Why You Shouldn’t Keep Your Retro Games in a Shed
3DO heart-break
Exploring the perils of storing your classic game collection outside. Shawn Pidich’s heart-wrenching experience with his 3DO disc collection: After storing his game CDs in a shed, Shawn found that all but one has succumbed to disc-rot. The only disc to survive was DOOM, which had been left in the console itself.
The Decay of CDs: Disc Rot Explained
CDs, once thought to be eternal storage media for our favorite game collections, have a finite lifespan. Factors like oxidation, UV exposure, water damage, and adhesive failure can cause disc rot, leading to games becoming unplayable due to the deterioration of the reflective layer on the surface.
The Cost of a Mistake in Storage
Shawn’s unfortunate situation serves as a cautionary tale. By storing his precious collection in a damp shed, he inadvertently set his games up for failure. CDs are notorious for being susceptible to environmental factors when exposed to such conditions, making outdoor storage not a viable option.
Have you faced issues with your game collection due to extended storage? How do you ensure the longevity of your retro games?
Shows how important preservation is. Got to remember that a lot of our media was made in the cheapest way possible esp in the later times.
CDs are particularly susceptible to this. DVDs far less so, and Blu-ray (modern games) will likely outlive all of us—if not stored in a shed.
Fortunately, ripping the games most at risk is usually quite easy.