Would that more Steam groups had such noble goals.
Time takes its toll on everything—even games that, theoretically, could go on forever. People get bored, or games stop updating, or a sequel sucks the life out of the original. And then, before long, your favorite game’s a ghost town. Dead MP Games Resurrection Group’s goal is to fix that, even if the game in question returns to its grave after only a single night. Here’s their mission statement:
“Let’s face it: we all have those games in our library. Old gems with amazing multiplayer or co-op modes that seriously deserve some love and loyal players, but have sadly become dead, deserted, and forgotten. Those games vainly wait for better times to come.”
“The Dead MP Games Resurrection Group is a group of Steam players dedicated to reviving our dead multiplayer games if even for one night. Events can be created by group members for any dead multiplayer game on Steam that we support! Let’s get some of these games active again!”
As of writing, the group had 422 members—a pretty impressive number given how few Steam groups truly take off [Update: it’s now at over 2,000 members. Daaaaang, everybody. Nice]. More importantly, they’ve recently rededicated themselves to hosting regular events and bringing cobweb-strewn classics back from the brink.
The group is open to everyone, so you—yes you, Richard (for the purpose of this article, you are all temporarily named Richard)—can get in on the action. It’s a smart idea, especially on a service like Steam, which houses thousands of games with countless years of history. There are plenty of golden oldies to rally around, as well as smaller games that might have never had much of a chance to catch on in the first place. Steam, especially, constantly dangles promises of The Next Big Thing in our faces. Groups like this serve as a counterbalance, a reminder that it’s also sometimes worthwhile to look back.
It may not solve the gaming industry’s well-documented issues with preserving its own history, but it’s a step in the right direction, a productive (and fun) approach to archaeology of a rapidly evolving medium. I hope this becomes more of A Thing with time.
Now then, which multiplayer games are you interested in reviving?
The Steam Community Showcase is a regular look at the cream of the Steam community’s boundless crop. Art, videos, guides—whatever. Each installment highlights a specific piece or person. If you find anything cool on Steam or would like to have your work featured, drop me a line.
To contact the author of this post, write to nathan.grayson@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @vahn16.