Do YOU think Emulation is the same as Piracy ?

Does Emulation = Piracy ?

  • Total voters
    179
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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I've read this debated over the years online, on GAF I've often read people who have agreed to the notion that companies like Nintendo shutting down Emulators is good because emulation is first and foremost used for piracy.

I want to present this question to you, yes you, the Neogaf user.
 
Of course it isn't.

If I buy a game I can do whatever I please with it, since it's mine. If I decide to dump it and run it on an emulator that provides a better experience than even the current official hardware, like 4K and 60fps, then I would be stupid for not doing so.
 
It's not piracy on paper. However, let's face it, it's mainly used to pirate games for most people. That is its number one use.
 
Emulators and the act of emulation? Of course not.

Emulating a game that is not for sale? Not in my opinion.

Getting roms of games that are on sale in any form? Yeah. Not that I care. I don't want to do it but I don't think it hurts things that much.
 
No Way GIF
 
I am in fact not mentally retarded no...

anyone voting yes is objectively wrong. like, this isn't even debatable, it's just objectively wrong. provably, demonstrably, AND IN FACT backed by legal precedent... WRONG.

Emulation is legal. that's an empirical fact.
 
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Kind of. If you own the game definitely no, if you don't it kind of is but then again does it matter? can you buy it new? If it's not being sold new who is really missing out on a sale?
 
Xbox 360 slim said:
Don't care, i'm not paying $200 to an ebay scalper.
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Exactly. If the game isn't sold on normal ways (game stores or digital storefronts) then it's abandonware and you can do as you please.

The fact that some fat ass nerd might want to scalp you 200€ for a copy of Lufia II doesn't change that.
 
TintoConCasera said:
Exactly. If the game isn't sold on normal ways (game stores or digital storefronts) then it's abandonware and you can do as you please.

The fact that some fat ass nerd might want to scalp you 200€ for a copy of Lufia II doesn't change that.
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It's the copyright holder's perogative to use the thing in a way they see fit, which includes not using it.

I don't think anyone should be thrown in jail and the cat is out of the bag on this but it really is much more clear cut and simple than gamers like to pretend it is.
 
W ithSwitch it kinda was. But older consoles or arcades - hobbyist emulation saved most of those games from being forgotten (or remembered but never really played anymore).
Of course now that there is a market for re-releases of retro games I am sure at least Nintendo see it as theft.
 
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Yes. I've never been able to lie to myself to make myself feel better. Of course it is. Any discussion of the exact wording of what this is is just semantics.

Stop trying to be noble in your own mind when you are playing games for free that you downloaded off the pirate bay. Just accept what you are instead of trying to appear good and righteous while stealing. Killer8 Killer8 is EXACTLY right. Stop pretending you are "good" and just make the best of what we all are. Imperfect creatures.
 
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Zacfoldor said:
Yes. I've never been able to lie to myself to make myself feel better. Of course it is. Any discussion of the exact wording of what this is is just semantics.

Stop trying to be noble in your own mind when you are playing games for free that you downloaded off the pirate bay. Just accept what you are instead of trying to appear good and righteous while stealing.
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Oh no, my conscious will eat me alive because I'm playing games that are decades old on an emulator, lol.
 
I reserve it for stuff that is not available to buy from a modern storefront, or I already own but want to play in an upgraded form via emulator tweaks/mods.

And even if it isn't available, I often check eBay to see if I can't snag it in physical form for reasonable prices.
 
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Zacfoldor said:
Stop trying to be noble in your own mind when you are playing games for free that you downloaded off the pirate bay. Just accept what you are instead of trying to appear good and righteous while stealing. Killer8 Killer8 is EXACTLY right. Stop pretending you are "good" and just make the best of what we all are. Imperfect creatures.
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What if Killer8 Killer8 is talking about games he owns and/or ripped himself ?
 
Edder1 said:
Oh no, my conscious will eat me alive because I'm playing games that are decades old on an emulator, lol.
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Why would you have a crisis of conscience over stealing old games? I'm not asking you to feel bad about it or even stop doing it. Just spare us the justification on how it all was for the greater good, lol. Lie to yourself it okay but when you are trying to get others to believe it you are basically showing off your own neurosis. A nobody cares if you steal old games and B you feeling the need to proclaim your innocence only makes you look needy.
 
Zacfoldor said:
Yes. I've never been able to lie to myself to make myself feel better. Of course it is. Any discussion of the exact wording of what this is is just semantics.

Stop trying to be noble in your own mind when you are playing games for free that you downloaded off the pirate bay. Just accept what you are instead of trying to appear good and righteous while stealing. Killer8 Killer8 is EXACTLY right. Stop pretending you are "good" and just make the best of what we all are. Imperfect creatures.
Click to expand...

I can show you a physical disc for every game I ripped and play on an emulator on my PC. That doesn't make me "good". It doesn't make me a "pirate" either.

Zacfoldor said:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that in my mind as well. I'm not judging anyone.
Click to expand...

Then stop generalizing entire groups of people simply because they use an emulator
 
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Azelover said:
It's not piracy on paper. However, let's face it, it's mainly used to pirate games for most people. That is its number one use.
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Piracy is a service problem, give people a way to play the games they emulate that also provides all the perks emulators do and more and people will buy it without a second thought.
In my case in particular I wouldn't even mind simply buying a digital copy of an old game from a store where publishers provided the ISOs or something, but unfortenately they don't give a fuck about old games so why should people give a fuck about publishers' thoughts on emulation?
 
Zacfoldor said:
Why would you have a crisis of conscience over stealing old games? I'm not asking you to feel bad about it or even stop doing it. Just spare us the justification on how it all was for the greater good, lol. Lie to yourself it okay but when you are trying to get others to believe it you are basically showing off your own neurosis. A nobody cares if you steal old games and B you feeling the need to proclaim your innocence only makes you look needy.
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Stealing? LOL. Most games I play aren't even sold today or don't have a port on PC where I play my games. I'm not purchasing a console where I'm gonna play an ancient game with inferior framerate on an inferior emulator. Like common dude, have some common sense. And btw, you can't steal something you don't own anyway, lol.
 
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kevboard said:
why are so many people so confidently wrong?

you guys are essentially saying yes to the question "does 1 plus 1 equal 3?"
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The no options is not necessarily the correct one because you like it and it's pro consumer.
Simply put, by the law, it is just piracy. Nobody is ripping their own games or their own bios
 
I have always emulated games, right now as an adult with an income here are my rules for emulation if it is piracy or not:

-If you own the games then absolutely not
-If the game is super old and is not easily accessible then absolutely not
-if you live somewhere that you can't access a way for you to play that game then it's a grey area
-but if the game is available, accessible and you have the means to access it then yes it is piracy.
 
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