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Game the Systems

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Posts posted by Game the Systems

  2. Posted

    Fortunately I haven't asked anybody to invest with me. I'm using my own money to do this.

     

    And if this all falls through I've lost approximately nothing: I still plan on having the systems set up with cartridges available as a fallback. This is an idea I've been percolating for years now as an effort to introduce more people to older games. If I only had new games the business would still work.

  3. Posted · Edited by Game the Systems

    So once again, I would ask to enjoy some benefit of the doubt. You seem to be very well informed (I've already read all those articles) but you're a bit old school. Nowadays people use gaming as a social outlet as well and a not insignificant portion of our revenue will be snacks, drinks, memorabilia, as well as playtime and game sales.

    I expect to make almost no money on game sales!! I'm purposefully trying to cater a marketplace full of games at great prices. I walk into GameStop every time and walk right back out when I realize they have nothing I want at even close to a good price! My store is going to sell things for less than you can find them online, and we'll be able to do this by offering the ability to trade in games for playtime instead of money. That means when you walk into my store and you find a game you wanted you will find the best price you can find! (Unless you find some rando person to sell it second hand from their personal collection)

     

    And those hours are terrible on purpose. I still have a job. This isn't going to be a sit back and watch the money roll in scheme, this is a place where I can invest into gaming and create something greater. I will host tournaments and release parties. There will be birthday parties and all sorts of other events.

    And lastly, I'm modeling some of my business on stores already in existence. There are 2 different stores within a 3 hour drive of me that are doing something very similar.

    Yes, my site is bad, because it's a work in progress and it's not the main focus. I'm working on the actual store! I understand about first impressions but it would be super silly to get a professional website before making sure I can fill the store adequately.

  4. Posted

    All fair points, and if you'll allow me to say so, I've thought of most of them already.

    Paradox of choice is going to be counteracted by having lists like TOP10, Hidden Gems, Prequels to popular new games, and high score contests.

     

    I've played every copy of Marble Madness I could get my hands on from arcade to nes to ZX spectrums to FMTowns. My favorite was the port for the VIC20. It's one level, totally broken, and freezes upon completion. Most of them were totally not worth playing, but I was happy for the opportunity.

    And I'm imagining of someone comes in to play Atari they have an idea what they're trying to play. Kids these days don't really care that much for the older gems.

  5. Posted

    First of all, thanks for everybody who's been in this discussion and putting their 2 cents in. I am personally a low-level collector but I've been a video game person my whole life. One of my first memories was when I was 2 my brother beat the first dungeon of the OG LoZ. That memory kinda stuck.

    I am more than happy to bear your scrutiny! I agree completely!

     

    Depending on the size of the collection and the compensation they're willing to accept I would be willing to travel reasonably far. I live in Philly so anything in the Northeast would be preferable.

    I have been watching every gaming YouTube channel I can get into. I've watched pretty much everything Cinemassacre, GameSack, The Immortal John Hancock, Pat and Ian, Metal Jesus + crew (I really enjoy Kelsey's videos about recognizing legit boards and what things are ok to ask people that are trading in carts), MVG, SpawnWave, etc. 

    I own the NES Battletoads and I know it's possible with the warp. But I also own the NES Marble Madness and I can tell you that if you play 2P and get to the last level with more than 30 seconds left the game will freeze.

    I know that there are many different generations and localizations of consoles and I know that the vast majority of disc based retro media is crumbling to death, if the consoles work at all anymore.

     

    The store I'm opening is SMALL! 1200 sq/ft! We will be able to fit no more than 9 entertainment centers in the whole place and our main focus is newer games! Nobody will be playing anything without us personally setting it up for them. However, I also happen to be a huge retro game fan and I think there is a grand history of gaming that feeds us the Golden Age of Gaming we're in now.

    When it comes to the legal strategies the only thing I can offer anyone is that they will not have to bear the brunt of any legal proceedings. While I'm certain I stand on reasonably solid legal footing I would be remissed to get anybody else involved, regardless. If it is a tipping point for anybody that can/will be included in any agreement.
     

  6. Posted · Edited by Game the Systems

    For right now we're planning on doing everything the old fashioned way. You can visit the site to learn more but it's going to be a system attached to a TV with a controller coming out of a big metal and polycarbonate box.

     

    Anybody who wanted to play on any in store system would be paying a rate to do so, regardless of what they pick.

  8. Posted

    Duly noted. I know there are plenty of terms but to clarify:

     

    You own the original copy

    You have dumped the game yourself

    You have a backup copy of the ROM

     

    We will use that backup copy.

    You will essentially rent that copy to us.

    We will put it in a console that is locked up and can be played only in the store.

     

    I honestly don't mind explaining this as much as i can if it will help dispel any sense of exploitation or impropriety. I'm trying to do this legally and appropriately.

  10. Posted

    Since there seems to be some serious confusion and a whole bunch of people jumping to (incorrect) conclusions I feel the need to spell this all out quite plainly.

    17 USC 109(a) permits the owner of a copy of a copyrighted work to use or dispose of that copy as they like, including renting it. Subsection (b)(1)(A) makes an exception for computer software and sound recordings, but subsection (b)(1)(B)(ii) points out that (b)(1)(A) is not applicable to software used for a limited purpose computer designed for playing video games.

    This means if you own the game (the physical copy) you are allowed to use it as you please.

    So if you own the copy you may rent it out. You would be renting the game out to my company.

    My company will then put the digital version on a flash card in an Everdrive cart in a console or clone console that will be LOCKED IN THE STORE AND WILL NOT LEAVE!

    Nobody, regardless of their relationship to the store, will have the ability to take or manipulate those files. They will stay in one place and will be inaccessible to everyone else. They will not be copied, moved, rented out, or licensed to any other individual or company.

    The collector will be required to have their collection verified by us. We will visit your collection and look through it to make sure it is represented accurately! After we confirm that your collection is legitimate you will be asked to sign papers that will require certain things, including:

    You guarantee that the collection is your own as are all the rom files
    You will not play those games during the store's normal business hours unless you contact the store to ensure nobody else is using that ROM (to be fair, it's so unlikely and our stream will have that info available eventually so you wouldn't even have to contact us)

    You will not move your collection without informing us
    You will not sell your collection without offering it to us for a comparable price

    If the collector breaks any of these requirements the contract will immediately dissolve. We will remove your ROMs from the store's systems and seek a replacement elsewhere.



    So for all of us that believe this is exploitative middle-manning let me just reiterate certain points

    You will keep all your games
    You can terminate the agreement whenever you want (the contract will only hold if you're trying to sell the collection, for any other reason it will dissolve immediately after contacting us)

    You will be compensated

    It is legal to rent your games to us, we will NOT be renting the games to others, they will be in our store playing the copy. They will not be allowed to leave the store with, or even touch, the cart/console.


    And lastly, if anybody still has opinions about the legality of all this, please feel free to respond with the appropriate information! I have done the research and contacted legal channels to do this! I can guarantee that if anything goes wrong it will not be the collector responsible for the infractions!

    Thanks again, guys. I know this is somewhat trying and there have been plenty of episodes of people taking advantage of the scene, but I can assure that's not the case here.

    Please feel free to check out our website and fb page for more info or to get an idea what this all is.

     

    www.gamethesystems.com

    [email protected]

    https://www.facebook.com/GametheSystems/

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    I suppose that's a problem with any legal paperwork. Just like I can sign a lease that says I won't do certain things in my house, the collector would agree to certain restrictions. If we found out the person was breaking those restrictions we would be forced to terminate our relationship.

     

    We can't really prevent someone from breaking from the agreement, but the agreement will express what the requirements are and what the course of action will be if the collector goes rogue. Just like if I decide to break my lease and throw a huge rave in our location, the ramifications will be built into the agreement.

  12. Posted

    I'm really glad you posted that article! It was a big part of my inspiration!

     

    As to the legal dubiousness of relying on people from the internet, I'm sure you guys can give me enough credit that if I'm going to do this I'm going to have the wherewithal to perform a legitimate check before making anything legally binding! I can afford a lawyer, but not enough to fight Nintendo!

     

    And to be clear, anyone who participated would agree to certain restrictions, such as when you can play, or what you can do with your collection (selling it or relocating it without prior contact). These would be made explicit before anything would be transferred.

     

    And just in case anyone needs peace of mind: if you participated and wanted to eventually sell your collection you would be entitled to do so! Part of the agreement would insist, however, that if the collection were going to be sold it would be offered to us first for a similar price.

     

    I want to be straightforward and clear about what is expected and possible. I thoroughly appreciate everybody putting their opinion in and am happy to hear what you guys think!

  13. Posted · Edited by Game the Systems

    Something like that.

    Except I'm also offering a brick and mortar location with all the required hardware to play in as close to the original format as possible.

    All I need is someone to certify that they legally own and to have backed up all their games for a console, then I'm going to offer that console (or a modern FPGA clone) with flash memory in an actual location for people to play.

    I would like to stress that isn't middle-manning because I'm the one assuming all the risk. I'm opening a store, buying the hardware, and hosting gamers to come and enjoy the classics in the best format possible. Many of these systems and games can't be played on their traditional hardware anymore and the new technologies are generally incompatible. I firmly believe these games are worth experiencing and while I can use my own somewhat limited collection, I would like to offer essentially complete collections so if someone comes in with a game in mind I will be able to offer the best possible experience.

  14. Posted

    Only a little!

    And this is a big caveat so thanks for bringing it up!!!

    YOU GET TO KEEP ALL YOUR GAMES!

    In fact, I will be asking you to sign an agreement that states that you will NOT get rid of your physical collection... at least not without warning.

    If you have a physical copy of the game you may legally rent out that game. You may also legally make backup copies and you are able to use the digital version as a rental copy so long as you only rent as many physical copies as you have the rights to. By coordinating with collectors we can legally host as many games as can be digitally inserted (that is to say: all of them!)

    That means your games stay with you!

    I would never ask you to give us your games unless you're looking to sell and have a viable offer for us to look at.

    Anybody with further questions can contact me at

    [email protected]

    Or continue the thread if you think others might share your questions too!

  15. Posted

    Since there seems to be some interest in the topic but no responses I would like to be as open as possible.

    Please visit my website www.gamethesystems.com

     

    We also have a facebook, instagram, twitter, twitch, reddit, and YouTube

    We will be opening in Philadelphia in December/January

     

    Anyone who participates will be compensated for their efforts!

  16. Posted

    I would love to compensate them adequately! Though, if I'm being honest, I'm not 100% sure what the value of the collection would be worth!

    The store is very new and I'm starting it essentially out of pocket. I am willing to host as many collections as I can provide hardware for (I'm doing Analogue consoles with Everdrive carts as well as soft-modded upscaled consoles) but am willing to entertain anybody who was willing to participate.

    I know this is an odd request but I would like to pay homage to the classics as much as modern technology will allow.

  17. Posted

    I'm opening a video game store that focuses on the player experience. I would like to provide as many of the classics as I can. I don't want to tread into murky waters with downloaded roms and I don't have the capacity to purchase entire collections and digitize them myself. If someone has a digitized version of a collection it can easily and legally be shared (I'm offering compensation and legal protections) and I would offer them to anybody who may be interested in playing in the store.

    • Confused 2

  18. Posted · Edited by Game the Systems

    Hey there, I'm looking for a very specific set of collectors. If you meet these criteria please contact me at [email protected]

    Please contact me if:

    -You have a complete collection of games for a retro console

    -You have digitized that collection (no illegal roms)

    -You plan on keeping your collection indefinitely

    -You want as many people to experience those games as possible

    If you have any interest please contact me as soon as possible!

    Colin

    • Confused 2
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