we achieved that by our internal work, and various cooperations with DOSBox or ScummVM, among others. Did you know there are a few titles on GOG that the DOSBox crew prepared special, dedicated versions of their great software? Our efforts to bring back some of the beloved games go beyond technical fixes.



In some cases, we also have to solve various legal contrivances to be able to release the games, as some of the rights and ownerships have been lost to time. Some of the titles that can be enjoyed thanks to these efforts are: Diablo + Hellfire, Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper Gold™, Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition, System Shock: Enhanced Edition, and of course the main star of today - The Wheel of Time, to which we added modern OS compatibility and hi-res support.

To help those classic games shine again, and get discovered by more people, we also do our best to support our releases with initiatives like Throwback Thursday, interviews with developers and other ways to look behind the scenes. If you like to collect the extra goodies connected to the games, such as guidebooks, wallpapers, concept arts and much more, there is a good chance that some of the ones you’ve gotten on GOG are thanks to our cooperation with The Video Game History Foundation.

But you know most of this already – so what’s next?! The newest development in the area of classics’ visibility and discoverability is the revival of Good Old Games concept. We’re starting with adding the “Good Old Game” tag, which will showcase over 500 games that our Team has deemed iconic classics – games that are older than 10 years and are critically acclaimed, stand the test of time, defined certain mechanics, or simply created new genres. You’ll find there games like Bioshock, Baldur’s Gate, Fallout or Gothic. Of course, this is in part our subjective choice, but we hope to inspire you to check them out for yourselves, have fun with them, and see if you agree with our assessment.



Why did we decide to pivot in this direction? Because we believe that celebrating and preserving classic games is important. They have the power to connect generations. They have the power to evoke nostalgia. They have the power to teach us about what came before and shaped the games we enjoy today. And they deserve to be remembered, and available for everyone to enjoy.

This is just another step to give Good Old Games a well-deserved spot on GOG. The invitation is here and it’s waiting for you! Rediscover with us the games that have been universally loved or search for hidden gems that didn’t get their time in the spotlight. Whatever you choose, we commit to bringing you the best classics experience out there: playable offline, compatible with new OSs, packed with additional digital goodies, and with the ability to back up anywhere at any time to ensure that the games we offer are playable for years to come.
Posted April 06, 2022
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GOG.com: Through the years, as GOG evolved, we explored many directions, and developed in ways that supported the needs presented by them. As mentioned in the first 2022 update, one of the things we’d like to do this year is to come back to our classic games roots, with the knowledge and experience that we gained during GOG’s existence.

Originally, GOG stood for Good Old Games. The idea for the company was born from the wish to play older games in a legal and easy-to-use way. As the classic games hold a special place in our heart, we’d like to devote more attention to highlighting them. It means that our goal is for GOG to become, once again, the best place for the classic PC games.

Our job isn’t to simply release the games that are already on the market. It’s to make them available to everyone - that oftentimes means fixing them, and making sure that they will run on the modern systems that you have. So far we achieved that by our internal work, and various cooperations with DOSBox or ScummVM, among others. Did you know there are a few titles on GOG that the DOSBox crew prepared special, dedicated versions of their great software? Our efforts to bring back some of the beloved games go beyond technical fixes.

In some cases, we also have to solve various legal contrivances to be able to release the games, as some of the rights and ownerships have been lost to time. Some of the titles that can be enjoyed thanks to these efforts are: Diablo + Hellfire, Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper Gold™, Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition, System Shock: Enhanced Edition, and of course the main star of today - The Wheel of Time, to which we added modern OS compatibility and hi-res support.

To help those classic games shine again, and get discovered by more people, we also do our best to support our releases with initiatives like Throwback Thursday, interviews with developers and other ways to look behind the scenes. If you like to collect the extra goodies connected to the games, such as guidebooks, wallpapers, concept arts and much more, there is a good chance that some of the ones you’ve gotten on GOG are thanks to our cooperation with The Video Game History Foundation.

But you know most of this already – so what’s next?! The newest development in the area of classics’ visibility and discoverability is the revival of Good Old Games concept. We’re starting with adding the “Good Old Game” tag, which will showcase over 500 games that our Team has deemed iconic classics – games that are older than 10 years and are critically acclaimed, stand the test of time, defined certain mechanics, or simply created new genres. You’ll find there games like Bioshock, Baldur’s Gate, Fallout or Gothic. Of course, this is in part our subjective choice, but we hope to inspire you to check them out for yourselves, have fun with them, and see if you agree with our assessment.

Why did we decide to pivot in this direction? Because we believe that celebrating and preserving classic games is important. They have the power to connect generations. They have the power to evoke nostalgia. They have the power to teach us about what came before and shaped the games we enjoy today. And they deserve to be remembered, and available for everyone to enjoy.

This is just another step to give Good Old Games a well-deserved spot on GOG. The invitation is here and it’s waiting for you! Rediscover with us the games that have been universally loved or search for hidden gems that didn’t get their time in the spotlight. Whatever you choose, we commit to bringing you the best classics experience out there: playable offline, compatible with new OSs, packed with additional digital goodies, and with the ability to back up anywhere at any time to ensure that the games we offer are playable for years to come.
Thank you all for doing this. This is history that needs to be preserved and shared. Games not only tell their own stories that can have the power to move us like an acclaimed novel or touching movie, they themselves breed new stories when we share our stories of beating a difficult boss, or the first time we saw sephiroth impale Aerith, or the joy we had playing a multiplayer game and the stories of how we would play it with friends. Games beg to be shared with others and we love to share them, just look at Twitch and YouTube!

I am a game journalist and I very much look forward to going through this curated list and reflecting on how these games have shaped not just the industry but myself as well!
Posted April 06, 2022
I don't know if games from 2012 are "Good Old Games" but I like that you're going to do more for the store than nothing. Sure there are a few simpletons who think you should focus on AAA games, but there are better stores than that with better, richer, less memory-draining Windows programs. You release something nobody else has - not something that'll go everywhere in a year like Epic - and you actually have something worth buying.
Posted April 06, 2022
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Lungkisser: I don't know if games from 2012 are "Good Old Games" but I like that you're going to do more for the store than nothing. Sure there are a few simpletons who think you should focus on AAA games, but there are better stores than that with better, richer, less memory-draining Windows programs. You release something nobody else has - not something that'll go everywhere in a year like Epic - and you actually have something worth buying.
Agreed
Posted April 06, 2022
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: The premise presented in the OP is a horrible idea IMO.

Surely the reason why GOG stopped being "Good Old Games" many years ago is because GOG's decision makers at that time realized it was an unviable business model.

But now GOG is going to re-embrace and double-down on that unviable business model?

That's still not going to work.

Only a small set of ultra hardcore niche gamers care about buying or playing ancient obsolete games on a regular basis. They may be a very vocal group here on this board, but that doesn't mean there are many of them, and it definitely doesn't mean that the collective revenue money that they deposit into GOG will be enough to sustain GOG. It won't.

What GOG should be doing is exact opposite of doubling-down on "Good Old Games."

GOG should be pursuing makers of new games, and AAA games, like Elden Ring which recently sold over 12 million copies.

On average, the kind of gamers who buy games like that en masse will take one look at the graphics of a "Good Old Game," the likes of which GOG attempts to glorify, and laugh hysterically at the prospect of being excited to buy or play such an ancient game now, in 2022.

One could argue that graphics aren't the most important thing of a game, or gamers who mostly only care about graphics are shallow, or that old games are better than new games that have up-to-date graphics & mechanics.

But even if all those arguments of "good old games" proponents are 100% true, that still doesn't change the cold hard reality that most gamers in 2022 aren't interested in "good old games."

That is why GOG should be doing it's utmost to schmooze all of the massively popular developers of fresh new games, like FromSoftware, and build a close relationship with them such that they become happy & eager to release their games on GOG.

That would be GOG's best possible hope to grow and became financially viable and lucrative.

On the other hand, GOG doubling-down on "good old games" is a financially dead end street to nowheresville, a.k.a. bankruptcy.
The only thing they are doing is adding a special tag to make it easier to search for those older games. Adding a tag does not land you in business Nowhere Ville, and if things were as bad as you have stated GOG would not had lasted as long as it did before selling new games. They already pursue new games, including early access titles.
Posted April 06, 2022
high rated
Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but if you're already trying to highlight old games and presumably going through your catalog, why not also put in tags for Dosbox and ScummVM? If I have instances of those on my system anyways, filtering for those games would be rather useful.
Posted April 06, 2022
Honestly, I don't particularly care about this. I was never upset when GOG started releasing new games because I never saw it as a reduction in the release of old games. So to me this post reads a little like they might be giving up on getting newer games (or at least not really trying to persuade pubs and devs).
Posted April 06, 2022
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wolfsite: Nice to see a re-commitment to classic games.

Will you also work on releasing classic games here that have been made free by the original developers/publishers? I do realize that they are free but many of these types of games tend to get lost on other types of sites so having GOG release and showcase would be a great way to revitalize forgotten free titles like Traffic Department 2192, Ken's Labyrinth, Blackthorne, Marathon Trilogy, The Lost Vikings, and more.
just because a game has been made free, it does not mean it is out of copyright / licencing etc. For example, two of the games on the list here (Lost Vikings and Blackthorn) are still held by Blizzard. Yes, they are offering them free via their own store, but it does not mean they allow other stores to offer them for free as well. Or the rights to Ken's Labyrinth is stilled owned by Epic. Yes it is 'abandonware', but it only means that Epic does not care if you download it from that page or not, but if another competing store offer it for free, there are legal problems.
Post edited April 06, 2022 by amok
Posted April 06, 2022
high rated
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Lungkisser: I don't know if games from 2012 are "Good Old Games" but I like that you're going to do more for the store than nothing. Sure there are a few simpletons who think you should focus on AAA games, but there are better stores than that with better, richer, less memory-draining Windows programs. You release something nobody else has - not something that'll go everywhere in a year like Epic - and you actually have something worth buying.
Old and classic can all have different meanings and timeframes depending on who you ask. It's completely fine to disagree with us that 10 years isn't old enough :) That is also why we focus on games that are critically acclaimed, stand the test of time, defined certain mechanics, or simply created new genres.
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lolplatypus: Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but if you're already trying to highlight old games and presumably going through your catalog, why not also put in tags for Dosbox and ScummVM? If I have instances of those on my system anyways, filtering for those games would be rather useful.
Thank you for your suggestion! I will forward it to the appropriate team that works on tags :)
Post edited April 06, 2022 by SmollestLight
Posted April 06, 2022
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Lungkisser: I don't know if games from 2012 are "Good Old Games" but I like that you're going to do more for the store than nothing. Sure there are a few simpletons who think you should focus on AAA games, but there are better stores than that with better, richer, less memory-draining Windows programs. You release something nobody else has - not something that'll go everywhere in a year like Epic - and you actually have something worth buying.
When I joined GOG in 2010 they most certainly had games from the year 2000, and that was back when their name actually stood for "Good Old Games". So yes, by the definition they were using when they started, games from 2012 can indeed be Good Old Games in 2022. The fact you feel otherwise is just a symptom of aging. 2012 feels more recent to me now than 2000 did in 2010.
Posted April 06, 2022
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Lungkisser: I don't know if games from 2012 are "Good Old Games" but I like that you're going to do more for the store than nothing. Sure there are a few simpletons who think you should focus on AAA games, but there are better stores than that with better, richer, less memory-draining Windows programs. You release something nobody else has - not something that'll go everywhere in a year like Epic - and you actually have something worth buying.
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SmollestLight: Old and classic can all have different meanings and timeframes depending on who you ask. It's completely fine to disagree with us that 10 years isn't old enough :) That is also why we focus on games that are critically acclaimed, stand the test of time, defined certain mechanics, or simply created new genres.
Classic by itself does not mean 'old'. a pice of work can be a classic, even though it is produced today. it is unfortunatly one of the English words that can have many different meanings. The three that are most salient when it comes to this topic is:
1) something to have high quality judged over a period of time.
2) something that is very typical of its kind.
3) a work of art that are recognised and establisedh a value.

Out of these, it is only (1) that needs age, to be established over time.

edit - English language is very imprecise...
Post edited April 06, 2022 by amok
Posted April 06, 2022
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SmollestLight: Thank you for your suggestion! I will forward it to the appropriate team that works on tags :)
Great! Thank you for considering it.
Posted April 06, 2022
You managed to add a filter tag. I am actually impressed. What's next: a newly added sort function? Should I applaud you or do you prefer standing ovations for this extreme task ... without words.
Post edited April 06, 2022 by MarkoH01
Posted April 06, 2022
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GOG.com: We’re starting with adding the “Good Old Game” tag, which will showcase over 500 games that our Team has deemed iconic classics –
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BreOl72: Over 500 you say?
I just selected that tag and then clicked "Hide all owned products"...holy shit...I own a lot of the Good Old Games.
:)
Thanks for mentioning the hide all owned feature. The list went from 10 pages to 4 pages.
Posted April 06, 2022
low rated
If this meant ditching Galaxy and going back to fully supporting the offline installers, this "update" would provide some tangible benefits.
Posted April 06, 2022
As simple as it is, I appreciate being able to have that filter! It'll make it easier for those of us who are interested to see what new (old games) that have been added to the website when we're in the mood for some nostalgia without having to set up a bunch of custom sort parameters (which I have done in the past, I might add.)

As far as those concerned about focus waning on AAA new titles, I definitely could be wrong... But I don't think you have much to worry about.

GOG started out with a passion to bring old games to old gamers with newer computers and make it easy. I see this as their way of just making things simpler for us old gamers to find old stuff when we're in the mood for it! No one is taking anything away.

Thanks GOG! I appreciate how you listen to your community and push for DRM-free. Keep up the good work.
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Community
General discussionGOG 2022 update #3: The future that comes from the past(130 posts)(130 posts)
(130 posts)