Episode 152: Japanese Mobile Game Preservation

In this episode, host Phil Salvador is joined by two digital preservationists, Ellen Cooper and Max Solensky, to explore the world of Japanese mobile game preservation. Before app stores existed, Japan was living in the future thanks to i-mode: a 1999 revolution that put the internet (and Capcom and Sega) right in your pocket. Today, these games are disappearing, and quickly. From brutal encryption to servers that no longer exist, saving this history is a high-tech race against time. We discuss the i-mode explosion and how Japan’s feature phones beat the world to the web; why saving a mobile game is way harder than dumping a cartridge; the small community groups saving early iOS and Android gems from the digital void; and how you can help keep gaming history from being "delisted" forever.  Mentioned in the show: Video of max swinging keyboard in the monkey game https://youtu.be/I1VJw_yYI1U?si=s_9nXIAZS2hwuNLC&t=355  Transforming phone: https://hitsave.org/wild-land/  You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website. See more from Ellen Cooper “Unabandonware”: YouTube: youtube.com/@Unabandonware/featured Bluesky: @unabandonware.bsky.social  TikTok: @unabandonware See more from Max Solensky “RockmanCosmo”: Bluesky: @rockmancosmo.bsky.social X/Twitter: @RockmanCosmo Website: rockmancosmo.weebly.com Website: keitaiarchive.org  Website: keitaiwiki.com/wiki/KeitaiWiki  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg