Good Old Games – or GOG – is a website/content delivery service dedicated exclusively to PC classics. Think Steam, but for old games, and without the shitty client software and intrusive DRM. Also, it's from Poland.

About a week ago, I decided to email the people responsible for GOG and ask them some questions – you know, just to make sure they're doing it right. A few hours later, I received a response from this handsome devil:

Lukasz Kukawski, PR & marketing dude for GOG. Here's what he had to say...

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Dan: Let’s start with the obvious: why start a content delivery service dedicated to old games?

Lukasz: We created GOG.com for a couple of reasons, but mostly we just wanted a place for PC classics: a place where retro fans can find their favourite old games, and meet with other gamers that share their passion. Judging by the feedback from our early access beta, this is something that PC gamers have been waiting for, and so that’s what we’re trying to provide.  

Dan: The name “Good Old Games” implies that you’re only going to sell ... well, good old games. What exactly are your selection criteria in that regard? Is it just games that you guys like, or is it games that have reviewed well, sold well etc.?

Lukasz: It’s a combination. Before launching the service we carried out research and made a list of old titles that were either rated well by the games press, or frequently discussed on classic gaming forums and so on. Recently we've added our own wishlist where GOG.com users can vote for games they would like to see added to the site. Now we have to convince the publishers to sell their back catalogue games via GOG.com and get the deals signed. Unfortunately that's pretty complex and takes time.

Dan: While we’re on the subject of selection criteria, how old does a game have to be before you’ll add it to your catalogue? I mean, Colin McRae 2005? Does that really classify as old? 

Lukasz: For us, anything that's not brand new is fair game. Of course we concentrate on older titles, but “old” doesn't have to mean 10+ years. Although most of the games from our current catalogue are from the mid-90s and early 2000s, we’ll offer some “newer” old games as well. Our main goal is to deliver the best PC games of all time.  

Dan: How far back are you going to go? Can we expect to see old DOS games like Alley Cat and Commander Keen available in the future? Is that feasible from a technical standpoint? 

Lukasz: The limit for how far back we can go actually depends on what deals we sign. So long as the copyright owners agree to sell their games on GOG.com, we can go as far back as we (and our customers) want.

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