<p>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.</p><p>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 &quot;delisted&quot; forever. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Mentioned in the show:</strong></p><p>Video of max swinging keyboard in the monkey game <a href="https://youtu.be/I1VJw_yYI1U?si=s_9nXIAZS2hwuNLC&t=355"><u>https://youtu.be/I1VJw_yYI1U?si=s_9nXIAZS2hwuNLC&amp;t=355</u></a> </p><p>Transforming phone: <a href="https://hitsave.org/wild-land/"><u>https://hitsave.org/wild-land/</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>You can listen to the <em>Video Game History Hour</em> every other Wednesday on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/gamehistoryorg"><u>Patreon</u></a> (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2CEzMOWHChEvtxzgOOTJQG?si=mOS92GLXTHirp1JPRjoiiQ"><u>Spotify</u></a>, or on our <a href="https://gamehistory.org/the-video-game-history-hour/"><u>website</u></a>.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>See more from Ellen Cooper “Unabandonware”:</strong></p><p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Unabandonware/featured"><u>youtube.com/@Unabandonware/featured</u></a></p><p>Bluesky: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/unabandonware.bsky.social"><u>@unabandonware.bsky.social</u></a> </p><p>TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@unabandonware"><u>@unabandonware</u></a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>See more from Max Solensky “RockmanCosmo”:</strong></p><p>Bluesky: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rockmancosmo.bsky.social/"><u>@rockmancosmo.bsky.social</u></a></p><p>X/Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/RockmanCosmo/"><u>@RockmanCosmo</u></a></p><p>Website: <a href="http://rockmancosmo.weebly.com"><u>rockmancosmo.weebly.com</u></a></p><p>Website: <a href="https://keitaiarchive.org/"><u>keitaiarchive.org</u></a> </p><p>Website: <a href="https://keitaiwiki.com/wiki/KeitaiWiki"><u>keitaiwiki.com/wiki/KeitaiWiki</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Video Game History Foundation:</strong></p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]"><u>[email protected]</u></a></p><p>Website: <a href="https://gamehistory.org/"><u>gamehistory.org</u></a></p><p>Support us on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/gamehistoryorg"><u>/gamehistoryorg</u></a></p>