Compare films made in the 1940's to those made in the 1910's, or earlier. Until the late 1910's, film was basically tech demo's. Brief shots of regular life, or maybe something a little titillating. No real plots or structure. By the 40's, most of the basics still in use today were established. Plot structure, as well as lots of little technical details, such as the 180 rule[1], were developed, and viewers instinctively rely on these even today.<p>However, film was not viewed as art in the 1940's. Stage was art. Film was just disposable mass entertainment. Studios churned out massive amounts of film and, in many cases, didn't bother to preserve anything. The idea that somebody would want to see Casablanca again in a few decades was alien. Even today, many films aren't seen as art. Somebody who says they're a lover of art films, especially Michael Bay's Transformer series, is going to be laughed at. However, nobody disputes the fact that films can be art today, thanks to classics like "Rashomon" or "Once Upon a Time in the West", and also thanks to more contemporary art films that challenge as much as they entertain, even if they may not prove to have lasting appeal.<p>Now take a look at the history of gaming. The early games of the 70's and 80's were, at first, basically tech demos. As the 80's wore on, game designers used challenging game mechanics to wring maximum engaged playtime out of extremely limited resources. Games like Pacman or Donkey Kong could certainly eat your time (and quarters), but they seldom provoked an emotional or intellectual response aside from frustration, not at all unlike a Michael Bay film.<p>We are entering an era in video gaming equivalent to film of the 1940's. The core mechanics are established and people know them. There now exist games that have appeal beyond the latest technology. If people are still playing Donkey Kong now, how long will games like the Stanley Parable hold up? Despite this, as for film in the 1940's, we still think of games as disposable and <i>not</i> as art. This is going to change, as it did for film, but <i>slowly</i>.<p>The important thing right now is for game producers to realize that their source code may be <i>valuable</i> in the future. Preserve that stuff!<p>[1]In many scenes with two participants, such as dialogue, duels in action scenes, etc., most film-makers avoid cutting back and forth between angles that exceed 180 degrees in difference. Breaking this rule usually confuses viewers, as it becomes unclear who is on which side.