Misused: Keep Circulating The Tapes

I'm going to preface this by saying that the misuse is largely tied to a singular format (Video Games) so this should be a quick fix.

So this trope is about how it's basically impossible to legally obtain copies of a work because it was never distributed. The problem with this in relation to Video Games is that, by the nature of the format, legal copies will almost always exist to be purchased online on places like ebay bar some extreme edge cases where the game was only available digitally and taken off the market (or DLC). A lot of examples thus fall under "this game was never given a rerelease", "was exclusive to Japan", "this is hard to find", and/or "was pulled from circulation, and buying a used copy of it online is too expensive", which is not what the trope is about. I actually know a store where I can buy several of the listed examples like The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

I propose to clarify the situation for videos game in the main page definition (must literally be impossible to obtain, not too expensive to buy a used copy) and strip KeepCirculatingTheTapes.Video Games and the video game section of KeepCirculatingTheTapes.Rescued of misuse.

Example breakdown is currently a WIP.

(I also question the necessity of KeepCirculatingTheTapes.Rescued, but I'd like the video game stuff sorted out.)

Example Breakdown of the page. (Didn't do a straight wick check because the trope is Trivia and I'm doing this by a specific medium). Bold text is my comments.

• General:
  • Abandonware - Correct, but also a general example.
  • Arcade games - Largely Misuse. Legal options exist but generally Crack is Cheaper. The original version of Galaxian^3 might qualify.
  • Doujin games - I am not familiar with the legality of these games even existing, but it looks like misuse. Falls under "hard to find".
  • Downloadable Content - Correct in theory but it's a general example.
  • Licensed Games - Misuse. Falls under "hard to find". Also too general of an example anyway.
  • PC games in general - Misuse. Falls under "hard to find" or Real Life issues with No Backwards Compatibility in the Future.
  • Online Games - Correct, but a general example.
  • ROMS, emulators, and mods - Pointless to mention ROMs and emulators here because it's usually possible to legally obtain the games being played. Mods don't really have "illegal'' channels since they're usually free.

• Activision - Misuse. Almost every example is "went out of print" and "hard to find". The Marvel Game DLC mentioned does qualify.

• Electronic Arts:
  • The Neverhood - Misuse. Falls under "hard to find".
  • TimeSplitters Future Perfect - Misuse. Falls under "too expensive".

• LucasArts - All misuse. Games fall under "never given rereleases".

• Creator/Nintendo - Misuse that runs the gambit of all types.

edited 5th Feb '17 10:20:55 AM by Karxrida

Based on the moderator discussion, it seems like the argument is fairly questionable. Coupled with the backlog of unresolved TRS threads it's thus probably better to decline this thread.