Why emulators are awesome

I use emulators a lot.

I have an Android phone and a PC; between the two of them I can emulate games from more or less any classic console. Emulation exists in a legal grey area. Technically it’s a form of piracy, however most game companies turn a blind eye to it because, most of the time, it isn’t affecting their profit margins. Nobody is buying Illusion of Gaia because no onecan buy Illusion of Gaia, so where’s the harm in us playing it for free, right?

Whenever anybody tells me they have nothing to play, I am surprised. There is never nothing to play. The gaming community has access to thirty years of content, a significant percentage of which is damn good.

One of my friends recently complained about the lack of JRPGs and in the same breath complained about the quality of modern JRPGs. So go play old JRPGs, dumbass! They are out there waiting for you!

Miss horror games that were actually scary? Then go play them!

Popular in China

Emulation devices are massively popular in China, where they have been sold under the radar for years. It’s impossible to guess how many of these devices are sold but the PSP-style device pictured below has been seen for as little as $33 in some Chinese markets. Personally, I have noticed a surge in emulation-based- consoles connected to TVs which allow gamers to play classic titles like Street Fighter, Double Dragon and Final Fantasy.

I have seen hundreds of these in markets around China.

Some would argue that this is piracy, but I disagree. I’d argue it’s piracy only when it impacts on the profits of the companies involved — sure maybe there have been re-releases on iOS, Nintendo’s eShop or the countless other “legitimate” online stores, but the people playing these emulators were never going to shell out for an exceptionally expensive piece of imported hardware and then pay extra money for a game that’s 10-15 years old. It’s just not going to happen.

Why this is a good thing

My colleague Charlie recently pointed out that Chinese gamers don’t have the same gaming culture as most other nations. This is mainly because for the last 13 years games consoles have been banned/out of the budget for most of the Chinese population. This, along with other factors, has kept China isolated from the worldwide gaming community. A great example is the Final Fantasy series which most of my Chinese friends are only vaguely aware of and few have actually played.

However this is changing as people are playing classic games on their phones and other devices. I recently saw a friend playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time on his android phone and it made me happy because anything that allows others to join the community and to share our experiences is good in my book!

An investment for the future?