The Decentralized Retro Content Project (DRCP)
"Video Game Preservation" "Until the end of time" "Only at RetroTorrents.net"
Operation Retoro muragaru (レトロ 群がる)
A side project with a limited budget (I am just someone in the Hawaiian Islands, doing this for fun)
Table of Contents
What
RetroTorrents will be a public curated collection of 14 year old retro video games where anyone can download and upload ROM files with the file sharing protocol named BitTorrent. An expansion towards Films and TV shows is being considered!
Aren't there projects that already do this?
Yes, there are many sites that archive these games really well!
Unfortunately, these are centralised and could be forced to remove download links when DMCA take down requests start popping up.
These are decentralised projects, could they work?
Yes, one uses "arweave" and the other uses "bittorrent" as their protocols to share files!
However, most files are compressed in .7z (7-zip) and may not work with emulator software or look clean in a collection.
What is the point of all this?
We want anyone to participate in a worldwide video game preservation project with a clean website hosting magnet links, including efficient search capabilities!
"These guerrilla preservationists often break the law in distributing these games online, but their work does indeed rescue many digital artefacts that would otherwise be lost. In contrast, those who simply download retro game ROMs to play on emulators aren’t actively involved in the preservation of the art form. Yes, they’ve made additional copies of these titles, but their contribution to preservation ends there."
Why
We think Video Games are cool and fun and we can't just let the shadows and colossus of the industry control what and how you play. We have realised that most are being silently toxic towards their paying customers. This licensed digital ownership is rather a delusion that should not prevail in this world. And do not get started with the introduction of fake physical media for the Nintendo switch 2.
This is where RetroTorrents comes in, we want players to see they can play and preserve video games!
If you would please consult the sources:
"The power of play"
You mean the power to dictate what people can never play?
"We help expand and protect the innovative and creative marketplace for the video game industry."
That's brilliant, just protect video games so much they can't be obtained in a physical or digital release at a normal price!
"the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) declared that they would never support remote game access for research purposes under any conditions. The game industry’s absolutist position—which the ESA’s own members have declined to go on the record to support—Forces researchers to explore extra-legal methods to access the vast majority of out-of-print video games that are otherwise unavailable."
- Video Game History Foundation, Inc.
How
The decentralised nature of RetroTorrents is planned to allow anyone to download and upload content or instances of the website at a lower cost.
The idea
What if, people could download compressed versions of ROM files of old games as a torrent (.chd for Playstation 2 or .rvz for Nintendo Wii), and play them in a smartphone or computer, without the need to decompress any .zip or .7zip files.
To top it all of, they could contribute to share these games. They just need a torrent client with I2P support out of the box, so that they become anonymous and do not receive letters from their Internet Service Provider (ISP), a virtual private network (VPN) could work, but some have problems with Port Forwading features and may require some tinkering.
Oh hohoho... Delightfully devilish, Seymour! (I am aware compression is not a silver bullet)
When
Release date
Currently unknown, our small team of humans are working on ways to not just reach this project to those familiar with file sharing and emulation, but to others who love the idea of preserving video games with little effort and resources. After all, iPhone users flodded Vimms Lair with more internet traffic than usual after the Delta emulator was released on the official app store.
To-Do
Find volunteers who can help in:
- Leadership (Kerrigan)
- Development (Cerebrates)
- Awareness (Overlords)
- Distribution (Zerglings)
- Marketing (Infestation)
- Artists (Mutalisks)
Slogans
Memorable phrases to display on memes!
Keep Classic Games Alive.
The People's Retro Library.
RetroTorrents: Download. Play. Seed. Repeat.
Community-Powered Preservation. Unstoppable Access.
Join our SimpleX Group!
- Privacy will be the highest priority for all our members
- SimpleX Group
- Signal requires a phone number to register, but they are interesting
- Experimental Signal Group
- Why no Telegram?
Mascots
- Randall Gato Escobar (He/Him) (Hacker Archivist Boy)
- Leah Rata Escobar (She/Her) (Retro Gamer Girl)
- Michael Perro Escobar (He/Him) (???)
- ???
Logos
Color Pallete
- Green: rgb (32, 192, 32)
- Black: rgb (32, 32, 32)
- White: rgb (240, 240, 240)
Video Essays
We Need to Preserve Video Games, or Else They'll Disappear
- "Nintendo are very much against these grassroot fan archives and are almost single-handedly leaning the charge to destroy what thegamer.com described as the Library of Alexandria"
The Awful State of Retro Game Preservation
- "digital is the future" [...] "then you have the situations where the games have been digitally re-released but thanks to Services shutting down those games are not going to be available anymore"
Nintendo Treat Their Old Games Like Garbage
- "yet for some reason Nintendo decided they didn't want to put GBA games on the 3DS"
Nintendo's Nostalgia Problem
- "they can't allow you unfettered access to their original libraries, you might realize their new games just don't stand up to the older ones, that or it might just distract you from their newer games and simply can't have that."
Limited Releases Are Absurd, Scary and Bad
- "And gueeeess what. This collection is only available until March 2021"
All Hope is Not Lost
Library.gamehistory.org — Now in Early Access
At least now anyone can see many materials like historic footage, manuals, audio and artwork (the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is most likely, not happy).
Digital Walled Gardens is killing genuine physical media, and its legal
"FOR RETROTORRENTS!"
-Ephraim Escobar