Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Retro video game piracy may be illegal, but for many gamers, it's a necessary requirement for playing beloved classic games. Whether a game is unavailable on modern hardware, prohibitively expensive, or simply inconvenient to play the way publishers intended, there are many cases where some players feel justified in downloading ROMs online or accessing copies of older games.

This video sets out to explore the history of art preservation as it relates to video game piracy. We seek to explore this polarising issue, not to condemn or to absolve, but simply to highlight some arguments that are made both for and against pirating retro video games.

There's a lot that could be said on this subject, but this nearly thirty-minute video is already the longest we've ever created, so apologies in advance if we've missed out some burning argument that you feel is relevant to the piracy discussion.

Also, note that all video footage in this video (with the exception of gameplay from Sonic 3) is within the public domain. we took this approach to show how alternatives to modern copyright law exist and can help the spread and creation of new art, analysis, and education materials.

Perhaps that in and of itself is a statement on our opinions of copyright. The one definitive thing we will say: modern copyright law really doesn't do justice to the current video game climate.

Thanks for watching. Lots of love,

BretonStripes and Kotor

Sources for this video:
statista.com/topics/3152/music-industry-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/#topicHeader__wrapper
copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/uk_law_summary
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359247/Exceptions_to_copyright_-_Guidance_for_consumers.pdf
gov.uk/government/news/quashing-of-private-copying-exception
theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/17/high-court-quashes-regulations-copy-cds-musicians
legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111112700
judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/basca-v-sofs-bis-judgment.pdf
3dnatives.com/en/3d-printed-lamborghini-120720195
boingboing.net/2017/04/22/drm-eschatology.html
consumerist.com/2015/04/22/john-deere-wants-to-be-able-to-file-copyright-claims-against-the-way-you-use-your-tractor
theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/28/its-ok-to-hack-your-own-car-us-copyright-authorities-rule
vox.com/2015/5/26/8656281/dmca-car-repair-rights
arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/06/former-rom-site-owner-must-pay-2-1-million-to-nintendo
kotaku.com/nintendo-orders-rom-site-to-destroy-all-its-games-or-1847487357
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/video-game-history-foundation-criticises-nintendo-over-eshop-closures
blogs.loc.gov/copyright/2017/12/its-a-wonderful-life
rockpapershotgun.com/no-one-will-sell-no-one-lives-forever-so-lets-download-it
kotaku.com/so-called-pirates-are-doing-the-work-when-publishers-fa-1846533244
eurogamer.net/newell-stop-piracy-by-offering-superior-service

Video footage is primarily from Pexels and Pixabay, thanks to all the content creators who helped make this possible. Sources can be found here: twitlonger.com/show/n_1ss8mqb

Chapters:
1:33 Chapter One: Preservation or Death
8:00 Chapter Two: More than a Memory
16:38 Chapter Three: Games as Waste
25:40 Conclusion: The Slow March of Progress