HT Games
Dirt
If you don't store Super Nintendo games in their protective plastic cases, dirt, dust and debris can get inside and damage the contacts. Without a clear path for the current to travel along the electrical contacts, the game system cannot read the cartridge's data and will glitch out or not work at all.
Moisture
Another problem that occurs with Super Nintendo cartridges is corrosion of the metal. Blowing into the game cartridge to remove dust actually causes this problem, the Nintendo website explains, because "the moisture in your breath can corrode and contaminate the pin connectors." It also can make dust an even bigger problem by loosening it from the cartridge and allowing it to fall into the system.
Drained Internal Battery
Sometimes, you turn off the system without incident, only to discover later that it didn't save your game as directed. Older, cartridge-based games stored the memory on the cartridge itself until the advent of memory cards made this method obsolete. The memory chip inside a cartridge receives power from a CR2032 lithium battery, similar to a CMOS battery on a computer motherboard. Like any other battery, it loses its ability to hold a charge over time, resulting in lost data.
General Maintenance
Cleaning the cartridge contacts is best done with a cotton swab soaked in a water and rubbing alcohol solution. For the interior of the system, Nintendo sells a cleaning cartridge that removes the dust from the contacts inside the console, but you can get similar results with a thin cloth wrapped tightly around a credit card.