I've been a lurker here for... well, I don't remember how long, but probably almost as long as the site has existed. I've watched hundreds of videos over the years, going back to the days before encodes were readily available and you had to track down the ROM itself in order to watch the movie. I've even read through these forums quite a bit, and feel like I know most of the names around here. Still, all this time I've really had nothing to add—until now.
I was surprised, though, at how much resistance there is to publishing this movie. In my opinion, this movie NEEDS to be published here. Why? Well, I guess it depends on how you see the site and its purpose. Does this site simply exist for entertainment purposes? That is, should movies be selected for publication or not based on how interesting they are to watch? If so, it's not much more than a catalog of cool YouTube videos. Hardly seems worth it.
But that's not really the case. Movies are often published regardless of their objective entertainment value, if there can be such a thing. Take the Tetris "fastest 999999" TAS, for example. There's an example of "make up a goal and achieve it" if there ever was one. Would that TAS be at all notable, never mind worthy of publication, if it weren't for a wildly popular game that everyone is familiar with, a game that is in fact a part of videogame history? I sort of doubt anyone would have the patience to sit through a high-score run of Elevator Action.
But the Tetris example shows that a historically significant game does indeed deserve a TAS, even if the goal of the run has to be somewhat arbitrary in order to justify its own existence. Why should that be? Ultimately, because someone out there will come along and say, "Wow, cool, somebody did that."
Personally, I believe E.T. is another such game. It holds a significant enough place in the history of videogames that there is certainly someone out there who would be excited at the prospect of watching a TAS of it for that reason alone. I know, because I'm such a person. True, Tetris and E.T. are important for very different reasons, but why should that matter? A TAS of a bad game can be as interesting, or even more so, than a TAS of a good game. A TAS of a good game may attract more attention, but that's only because more people are familiar with the game in the first place. E.T., however, is a game that "needs no introduction", so it unquestionably passes the notability (or perhaps notoriety) test.
So, what's the point of all of this? Well, this site is clearly more than a collection of cool videos to kill some time with. I see it as a bit like a museum—or perhaps a freak show—that specializes in eviscerating the video games of the past, exposing their internal workings for all the world to see, bugs, glitches, and all. It's almost a scientific rather than aesthetic pursuit, and when put in those terms I find it hard to accept the argument that E.T. shouldn't be put under the microscope.
Yes, a TAS should be interesting to watch, but a run can be interesting for many reasons. It doesn't necessarily have to be visually stunning to be entertaining. A run that cleverly demonstrates a previously unknown game-breaking glitch, or even one that bypasses nearly the entire game would be probably considered interesting enough to merit publication by most people here. I can't see why historical significance shouldn't also be a valid criterion. But the way some people are discussing this movie here, it seems E.T. will NEVER be interesting enough to warrant publication, simply because it's a "bad game choice". That, to me, would be a great loss. If nothing else, it seems quite possible that even more can be done with this game, and that the potential exists to uncover some previously unknown glitch that might completely break this game. Without this movie being published, the world may never know. If you're wondering at this point what the value to the world is of knowing about a game-breaking glitch in a disaster of a videogame that's over three decades old by now, well, then what are you doing here in the first place?!
So, in conclusion, I don't see how this run could NOT be published here. I'm sure my point of view doesn't count for too much—heck, I'm not even eligible to vote—but I nevertheless feel strongly enough about this that I wanted to make my opinion known. Call me overly sentimental, but I'd feel something of a loss if this run doesn't make the cut.