My intention is NOT to create a clickbait title, but I have found a re-invigoration within me with regards to data - or in layman’s terms, data hoarding. I have always had around 8-10TB of data between videos, family pics and videos, and some games (not my entire GOG or Steam library yet, but maybe one day). All of this takes up precious space on my HDDs.

Physical Media Renaissance

I’ve been in a mode where I head to my local second-hand DVD store and purchase movies and shows at great prices. Ripping them with my purchased copy of MakeMKV - mostly to stop the nagging and reinstalling required to “renew” the free license - has caused my media storage space to grow exponentially.

The other thing I’ve been getting into is the preservation of older media, mostly in the field of classic and semi-classic games. Games that you cannot purchase anymore, nor is there a means to play them outside of emulation and ROMs.

Game Preservation Matters

My favorite games - Final Fantasy VII, FFV Tactics, Metal Gear Solid, and the like - have mostly been kept alive by various means like remakes and Steam releases. But other games like Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox are nonexistent outside of owning an Xbox and the physical copy of the game. That’s where ROMs and emulation come in.

I have purchased many, if not all, of the games I want to play at some point in time. But I no longer have the systems and physical space to house all of the hardware, since I’ve been living the RV life for over 4 years now.

Mods are another thing entirely that I’ve been getting into. Extending the life of great games to change the way they play and give them more modern UI and feel is much appreciated.

The Ephemeral Nature of Digital Ownership

And finally, there’s the idea of a day where these games are gone. Steam could very well one day disappear 20 years from now, and all the games we “own” could become ephemeral. I say “could become” but they technically already are ephemeral. You can’t play many games unless they’ve been linked to Steam at some point and require various Steam DLL files to work. There are people out there who have worked around this, but some functionality is lost - mostly multiplayer.

That’s one field I find annoying: making games without the ability to create a dedicated server after the life of the game has ended in the publishers eye. Chivalry 1 is one example. No other means exist to play this game in multiplayer outside of owning the latest version, having it talk through Steam, and requiring Steam’s server software. Even old copies of the game had hard-coded requirements that the game only be opened by Steam, since no Chivalry server exists outside of Steam anymore this fun game is longer playable with friend via LAN and offline.

Format Shifting and Fair Use

My next topic: format shifting, I believe, should allow one be able to move media they’ve purchased to another format. I know it’s a gray area, but I say having thirty formats and version of a movie and or game for me to purchase should be illegal.

As we grow into a more digital age, some things are no longer available due to licensing issues. Take for example The Drew Carey Show. Love it or hate it, the only thing you can purchase is the first season and a “Best Of” DVD right now. The remaining 8 seasons, due to licensing issues with music among other things, have made the show unavailable to people who loved it and want to watch it.

Where We are with Streaming

Another issue is the detriment of streaming services. The shows Community and 30 Rock have had controversial episodes removed from streaming platforms entirely. I understand that some content hasn’t aged well, but removing entire episodes because of one scene is a serious loss to lovers of these shows.

Why I Hoard

This is why I data hoard:

1. Physical media preservation - VHS, Cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays I own
2. Game preservation - ROMs and ISOs of games I’ve purchased that may not be available in 10 years or even sometimes even less times when servers and online content are taken offline
3. Protection against licensing disputes - Like the case with the inability to purchase The Drew Carey Show complete series
4. Protection against censorship - Complete, unedited versions of shows I love how the director intended
5. Independence from streaming services - I control what I can watch and when like with Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin.

Final Thoughts

Data hoarding isn’t about being a digital packrat. It’s about preservation, ownership, and control over the media you’ve purchased. In an age where “buying” digital content really means “licensing it until the company decides otherwise,” maintaining your own collection is the only way to truly own anything.

So yes, I want more and more things to hoard. Because 20 years from now, when someone asks “Remember that show?” or “Remember that game?” - I’ll be able to actually show them, not just reminisce about content that’s been memory-holed by corporate decisions.