Emulation is so easy that copying of proprietary video games has become widespread worldwide. Software emulation began in 1990s.Ĭonsole emulation in particular exposed American gamers to foreign video games and also to censorship by giant gaming companies like. This way, an outdated video game like Space Invaders that was previously exclusive to cabinet arcades can be played on modern computers. They are used for software testing, digital preservation, hacks, translations and emulation.Ī video game emulator is a program that allows a computer or a console to mimic or “emulate” the behavior of a different machine. You can completely alter elements of the game, resulting in “homebrew” games. Just like any computer file, ROM files can be changed and edited. You need to use software called an “emulator” to be able to play a game. A video game ROM does not run by itself, however. Specifically, a copy of the data in a video game cartridge or arcade main board is called a video game ROM. When you copy the data in a ROM chip, the copy is called a ROM image or ROM file. Data stored in ROMs cannot be modified or is difficult to modify. ROMs are chips found in many electronic devices like computers and cell phones.Īs the name implies, ROMs function as memory storage.

The beauty of a video game ROM is it lets you play your favorite old school games in a PC or a modern console. Remember when the hottest thing in gaming was Space Invaders? The good old analog days are gone, but people can still enjoy arcade games thanks to video game ROMs.Ī video game ROM is a computer chip that has a copy of the data from a video game cartridge or an arcade’s main board.

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