Infamous ROM site Emuparadise just announced that after pressure from big companies, they will stop distributing ROMs. I have mixed feelings about this: https://www.emuparadise.me/emuparadise-changing.php
First and foremost, I’m always in favor of preservation and want these amazing games (and even the terrible ones) to be accessible forever. I truly believe that distribution of ROMs for classic consoles only serves to promote the sales of the same game on newer platforms. I’ve also personally witnessed ROM/Flash Cart users continue to purchase used games and support local game stores to grow their collection, regardless if they primarily play the ROMs instead. Bottom line: After everything I’ve seen over the years, it’s clear to me that as long as the ROM isn’t for a game currently being sold in its original form, they help more than they hurt and people who planned on buying the game anyway always do.
…but the bottom line is Emuparadise is covered in ads, which means they are profiting off of other people’s intellectual property. As a content creator myself (both in this website/ YT channel and the music I’ve released), I think that this should stand out against all the other arguments, as profiting off of someone else’s work is never fair. I know how much it costs to host all those files, but I guarantee they’re making much more money on those ads than the cost of service.
So how can we as a community solve this problem? iTunes has proved that if the content we want is available to purchase, we wouldn’t need to pirate them, as people would rather just pay and have a seamless experience. The ideal long-term solution would be to have an iTunes-like ROM store, but that’s not something that can just be thrown together. Can we all put our collective nerd heads together and find a solution? Maybe a huge overseas server hosting bittorrent files of basic rompacks (no current console games allowed)? No ads, no profit, just kept alive by donation and maintained by the community for archival purposes until a better solution is found?
I love my ROMs and will never stop using them, but I want this preservation to be done properly.
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#emuparadise, #roms, #pirates
