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Originally Posted by Agustin
Then we disagree. I believe EVERYBODY deserves the same right to access culture. Preserving has not point if only a few select people will enjoy those works.
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Except that isn't practical in the case of MOST art througout history. I have less access to the Mona Lisa than somebody who lives next door to the museum where it is on display. Would you deny the right for anybody to ever OWN a painting unless they open their home to whoever wishes to see it? I know I'm not prepared to go that far. More relevantly to this discussion, a person who can't afford museum access (or to purchase a product like a book or game) has less access than somebody who can. You can't really, from a practical standpoint, give everybody "equal access" to some things and still insist that people should be able to charge for them. It sounds nice, but it doesn't work in practice, since money is as big a barrier to access as any other I can think of.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agustin
I won't deny this is an interesting solution but we both know that will never occur. And I would go as far as saying that, yes, everybody deserves the right to have a copy. Think about books since we may see games here too much as "products" and not culture. Suppose, oh I don't know, 1984 were no longer for sale. It would be highly impractical for people to visit a museum to read that book. Doesn't make the least sense to me; it's a culturally important book, therefore everybody must have access to it.
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They could always check it out from a library.
(Actually, I just remembered that my local library DOES offer several computer games. A library would be more plausible, and practical, than a museum.) What if it was only available in a snazzy hardcover edition that cost $40? Wouldn't that limit access? Yet we aren't talking about taking stuff for free, so limits on accessibility will ALWAYS exist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agustin
My point exactly: I think the system is failing. Laws are dictated by humans so they can be wrong.
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And of course my point is that if the laws are wrong, you fix them, not ignore them. Yes, there are times when I would be OK with ignoring laws, like when the governing system doesn't provide a METHOD to change them, or when the laws in question cause tangible harm to individuals. I just don't consider this situation to rise to that level, especially since I'm fairly certain that, in most cases the culture in question IS being preserved against the eventuality that easier access becomes legal.
I know that
Maniac Mansion hasn't totally disappeared, because I've got a copy right here. If the copyright situation gets sorted out, I'll happily provide my copy to help with distribution, and I strongly suspect the same it true of SOMEBODY with respect to most "lost" games. Until then, I will happily loan out my copy (at least to those I trust to give it back when they are done- I'm not THAT altruistic.
)
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Originally Posted by Agustin
No worries. It's a discussion, and a civilized one at that  |
Thanks for the reassurance.
