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The Emulation Scene

Something we've yet to mention in this feature is emulation and its relation to abandonware. By definition, an "emulator" is any program that lets a computer run software designed for a different machine altogether. For gamers with a yen for yesterday, this means that almost any game, from any platform, can be played on today's PCs. That includes archaic computers (like the Commodore 64, Apple II, or Atari ST), video game consoles (like the Atari 2600, Intellivision, ColecoVision, SNES, or Sega Master System), or an authentic coin-op arcade machine. But you might wonder whether or not that's legal too.

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Computer games aren't the only "abandoned" games out there.
It's a tricky question--emulators by themselves are legal to use, but the "ROM" files (the games themselves) are what cause the copyright violations. The growing concern among today's video game publishers that own these intellectual properties is compounded by the fact there are also new emulators that allow PC gamers to play new games for the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo 64, or the Sony PlayStation. In fact, there are literally hundreds of emulators and thousands of ROMs out there.

The same gray-area controversy that applies to abandonware sites exist for the emulation scene. Many gamers do not have moral dilemmas in downloading games for the Atari 2600, a coin-operated arcade machine from 1981, or an old Sega Genesis sports game.

Do you?


 
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