Myrient Shutdown: Gamers Unite to Preserve Gaming Content
In a last-ditch effort to save a vast collection of video game preservation files, gamers are flocking to Myrient, a website that has been a staple in the gaming community for years. The site, which boasts an extensive library of ROMs, Betas, and BIOS files for essentially every console, has announced its shutdown, effective March 31. This has sparked a sense of urgency among gamers, who are now racing against time to archive as much content as possible before the site goes dark.
The r/SaveMyrient subreddit has been created to coordinate the preservation efforts, with a spreadsheet organized to assign specific parts of Myrient’s library to individual users. These backups are then being shared on the Internet Archive, a digital library that provides access to historical content.
In addition to the Reddit community, a separate website, Minerva Archive, has been established to aid in the preservation efforts. The site is a volunteer-driven effort, with hundreds of volunteers working tirelessly to archive Myrient’s entire collection. As of now, over 109,000 files have been archived, representing 216.82GB of data. However, this only accounts for 3.8% of Myrient’s total content, leaving a significant amount of work to be done.
The shutdown of Myrient is a result of the site’s owner being unable to bear the extreme financial costs of keeping the site alive. The owner has been paying $6,000 out of pocket each month, with the lack of donations and the influx of download managers and software bypassing donation pages taking a significant toll. The required hardware upgrades to storage and caching infrastructure have also become unaffordable, leaving the owner with no choice but to shut down the site.
As the countdown to the shutdown begins, the gaming community is coming together to try and preserve a piece of gaming history. With the help of volunteers and the Internet Archive, there is hope that Myrient’s vast collection of gaming content can be saved for future generations to enjoy.
Key Statistics:
* Over 109,000 files archived, representing 216.82GB of data
* 3.8% of Myrient’s total content archived
* Hundreds of volunteers working to preserve the site’s content
* $6,000 monthly costs to keep the site alive
* Lack of donations and influx of download managers and software bypassing donation pages contributing to the shutdown
Call to Action:
If you’re interested in helping to preserve Myrient’s collection, you can join the r/SaveMyrient subreddit or visit the Minerva Archive website to learn more about the preservation efforts. Every contribution, whether it’s downloading files or donating to the cause, can help to ensure that Myrient’s vast collection of gaming content is preserved for years to come.
