调查发现87%经典游戏已无法访问

近日，电子游戏历史基金会的一项调查发现，美国2010年之前发行的所有游戏中，仅有13%的游戏在今天仍可购买或直接访问。

还记得你曾经痴迷的那款游戏吗？

🤔️小作业：

A. The gamers' lack of interest in classic video games

B. The overproduction of new video games

C. The closure of digital storefronts

D. The surge in mobile gaming

B. Extensive and detail-oriented

C. Unbiased and impartial

D. Theoretical and speculative

A. The future looks promising for the preservation of classic video games B. The disappearance of classic games is likely to increase

C. All classic games will be remastered or re-released

D. Classic video games will gain popularity among young gamers

无注释原文：

STUDY REVEALS 87% OF CLASSIC GAMES ARE 'COMPLETELY UNAVAILABLE'

From: INSIDER GAMING

There's something special about that burst of nostalgia that you get when you see snippets of a game that you used to play when you were young. It tends to hit even harder when you actually replay that game after ten, twenty, or even thirty years.

Today, a study was published by the Video Game History Foundation, and it offers up a damning revelation for fans of the retro world of gaming. In this study, it's stated that 87% of classic video games released in the United States are 'critically endangered'. And it suggests that as time goes on, it's only going to get worse.

9 in 10 Games Are Gone

In the in-depth study that was published in partnership with the Software Preservation Network, it was revealed that just 13% of all games released before 2010 are commercially or readily available today. This study was completed using a random list of 1,500 games from a 'single source of truth', and during the data collection phase, analysts looked across multiple ecosystems of gaming, which they categorised as 'abandoned', 'neglected', and 'active'.

However, that number quickly rose, and by the conclusion of the study, more than 4,000 games had been examined for signs of life and availability. It was a fairly complex undertaking – if you're interested in the granular details of the study, I recommend checking out the formal breakdown of the process used during the research stage.

It references quite specifically how remakes, remasters, and re-releases were counted, too.

Here are some key notes to take away from the study, though:

· The PlayStation 2, the best-selling console in history, has seen just 12% of its entire catalogue survive the test of time.

· An estimated 1,000 unique games disappeared when the 3DS and Wii U digital storefronts closed earlier this year.

· 'Outdated' US copyright laws are preventing libraries and organisations from easily preserving classic video games.

· There's an ongoing debate to rewrite these laws, with a review being scheduled for 2024.

All-in-all, this study topped out at 51 pages of pure information on the state of the historical preservation of video games. It discusses the cultural importance of video games, the challenges presented by 're-issue', and how the situation may worsen in the future with the demise of certain platforms or the shutdown of further digital storefronts.

Are you a retro gaming fan? Are you shocked by these numbers, or were you already aware of how hard it is to obtain certain retro titles?

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

STUDY REVEALS 87% OF CLASSIC GAMES ARE 'COMPLETELY UNAVAILABLE'

From: INSIDER GAMING

There's something special about that burst of nostalgia that you get when you see snippets of a game that you used to play when you were young. It tends to hit even harder when you actually replay that game after ten, twenty, or even thirty years.

当你看到儿时玩过的游戏片段时，那种怀旧感总是让人难以忘怀。而当你在十年、二十年甚至三十年后重玩游戏时，这种怀旧感往往更为强烈。

burst /bɜːst/ 作动词，表示“（使）爆裂，胀开”，英文解释为“to break open or apart, especially because of pressure from inside; to make sth break in this way”举个🌰：That balloon will burst if you blow it up any more. 你再给气球充气，它就要爆了。

📍burst in/into (somewhere) 表示“突然闯入（房间或建筑）”，英文解释为“to enter a room or building suddenly and without warning”举个🌰：The side door of the bar flew open and three men burst in. 酒吧的侧门猛地开了，三个男人闯了进来。

作名词，还可以表示“（尤指短期的）突然增加;迸发”，英文解释为“a sudden increase in something, especially for a short period”如：a burst of speed/applause/laughter 突然的加速/一阵掌声/一阵大笑。

nostalgia /nɒˈstældʒə/ 表示“对过去美好时光的留恋，恋旧；怀旧”，英文解释为“a feeling that a time in the past was good, or the activity of remembering a good time in the past and wishing that things had not changed”，举个🌰：He looked back on his university days with a certain amount of nostalgia. 他带着一点留恋，回忆起大学时光。

📍诗歌《乡愁》余光中就有译为：Nostalgia.

📍词根“-algia”表示“疼痛”，前缀“nost-”（来自希腊语“nostos”，表示“回家”）。想象你对过去的家乡有一种「疼痛」的怀念，这就是“nostalgia”。

snippet /ˈsnɪpɪt/ 表示“一条，一则（新闻、消息或谈话）；片段”，英文解释为“A snippet of something is a small piece of it.”如：snippets of popular classical music 流行古典音乐的片段，举个🌰：I heard an interesting snippet on the radio this morning. 今天早上我从广播里听到了一则有趣的新闻。

📍词根“-et”表示“小”，前缀“snip-”（剪切的变体，表示一部分）。想象你剪下一小片，这就是“snippet”。

Today, a study was published by the Video Game History Foundation, and it offers up a damning revelation for fans of the retro world of gaming. In this study, it's stated that 87% of classic video games released in the United States are 'critically endangered'. And it suggests that as time goes on, it's only going to get worse.

今天，电子游戏历史基金会（Video Game History Foundation）发布了一项研究，这对经典游戏迷来说无异于晴天霹雳。该研究指出，在美国发行的经典游戏中，有87%已经处于“极度濒危”状态。而随着时间推移，这个情况只会变得更糟。

damning /ˈdæm.ɪŋ/ 表示“（报告、调查结果、评论等）毫不留情的，谴责的；（证据）确凿的”，英文解释为“A damning report, judgment, remark, etc. that includes a lot of criticism or shows clearly that someone is wrong, guilty, or has behaved very badly.”举个🌰：The two men were convicted on some extremely damning evidence. 那两个人因犯罪证据确凿而被定罪。

📍词根“-ing”表示“正在进行”，前缀“damn-”（诅咒，谴责的变体，表示严厉批评）。想象你正在严厉批评某人，这就是“damning”。

表示“被透露的事实；被泄露的秘密；出乎意料的事物，令人惊喜的发现”，英文解释为“A revelation is a surprising or interesting fact that is made known to people.”如：the seemingly everlasting revelations about his private life 有关他私生活的似乎永无休止的披露。

📍词根“-ation”表示“行为或过程”，前缀“revel-”（reveal, 揭示的变体，表示揭露）。想象你正在揭示一个秘密，这就是“revelation”。

📍come as/be a revelation表示“让人大开眼界；令人耳目一新；出乎意料地使人惊喜”，英文解释为“to be an extremely pleasant surprise”举个🌰：This book came as a complete revelation to me. 这本书使我茅塞顿开。

🎬 电影《惊天魔盗团2》（Now You See Me 2）中的台词提到：And the stunning revelation that FBI agent Dylan Rhodes ... 还有惊天大揭露联调局特工迪伦·罗兹…

表示“怀旧的；重新流行的；模仿过去式样的”，英文解释为“similar to styles, fashions, etc. from the past”，如：retro clothes/music 怀旧服装/音乐，a retro style 重新流行的款式。

📍单词“retro”来自拉丁词根“retro-”，意为“向后的，过去的”。想象你正在回顾过去的时尚风格，这就是“retro”。

endangered表示“有危险的；濒临灭绝的”，英文解释为“in danger of being harmed, lost, unsuccessful, etc.”，如：endangered wildlife 濒危野生动物，endangered birds/plants/species 濒危鸟类/植物/物种。

📍单词“endangered”由词根“-ed”（表示过去分词）和前缀“endanger-”（来自“danger”，表示“危险”）组成。想象一个物种正在面临危险，即将灭绝，这就是“endangered”。

9 in 10 Games Are Gone

90%的游戏已消失

In the in-depth study that was published in partnership with the Software Preservation Network, it was revealed that just 13% of all games released before 2010 are commercially or readily available today. This study was completed using a random list of 1,500 games from a 'single source of truth', and during the data collection phase, analysts looked across multiple ecosystems of gaming, which they categorised as 'abandoned', 'neglected', and 'active'.

这项与软件保存网络（Software Preservation Network）合作进行的深度研究表明，2010年之前发行的所有游戏中，仅有13%的游戏在今天仍可购买或直接访问。研究人员从一个“可信单一数据源”随机抽取了1500款游戏进行研究，在数据收集阶段，分析师研究了多个游戏生态系统，并将其分为“已废弃”、“疏于维护”及“活跃”三类。

preservation /ˌprez.əˈveɪ.ʃən/ 表示“保护，维护;保藏，保养”，英文解释为“the act of keeping something the same or of preventing it from being damaged”如：building preservation 建筑物维护。

📍单词“preservation”由词根“-ation”（表示行为或过程）和前缀“preserv-”（来自“preserve”，表示“保护，保存”）组成。想象你正在保护或保存某物，这就是“preservation”。

表示“揭露；泄露；透露”，英文解释为“to make known or show something that is surprising or that was previously secre”举个🌰：He was jailed for revealing secrets to the Russians. 他因为向俄国人泄密而被监禁。

📍单词“reveal”来自拉丁词根“revel-”，意为“揭示，揭露”。想象你正在揭开一个秘密，这就是“reveal”。

random /ˈræn.dəm/ 表示“任意的；随机的；胡乱的”，英文解释为“happening, done, or chosen by chance rather than according to a plan”如：random checks/tests/attacks 随机检查/随机测试/胡乱攻击。

📍单词“random”来自古法语词根“rand-”，意为“快速移动，冲”，后来演变为现在的“无目的，随机”的含义。想象你随机地选择了一本书的一页，这就是“random”。

ecosystem /ˈiː.kəʊˌsɪs.təm/ 表示“生态系统”，英文解释为“all the living things in an area and the way they affect each other and the environment”

📍单词“ecosystem”由词根“-system”（表示“系统”）和前缀“eco-”（来自希腊语“oikos”，表示“家，环境”）组成。想象你正在观察一个包含许多不同物种的复杂生态系统，这就是“ecosystem”。

表示“将…分类；把…加以归类”，英文解释为“to put people or things into groups according to what type they are”举个🌰：Participants were categorised according to age. 参加者按年龄分组。

📍单词“categorise”由词根“-ise”（表示动词化）和前缀“categor-”（来自希腊语“kategoria”，表示“类别”）组成。想象你正在将数据进行分类，这就是“categorise”。

However, that number quickly rose, and by the conclusion of the study, more than 4,000 games had been examined for signs of life and availability. It was a fairly complex undertaking – if you're interested in the granular details of the study, I recommend checking out the formal breakdown of the process used during the research stage.

然而，随着研究的深入，这一数字迅速上升，最终研究了4000多款游戏的生命周期及可用性。这是一项相当复杂的工作——如果你对研究细节感兴趣，建议查看研究阶段所采用方法详细说明。

表示“工作；任务；企业；事业”，英文解释为“a job, business, or piece of work”举个🌰：The construction of the tunnel is a large and complex undertaking. 该隧道的修建是项复杂的大工程。

📍单词“undertaking”由词根“-ing”（表示进行中）和前缀“undertak-”（来自“undertake”，表示“承担”）组成。

granular /ˈɡræn.jə.lər/ 表示“由颗粒构成的；颗粒状的”，英文解释为“made of, or seeming like, granules；including small details”举个🌰：The analysis needs to be more granular. 分析需要更为细致。

📍单词“granular”由词根“-ar”（表示“……的”）和前缀“granul-”（来自拉丁语“granulum”，表示“小颗粒”）组成。想象你正在观察一种颗粒状的物质，这就是“granular”。

表示“推荐，介绍；建议”，英文解释为“to suggest that someone or something would be good or suitable for a particular job or purpose, or to suggest that a particular action should be done”举个🌰：I can recommend the chicken in mushroom sauce - it's delicious. 我可以向您推荐蘑菇汁鸡肉——这道菜非常可口。

📍单词“recommend”由词根“-mend”（来自拉丁语“mendare”，表示“赞扬”）和前缀“reco-”（表示强调）组成。想象你正在强烈推荐一道美味的鸡肉沙拉，这就是“recommend”。

breakdown /ˈbreɪk.daʊn/ 1）表示“故障，毛病”，英文解释为“a failure to work or be successful”举个🌰：I had a breakdown (= my car stopped working) in the middle of the road. 我的汽车在半路上抛锚了。

📍单词“breakdown”由词根“-down”（表示“向下”）和前缀“break-”（表示“打破”）组成。想象你的车在去机场的路上“breakdown”了，这就是“breakdown”。

2）表示“神经衰弱，精神崩溃”，英文解释为“a period of mental illness in which sb becomes very depressed, anxious and tired, and cannot deal with normal life”举个🌰：She's still recovering from her breakdown. 她精神崩溃后还在恢复中。

3）表示“细目；分类”，英文解释为“a division of something into smaller parts”举个🌰：We asked for a breakdown of the accident figures into day time and night time. 我们要白天和夜间事故统计数字的分列明细表。

It references quite specifically how remakes, remasters, and re-releases were counted, too.

该研究还特别提到了重制版、复刻版和重新发行版游戏是如何统计的。

reference /ˈref.ər.əns/ 1）表示“提到；谈到；论及”，英文解释为“a mention of something”举个🌰：Knowing what had happened, I avoided making any reference to (= mentioning) weddings. 因为我知道发生了什么，所以就避开不谈婚礼的事儿。

2）表示“引文出处；参考书目”，英文解释为“a writer or a book, article, etc. that is mentioned in a piece of writing, showing you where particular information was found”

📍单词“reference”由词根“-ence”（表示“行为或过程”）和前缀“refer-”（来自拉丁语“referre”，表示“带回，引用”）组成。想象你在论文的最后加入了一些“reference”，这就是“reference”。

specifically /spəˈsɪf.ɪ.kəl.i/ 表示“明确地；确切地；具体地”，英文解释为“clearly, exactly, or in detail”举个🌰：I specifically asked you not to be late. 我明确地告诉过你不要迟到。

📍单词“specifically”由词根“-ally”（表示“……地”）和前缀“specific-”（来自拉丁语“specificus”，表示“明确的”）组成。想象你正在为这种疾病特别设计一种药物，这就是“specifically”。

remaster /ˌriːˈmɑː.stər/ 表示“（通常指为了复制音质更好的唱片而对母带进行）重新灌制，重新录制”，英文解释为“to make a new master (= a recording from which all copies are made) of an earlier recording, usually in order to produce copies with better sound quality”举个🌰：The soundtrack of "The Godfather" was digitally remastered and transformed from mono to stereo. 电影《教父》的声带已经用数码技术重新灌制，并从单声道转成了立体声。

📍单词“remaster”由词根“-master”（表示“主人，掌握”）和前缀“re-”（表示“再次”）组成。想象你正在为一个经典电影的50周年纪念重新制作，这就是“remaster”。

据ChatGPT，在电子游戏行业中，“remake”和“remaster”是两种主要的再创作方式，它们都涉及到对原始游戏进行更新或升级，但在具体的做法和目标上存在显著的差异。

📍Remake是指完全重做一个游戏，通常会使用新的游戏引擎和更新的艺术风格。这个过程通常涉及到重新设计游戏的部分或全部内容，可能会包括改进或修改游戏玩法、故事线、角色、对话等。Remake的游戏有时会在保持原有游戏精神和核心玩法的同时，加入新的元素或者机制。

📍Remaster则是对原始游戏进行一种更为轻微的更新，主要是提升游戏的图像和音频质量，使其在现代的硬件上看起来和听起来更好。Remaster的游戏通常会保留原始的游戏玩法和故事线，只是在技术层面进行升级，如高分辨率的图像、改进的纹理和光影效果、更高的帧数等。

Here are some key notes to take away from the study, though:

以下是这项研究的一些关键要点：

take sth away 1）表示“从（所读或所听中）学会或获得”，英文解释为“to get a particular message or piece of information from something you read or are told ”举个🌰：What I took away from his talk is that going to university is definitely worth it. 我从他的演讲中得到的信息是上大学绝对是值得的。

2）表示“（在饭馆）买食物带走食用，买外卖”，英文解释为“to buy food in a restaurant and eat it somewhere else”举个🌰：Is that to eat in or take away? 堂食还是带走？

📍takeaway作名词，表示“要点；从…中了解到的主要信息”，英文解释为“a main message or piece of information that you learn from something you hear or read”举个🌰：The takeaway from the conference was how competitive the computer science industry has become. 这场会议的主要信息是计算机科学产业的竞争已变得非常激烈。

· The PlayStation 2, the best-selling console in history, has seen just 12% of its entire catalogue survive the test of time.

PlayStation 2作为史上最畅销的游戏机，只有12%的游戏经受住了时间的考验。

表示“控制台，操纵台”，英文解释为“A console is a panel with a number of switches or knobs that is used to operate a machine.”举个🌰：Several nurses sat before a console of flickering lights and bleeping monitors. 几名护士坐在灯光闪烁、监听器嘟嘟作响的控制台前。

🎮这里指的是「手柄；掌机；游戏机」。

美式 catalog，英式 catalogue /ˈkæt.əl.ɒɡ/ 作动词，表示“记录；将…编入目录”，英文解释为“to record something, especially in a list”举个🌰：Many plants become extinct before they have even been catalogued. 许多植物甚至还没来得及编入目录就已经灭绝了。

作名词，catalogue /ˈkæt.əl.ɒɡ/ 表示“（商品）目录册”，英文解释为“a book with a list of all the goods that you can buy from a shop”如：a mail-order catalogue 邮购目录。

· An estimated 1,000 unique games disappeared when the 3DS and Wii U digital storefronts closed earlier this year.

据估计，今年早些时候3DS和Wii U数字商店关闭后，大约有1000款纯数字版游戏消失了。

storefront /ˈstɔː.frʌnt/ 表示“临街店面，临街铺面”，英文解释为“the part of a shop that faces the road”举个🌰：A number of storefronts were damaged. 一些临街店受到了破坏。

· 'Outdated' US copyright laws are preventing libraries and organisations from easily preserving classic video games.

“过时的”美国版权法使得图书馆和机构难以轻松保存经典电子游戏。

美国“过时”的版权法阻碍了图书馆和组织轻松地保存经典游戏。

表示“版权，著作权”，英文解释为“the legal right to control the production and selling of a book, play, film, photograph, or piece of music”

📍单词“copyright”由词根“-right”（表示“权利”）和前缀“copy-”（表示“复制”）组成。想象你拥有这本书的复制权，这就是“copyright”。

表示“保护，维护；保留；保养”，英文解释为“to keep something as it is, especially in order to prevent it from decaying or being damaged or destroyed”如：to preserve the environment 保护环境。

📍单词“preserve”来自拉丁词根“pre-”，意为“前，先”，和“-serve”（表示“保护，服务”）。想象你正在保护我们的自然资源，以供未来的世代使用，这就是“preserve”。

· There's an ongoing debate to rewrite these laws, with a review being scheduled for 2024.

关于修改这些法律的讨论仍在进行中，预计将于2024年进行评审。

All-in-all, this study topped out at 51 pages of pure information on the state of the historical preservation of video games. It discusses the cultural importance of video games, the challenges presented by 're-issue', and how the situation may worsen in the future with the demise of certain platforms or the shutdown of further digital storefronts.

总体而言，这份研究报告共有51页，详细介绍了电子游戏历史保存现状。它讨论了电子游戏的文化重要性、“重新发行”所带来的挑战，以及随着某些平台的消亡或更多数字商店的关闭，情况可能会恶化等问题。

表示“（价格等）达到最高水平”，英文解释为“If something such as a price tops out at a particular amount, that is the highest amount that it reaches.”举个🌰：The stock topped out at more than $25. 股票达到了最高价，超过$25。

1）表示“（曾经存在的事物的）终止，结束，消亡”，英文解释为“the end of something that used to exist”如：the imminent demise of the local newspaper 地方报纸的即将停刊，也可以直接指“死亡”。

🎬电影《史酷比2：怪兽偷跑》（Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed）中的台词提到：This is only the first rung on the ladder of your demise. 直译：这是你们死亡阶梯上的第一步。字幕组翻译为：这只是你们捐献战利品的第一步。

2）表示“倒闭；败落；垮台”，英文解释为“the end of something that was previously considered to be powerful, such as a business, industry, or system”举个🌰：The demise of the company was sudden and unexpected. 该公司出人意料地突然倒闭了。

Are you a retro gaming fan? Are you shocked by these numbers, or were you already aware of how hard it is to obtain certain retro titles?

你是经典游戏迷吗？这些数字让你震惊了吗？还是你早就意识到现在要玩某些经典游戏有多难了？

作名词，熟词僻义，表示“（竞赛、体育比赛的）冠军”，英文解释为“[C] the position of being the winner of a competition, especially a sports competition”如：the world heavyweight title 重量级世界拳击冠军。

title还可以表示「书」举个🌰：Last year we published over a hundred new titles. 去年我们出版了100多种新书。

此处title指的是电子游戏的名称或者类型。在电子游戏行业中，title经常被用来指代一个特定的游戏或一个游戏系列。这与书籍、电影或音乐中使用的title含义类似，都是指代某个特定的作品。

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