Context
Q*bert is an old arcade game created by Gottlieb in 1982. Beginning with the North American market, Q*bert’s player spread all over the world. It plays an essential role in the golden age of arcade games. To be the most recognizable game in Gottlieb, Q*bert was challenged to accommodate the rapid change of technology and player’s varied interests. (Hodges, 2017) To be specific, as time goes by, the development of the platform changed people’s way of playing electronic games. Unlike other endangered arcade games, Q*bert evolved to adapt to different platforms and overcome the 4 main difficulties below. (Guttenbrunner, et al., 2010)
4 Main Difficulties:
1. Classified Development Documentation
As the platforms changed, the old arcade game should accommodate new equipment. Meanwhile, the need for games' development documentation becomes significant to fit the differing system into different media. Nevertheless, those documentations are mostly confidential and easy to lose without the help of the developer and the manufacturer. (Guttenbrunner, et al., 2010) Q*bert was developed by Gottlieb and owned by Columbia Picture at the beginning, but from 1989 to nowadays, it has been owned by Sony Picture Entertainment after Sony bought Columbia Picture. For Q*bert, transferring from the cabinet in the amusement arcade to equipment like PC/PlayStation at home, the system accommodation questions solved smoothly. From 1983 to 1986, Q*bert developed under the help of the original developer, while from 1986 to 2005, it adapted to different devices to let users play at home. (Hodges, 2017)
2.limitation of accessing to the content from the original media
Old video games used different medias such as ROM Catridges, Optical Media and Online Content, which will be hard to transfer and read on standard computer software, especially when most of the game manufacturers decided to preserve their game codes. (Guttenbrunner, et al., 2010) However, Davis, one of Q*bert's creater, released the ROM image of Q*bert in 1996, which effectively solved this concern. (Hodges, 2017)
3. legal difficulties
Many game conservaters need to deal with a large amount of legal issues. The most common issues include the use of game code (manufacturer wants to conceal game code and producer limit the codes' use to certain console system) and game use on certain geographical regions. (Newman, 2012) For Q*Bert, Davis's release on game code to the public solved the former problem. The latter one got benefits from the Sony Picture Company which served worldwide. It has reasonable agreements to regulate the right of the use of Q*bert all over the world. (Hodges, 2017)
4. Change of the User Experience
With the development of game platforms, people now can choices various ways to play video games. Additionally, as time goes by, the progress of many types of equipment gave people different user experiences; (Guttenbrunner, et al., 2010) therefore, game conservers need to take it into considerations. For Q*bert, the version updating, remakes, and sequels continuously provide users with new elements in the game. Beginning from the arcade, Q*bert has pinball, MSX, PS, and mobile versions to satisfy players' needs for a fresh game experience. Moreover, as the title character became a notable symbol in social media, Q*bert can bring players multiple satisfaction. For instance, since Q*bert appeared in many sony films, users may talk about that when they play Q*bert. (Hodges, 2017)