All About Emulators: Re-Visiting the Ghost of Games Past
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If you've been playing games on consoles for a long time, you know that today's systems are a far cry from the ones you grew up with. For better or worse, they're more complicated and more capable. Do you miss the days of playing Space Invaders and Pac Man on your Atari 2600, or even just playing games on older Nintendo and PlayStation consoles? Keep reading; you're about to get it all back.
Today's gaming consoles look a little like space-age wonders. The controllers are covered with buttons - even at the top and on the undersides. The games themselves come in small, slim disks - a far cry from the bulky cartridges of the past. Sure the graphics are mind-blowing, the technology staggering and the game play is fun...but don't you ever long for those days of simpler games in simpler times?
If you remember that high score you racked up on Frogger or how long it took you to find the boss in Zelda, and you'd like to re-capture some of those joys again, it's time to learn all about emulators. Take your gaming back a few steps.
What are Emulators?
Most emulators are freeware, meaning you can download them at no cost or risk. To use any emulator, you will have to download the program onto your computer. One program, and suddenly your PC stops being a PC. It becomes a Nintendo, an SNES, even a Sega or PlayStation. It's even possible to download a program that will turn your computer into an Atari.
Basically, emulators allow your computer to run those classic games you enjoyed in the past. The emulator program is what makes the game files run in harmony with the rest of your system. If you'd like to turn your computer into a classic gaming station, emulators are a good way to get started. The emulator will run in its own window, and can be turned off or on at will. Emulators work like any other computer program - but emulators can put you in touch with your gaming past.
Let's Get Legal
If you go in search of emulators, chances are you will also find ROMs. What are ROMs? These are the computer file versions of old video games. If you want to play a specific game on your new emulator, for instance, you'll need to download a ROM as well. You can't, after all, suddenly feed your old Nintendo cartridges into your computer's D drive.
Emulators, like all freeware, can be downloaded without any guilt on your conscience. They are free, they are legal, they are safe. ROMs are something of a different story. On many, many sites you may download ROMs - entire games - completely free. However, there's a good reason you may do so. Before you download a single ROM, know the law.
Games are copyrighted. Every game you have ever played in your life - unless you're somehow involved with the world of video game testing and creation - was legally copyrighted under federal law well before you ever got your hands on it. Even though many, many years have passed since the first Nintendo game hit the shelves, this game and all others still fall under the copyrighting laws which bind them.
This means you may download ROMs for one reason, and one reason only: you already own the game itself. Let's say you still have all your old NES games, for instance, but no system to play them on. You may download an NES emulator on your personal computer and then even corresponding ROMs to enjoy all those games again. Legally, however, you are entitled only to download those games you have purchased before - though all the downloads will be free.
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