If it wasn't for emulation, I never would have heard of or even played the game Kung-fu, which was introduced to me by Weltall through our first emulation contest. So what is significant about that? Tendocity's culture benefited from it. It gave us something fun and different to do. How the fuck can you say that has HURT Nintendo??? If anything, it opened up people (myself included) to a long lost game that now has recognition and is more likely to be purchased. You won't buy a product if you don't know that it exists. There's a whole industry based on this conundrum know as <i>advertising</i>.
But I can't even buy Kung-fu unless Nintendo decides to re-release it. Sure, I might find it for 10 bucks from some place that sells used games, but the game is not worth that. First I'd have to look for it, then pay too much for it, then remember I don't have an NES anymore, then go out and buy a used one that barely works for 20 bucks, then finally play it. Now when patting myself on the back for being such a moral person, I think of how greedy Nintendo is for making me pay 10 dollars for a 30-cent game and enjoy the game much less than I normally would.
But let's say Nintendo releases a "20 crappy games we've made that you've probably never heard of" collection for the GBA. You can bet people are going to buy it. Even those who have all the roms to those games. "Why would you do that?", you ask? Because it's now portable, it's official, and it'd just cool to have it! Sure, not everyone is going to buy it when they can just use an emulator, but you'd be surprised at the number of people who DO.
I get ROMs because I want to play games at a convenience. People would say that makes me sound selfish. But it's the company's responsibility to make it a convenience for you. When a product is no longer in production and is difficult to acquire, why should I give them my so much of my hard-earned cash? I know people work hard on these games, but when a company no longer supports that product, it it their fault and not the consumers'.
But I can't even buy Kung-fu unless Nintendo decides to re-release it. Sure, I might find it for 10 bucks from some place that sells used games, but the game is not worth that. First I'd have to look for it, then pay too much for it, then remember I don't have an NES anymore, then go out and buy a used one that barely works for 20 bucks, then finally play it. Now when patting myself on the back for being such a moral person, I think of how greedy Nintendo is for making me pay 10 dollars for a 30-cent game and enjoy the game much less than I normally would.
But let's say Nintendo releases a "20 crappy games we've made that you've probably never heard of" collection for the GBA. You can bet people are going to buy it. Even those who have all the roms to those games. "Why would you do that?", you ask? Because it's now portable, it's official, and it'd just cool to have it! Sure, not everyone is going to buy it when they can just use an emulator, but you'd be surprised at the number of people who DO.
I get ROMs because I want to play games at a convenience. People would say that makes me sound selfish. But it's the company's responsibility to make it a convenience for you. When a product is no longer in production and is difficult to acquire, why should I give them my so much of my hard-earned cash? I know people work hard on these games, but when a company no longer supports that product, it it their fault and not the consumers'.