Is Emulation Wrong?


Emulation is right. Using non public domain roms in wrong

simple as that

Not as simple as that to me. Intent has a lot to do with whether theft is wrong, as stealing an inflatable swimming pool from Inflatable Swimming Pools R Us is wrong, but stealing a loaf of bread from a supermarket to feed your starving family is.. well, let's just agree it's less wrong.

Here's a good read from Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun Times, dated a couple weeks back: http://www.suntimes.com/output/derogatis/c...nws-dero20.html. Sure, it's about music copyright infringement, and there are a couple hints of Robin Hood "steal from the rich, give to the poor" angst, but the topic almost mirrors rom piracy, and it's not a lost cause that columnists are putting greedy corporate execs in their place.

Well if a company goes out of business then hell that must mean all their software is free to take! All right! I guess by that logic too, if a car dealership goes out of business, it's free cars for everybody!

This is the most valid argument so far I think, as emulation of SNES, NES, Genesis, and "abandonware" PC games are touchy ground, being almost a decade old, no longer published, and difficult to obtain if you don't have an ebay account. Only comparing cars to software is apples and oranges, because one is physical property and the other is intellectual property. Physical property theft is clear-cut compared to Intellectual property theft; if I let you borrow a shovel, all is well because for that duration I cannot also use the shovel, but if I let you borrow a "copy" of my Diablo 2 CD... we might as well invite some more friends and start a LAN party.

Soon sharing becomes stealing, but once again intent still matters. Are you trying to keep the classic gaming scene alive by downloading roms to play on your GP32? Are you supporting in any way the artists whose work goes into producing a game, by donating money, purchasing other games, endorsing their products, coding a bad clone of your favorite game out of respect, and shar.. er.. informing friends about them?

I justify to a degree partaking myself in emulation and playing games I do not own (omg, I just incriminated myself!) because it has honestly led to a large (60-70+) collection of old cartridges from Funcoland. And emulation often actually enhances some old games, in that you can play games online, view sharper graphics, take screenshots, make video recordings, and share better and more tips and information with millions of gamers via the internet.

Do you agree? Does intent matter when you download a rom? Or, a better question, is downloading roms from one specific console okay, while another console is not? Are there right or wrong uses of roms and emulators?
 
Phil said:
Me: mr. pope do you think emulation is wrong.

sanatarium adviser: time for your medication.

LO -friggin- L.

Seriously guys, I'm just glad GP32x humors discussion about emulation and roms. Hypocritically, it appears the first rule of so many emulation-related forums I've frequented is that you do not talk about emulation. It's censorship started by fear, and kills healthy, often enlightening discussions.
 
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I know I said I was going to stay out of this, but a thought occured to me today...

Someone in an earlier thread said pirating roms was like getting a guy to wash your windows, then not paying him. I pointed out that this comparison is wholy inaccurate for a couple reasons. Today I came up with a comparison that more accurately fits the situation.

Say there is a train going from NY to Chicago. You're in NY, and you want to go to Chicago. You either don't have any money, or just don't want to go to Chicago badly enough to pay the ticket price. You sneak into the train yard, jimmy open the door to one of the baggage cars, and hitch a ride. When the train gets to Chicago, you get out, sneak away, and have a great time in the windy city. Nobody ever knows the difference.

Have you done something wrong?

You could make the arguement that Amtrak spends a lot of money on fuel and maintenence to move trains around. All the other people on the train paid for their ticket, so it's really not fair.

You could also make the arguement that the train was going there anyway, and it's not like you took someone else's seat. In the end it cost Amtrak no more to take you to Chicago than if you had stayed home.

Like most moral dilemmas, there is no correct or incorrect answer. But if you want to know my honest opinion, it's only wrong if you get caught.
 
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