MAME is the name, Retro Gaming is the Game (Or Vice Versa)

by: COMMANDER ENTERPRISE

Gaming has advanced so much that if one tracks the progression of games for the past 20-30 years. From graphics, gameplay, characters, plot, packaging, and hype-making, companies, and designers have been consistent in creating new worlds, new characters, situations, and even items and weapons and new ways of interacting and playing with them.

The same past 20-30 years also saw golden ages in gaming where some of the most classic and epic video games appeared and invaded our own worlds. A lot of them coincided with the era and popularity of hot console games and arcade games. And going back in time for these gaming originals is something that’s now possible, in the comfort of one’s own home and computer. They continue to live on in digital form in the form of MAMEs or a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.

MAME’s retro gaming fun It’s basically a program/app that plays like a digital version of both an arcade game and a consolidated game console in one that can play all of these low-bit, out-of-print, and rare games, including those from those obscure old game arcades like Sega, The Nintendo family computer and Super family computer, Atari, among many others. It allows old, obscure, and rare games to continue to be available online for future generations to enjoy.

It consists of the MAME Emulator and the ROM image from the read–only chip that housed the game originally. It preserves the original chip data in a file that has the elements of the game and is then read–only by the app to convert to the actual game onscreen.

It has since grown into a huge database that collects all of the released games from that era, available for play anytime, and continues to do so ever since. And it can hold virtually thousands of these games without any space or storage problems. No need for an internet connection or those nostalgic arcades, even the newer ones in the mall (the noise, the rowdy players, the coins, and other items are a different world altogether though).

The convenience of modern computers has also allowed the Mame Emulator to collect and collate different versions of the same game, such as those released in different countries, or later versions with slight or substantial changes or additions. Any and all versions come together as playable versions in the MAME Emulator, with the original appearing as the main root of all the others.

This app has also made it possible for other more dedicated gamers to create actual arcade video game cabinets just like the real deal, recreating the past out of the future, if you will. They can be customised and also monetised, which re-opens up old-school arcade gaming with coins or tokens, just like before. The game does not require actual tokens or coins to play, with its unlimited plays just by pressing the coin button wherever it is assigned on the keyboard or the controller. But arcade gamers with their custom-built cabinets can recreate the real thing including the monetary aspect of these arcade games.

The old-school game hall of fame is endless, but imagine having access to all these barely remembered or forgotten games: the first wave Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The original Operation Wolf & Operation Thunderbolt shooting arcade games, Atari classics, Sega Classics, Famicom and Super Famicom titles, heck, even Playstation has its own ROMS now. Now any game, if it’s on a chip, can be emulated and brought back to life and continue to live on in computers the world over.

The gaming world may have all of these super awesome and advanced games, RPGs, and online gaming cults, but for those who want to play some basic fun shorter games and relive some really old-school graphics, the MAME is like a new, but technically really old world of gaming. It sometimes feels like the surrounding world transports back to that year when that game came out, one can almost feel and smell it. Although past copyright controls still apply, the basic principle of its use is mainly non-commercial and is intended as an emulator installed and played for personal and non-commercial use at home. However, its huge and widespread use and distribution on the internet continues, and the legacy and fun of playing these classic games continue for generations to enjoy.

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