Do you ever get that feeling of nostalgia when thinking about the very first games you ever played? Reminiscing about the old Mario Parties, Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy, and Chrono Trigger. Well, you can kiss that problem good bye and relive some of your best gaming moments with the use of an emulator.
Emulators are programs used on a computer or even a modern console to play games created for previous systems. Say, for instance, you wanted to play some Mario Kart 64. All you would have to do is download a Nintendo 64 emulator, then download the Mario Kart 64 game file, also known as a ROM. You can do this with virtually any gaming system. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? In fact, it is.
Although you can legally download a system emulator off the Internet, the ROM file may have some legal issues. A ROM file is a video game cartridge that has been transferred into a computer file. U.S. copyright law permits an individual to create one backup file of software you own, but that backup file is tied to your hard copy. So if you sell your N64 copy of Mario Kart 64, then legally you would have to delete the ROM file you created from the cartridge.
The next question is can you download a ROM file of a game you already own? Sadly, no. Copyright law clearly states that the only copy of software you are entitled to is the one you created yourself. So, therefore, it is also against the law if you share a copy of the file with another individual.
Having the ability to download any gaming system on your computer is great, but the entire legal scuffle with acquiring the games is the major downfall. If you find yourself interested in obtaining an emulator, many can be found just by a simple Google search. Even though there is a very slim chance anything will happen to you if you download a ROM, keep in mind you are still breaking the law, and if the companies choose to investigate, there will be penalties.