Debate #2 - Emulation, should roms be made legal

[Classic Gamer Nerd]

[glow=red,2,300]Please don't give any links or tell where to find roms.[/glow]


Now this is a very debatey subject. As we all know roms of games are illegal. (but nobody has been caught really. Look at all the rom sites that are still online and have been online for 5-6 years)

I think roms should be made legal, but just for obselete systems (systems that haven't had a new game made for 5-10+ years)

Here is why

- Older systems tend to breakdown over course of time. Where you going to get it fixed.

- One has a hard time finding games, and even then they are used and sometimes don't work

- Younger users can see the games that the old school gamers grew up with. (like the wii and downloadable games)

- Emulators you can take clean screenshots of games, and now starting to make video movies. Try taking a good of picture using a console and tv.

The wii has some classic game downloads built in, and prehaps the reason is rom downloading. If there wasn't so much intrest in this area, prehaps the wii wouldn't be as good in this area.

However for the systems that still make games like the Playstation or the XBOX roms should remain illegal. When these systems become obselete (and looking at the rate Sony is going, never) then the legality should be changed.

It should be intresting for opposite view points too

[Grimm Penguin]

wow, i dont have anything to say, i agree with you
except 5- 10 years seems a bit much, what if the systems makers just release that they are not making any new games for that system

[Classic Gamer Nerd]

Apr 29, 2008 8:47:57 GMT -5 Grimm Penguin said:

wow, i dont have anything to say, i agree with you
except 5- 10 years seems a bit much, what if the systems makers just release that they are not making any new games for that system

You need to elborate more. How many years do you think it takes for a system to become obselete?

[mignelli]

I think it would take 50+ years for a system to become obsolete. NES players are still going strong, and people still play Atari's and Amiga's. I think Emulation is wrong, but if the people who put up the emulators are liscensed, I dont think its a problem. I also think that 5-10 years is about right. It is copyright infrigment without a license isnt it?

[Classic Gamer Nerd]

Apr 30, 2008 17:14:04 GMT -5 mignelli said:

I think it would take 50+ years for a system to become obsolete. NES players are still going strong, and people still play Atari's and Amiga's. I think Emulation is wrong, but if the people who put up the emulators are liscensed, I dont think its a problem. I also think that 5-10 years is about right. It is copyright infrigment without a license isnt it?

Well here's how I understand it.

Emulation is legal. Roms are illegal unless Nintendo or the company that makes the game puts them up. There are pulbic domain roms out there that people create a totally new game based on the emulator. Those are legal. However, most of those games are games like Tic Tac Toe.

Copyrights last the length of the holder's life + 50 years I think.

[Chris]

I was very much on the fence on this issue, which is why I didn't post.

[mignelli]

I really like these debates. Theyre so intense!

[NintendoNerds]

I am on the fence as well about this issue. I can see and understand the beauty and benefit of having a readily available program on your computer that you can play games with.

I agree that ROM's themselves should not be made legal for a few reasons. Companies have spent countless hours on programming, paying for programmers to create and design a unique piece of "art". How would you feel about someone taking the work your company spent so long developing and using it freely without paying for it (giving them credit) or even consenting, asking for permission. I would truly be ticked off.

The fact of the matter is that there are SO many coder groups out there making data images of games from console media (cartridges, CD's, and DVD's), that it is absolutely uncontrollable to contain the spread of the ROM's.

I am not saying I do or do not play/ utilize ROM's, but I think it's something that should be done for a personal fascination, hobby, or pleasure. I wouldn't openly and willingly post ROM's for downloads.

[Timber Wolf]

I don't really see anything wrong with ROM's the games are so old that you can't find a copy of it, the company that released the game isn't making much money off of it anymore so they shouldn't care(i think thats why a lot of these sites aren't closed down yet), and its kind of annoying to have to take the old consoles apart every other week to fix em, that happened to my PS1 about a year ago, and it got to be probematic enough where i just threw it out, and i can't find a SNES to buy, but there are like 25 games i would love to have from that, but this is just my views on it, so if there are any discepancy feel free to point them out

[tails]

i personally Nintendo should open a site that you can play these on for like $30 a month.

[Classic Gamer Nerd]

I'd say a one time fee, you don't play a game like chrono trigger for a month, then have to pay again the next month

[tails]

so your saying we have to play all the games or we will have to pay again?

[Classic Gamer Nerd]

no just charge by the game instead of the month

[tails]

but wouldn't that be exactly like the shop channel?