Emulators: Amazing Tools or Piracy Devices?
2/13/2016
One of the biggest controversies related to video games today is the subject of emulators. Simply put, emulators allow you to run programs designed for other devices by copying (emulating) the code of that device. For example, I have a program called Wine installed on my Mac that emulates the Windows operating system, thus allowing me to run .exe files. There are a large variety of emulators, from mobile apps for playing Game Boy games to actual hardware for playing a variety of retro games on one console.
Emulators, particularly the ones installed on computers, have a variety of useful purposes. Those with the technical knowledge and equipment can copy the code, or ROMs, of video games from cartridges onto their computers. The most common use of emulators today is to record videos or take screenshots of popular games, which can only be done on older consoles by using special recording equipment. Furthermore, on their computers people can access and tweak the code of ROMs. This has lead to many people hacking their favorite games to create something new, be it by importing elements from other games, or even creating their own game using the code in the ROM as a base! Many have also created translations of games previously only released in foreign countries. The best example of this is Mother 3, the GBA sequel to beloved SNES RPG Earthbound. The game was only ever released in Japan, so a team of fans got together, and after two years of hard work, the game was translated into English. Since then, hundreds of thousands of fans have been able to enjoy this game, something that may never have been possible without the use of emulators.
Emulators aren't just software either. Two good examples are Nintendo's Super Game Boy and Game Boy Player. These devices allow you to play Game Boy games on your Super Nintendo Entertainment system and GameCube, respectively. Many companies also produce emulators to play games from multiple systems. A great example of this is Hyperkin's RetroN 5, which allows you to play games from a variety of retro systems including the NES, Sega Genesis, and SNES. This is great for people who want to play retro games without collecting a lot of consoles.
You're probably wondering why there is a controversy after all of the positive things I listed. There's a simple answer: many people use emulators illegally. Emulators themselves are completely legal, as is ripping ROMs from video games you own to use with digital emulators. The problem is when people distribute ROMs they have ripped over the internet, which people then download and play for free. Not all offenders are pirates though: many believe it perfectly acceptable to download ROMs for games if they own a physical copy, due to their right to own a backup copy. Sadly, this is not true. Think of it this way: imagine instead of a video game, the object in question is a DVD. Though it's technically illegal, no one really cares if you create a backup copy of the DVD on your computer. These days many DVDs even come with free download codes for digital backup copies. That said, it's obviously illegal to then give a free copy of the movie to all your friends or upload it to the internet. It's the same with ROMs. You can create your own ROMs to use with emulators, but it's 100% illegal to download ones people are distributing over the internet.
Ultimately, the controversy over emulators comes down to how people use them. When used properly, emulators can be amazing tools for people who want to record footage of their favorite games or enhance their own programming skills by messing with the code. However, in the wrong hands emulators are used to play games for free, cheating the developers who worked so hard to create those games.
I'm the guy who programmed this whole website from scratch and I'm responsible for most of the content you see here (including these cool author profiles!). I've been a huge fan of Nintendo since I picked up my first NES controller when I was 3. When I'm not writing articles or filming a new video, I enjoy playing and composing music, reading, math, art, and computer programming.