Why Physical Video Games are Vital to Advancing AI Technology
The Digital-Only Transformation
The shift towards the consumption of interactive entertainment as an all-digital format happened slowly and spanned multiple decades. This transition took far longer than expected, and several efforts to go "all-in" prematurely were met with sharp criticism and severe pushback from the gaming community. (See the infamous example of Microsoft's Xbox One "Internet Only" campaign and just review the comments section as evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_JVVUnCWnY).
Yet, companies like Valve and Netflix helped to pioneer the formula years before it was popular. Valve released its now-popular Steam Powered client on September 12, 2003, nearly a full year ahead of it's seminal Half-Life 2 was released. As an established developer, Valve fully understood the need to distribute their software along subsequent updates directly to gamers (thus eliminating the need for expensive manufacturing and shipping costs). Furthermore, they understood that gamers wanted to have control over "when" and "what" they installed onto their systems.
Similarly, Netflix began in 1997 as a mail-based rental service and famously put the home-video rental chain, Blockbuster Video, out of business. Netflix realized that film and television were largely "passive" experiences, and that "real-time streaming" could retain nearly the same quality and experience. This eliminated the "time delay" barrier present with store-based rentals and even mail-based subscriptions, as users could now watch any available content immediately and "on-demand."
Today, these models have helped open the door for new competition and derivative service models to compete in the digital market space. Services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, Disney+, HBO Max, YouTube Premium (etc.)—all of whom are now competing for the consumer's attention (and dollar) to provide the ultimate convenience, experience, and value. Suffice it to say that consumers have never had so many options available at their finger tips.
The Decline of Physical Media Sales
However, with the rise of the new comes the fall of what once was.
According to a recent survey posted by NewZoo (November, 2023), around 17% of console gamers purchased video games in a physical format, while barely 1% of PC gamers purchased video games in a physical format.
Presently, there is an active debate online as to whether physical games should be eliminated entirely. We have our own opinions about this matter, which we will share in future posts. But for the purposes of this discussion, we want to highlight a specific benefit that may not be immediately obvious to the general consumer with regards to physical media: the undocumented data.
The Importance of Physical Archives
Ever since the rise of "digital games" there have been a growing list of concerns from "collectors" and "historians" alike about the potential loss of historical record. Each year, physical media loses ground to digital downloads and streaming services, and vital aspects of our cultural and historical heritage may be at risk of disappearing as a result. This concern is especially relevant in the context of the video game industry, where the need for maintaining a physical video game archive becomes increasingly important.
Physical preservation efforts have been underway for decades, and help to catalog and preserve these records for future generations. Many of these preservation groups have gone to great lengths to locate and document historical artifacts from the early video game industry; especially when practices like "documentation" and "preservation" were largely disregarded.
Physical archives play a vital role in preserving cultural and historical artifacts, serving as a touchstone to our past and allowing current and future generations to experience and learn from history. Similarly, the need for video game preservation is paramount—especially today. Video games represent a significant aspect of modern culture and hold immense value in understanding the evolution of technology, storytelling, and artistry. Additionally, video games are available internationally, and physical preservation helps us to better understand how certain content is (and has been) perceived across different cultures and ethnicities.
The Significance of Physical Media to AI
Beyond the general historical importance of physical media, more importantly (and particularly relevant to Game Data Group and our AI developments) is that physical media serves as a time capsule for historical video game information; much of which has remained undocumented and unavailable to the general public. That is until now.
From technical features to barcodes to descriptions to legal disclaimers to player controls to technical requirements to product installations to developer catalogs and industry credits (etc.), physical media provides direct access to deep, data-driven insights that are presently being used to power AI. By capturing and preserving undocumented data from a variety of physical media sources, we can ensure that this form of creative expression is both safeguarded for future generations and incorporated into modern day AI solutions.
The VGAMI™ Archive
Today, our physical video game archive consists of thousands of physical video games, manuals, covers, books, inserts, boxes and a wide range of other materials from around the world. Everything has been carefully preserved and curated since the archive began in 2012, and the materials have been simultaneously digitally integrated with our VGAMI™ data source to enable advanced, data-driven applications.
As gamers, we at the Game Data Group deeply appreciate the history of video games and the legacy from which it was built. From PONG™ to PUBG™, we are excited to bring the world of physical and digital video games together in ONE place so that anyone can find what they're looking for. That's why we crated the Game Data Group: to be the ultimate data source for video games.