-> I know that the admin here has a problem
-> with emulator talk, so I'll make my point
-> quickly.  One of the major reasons for
-> emulation of video games is that they have
-> been discontinued and are hard to find. If
-> it was easier to get games for Atari,
-> Coleco, etc, people wouldn't need to emulate.
-> If said games could be obtained legally
-> without too much hassle, I would do so,
-> but hunting garage sales and fleamarkets
-> is not always a success.  Arcade games are
-> emulated for several reasons:
-> 1. Some people love the classics but most arcades are too concerned
-> with profit to keep them, and
-> 2. The units are too big to own.  Yes, a Pac-Man machine can be found
-> for under $500, but who has room in their house for one?
-> Both of these problems are solved by programs such as MAME that
-> enable play of arcade classics at little or no expense, taking up no
-> space (well, hard drive space I guess), and the ability of the
-> emulator's owner to decide which games too have, rather than beg the
-> arcade owner to put in a Galaga machine instead of another Super
-> Mega Hyper Turbo Street Fighter 7: Tournament Edition machine.
-> Again, if these games could be legitimately found without a hassle,
-> people would do so.
-> --Dan Decker
another good point you forgot to mention is that of the boards of old
arcade machines becoming corrupt from age.  Emulation helps preserve
the classics.  However, you forgot to add it's illiegal to own the rom
withoug first owning the machine, 99% of the time.  Then again, my
point is in much vain, as people abuse emulation almost as much as they
abuse the copying of full versions of games.  Oh well, america was
never made to be perfect.
... "Bother!" said Pooh, as the spiked walls closed in on him.
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
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