Buying VS. Roms

Started by Centipede Chan September 3rd, 2014 8:20 AM
  • 1288 views
  • 14 replies
  • Poll

Buying a game VS Illegally obtaining it

Centipede Chan

Age 26
Female
United States
Seen October 14th, 2021
Posted April 4th, 2021
1,069 posts
9.1 Years
Personally I'll go out of my way to save money for a newer game I can get that is physical or download. As for older games I usually wait for them to go on virtual console or buy them if they're already there. But there are a few reasons why I hate playing roms:
-It doesn't feel the same, as in "I bought this game with my own money and worked for it" type of feeling
- Playing games on my PC that really are only enjoyable only a Nintendo system is awkward, controller or not
-I am compelled to cheat so hard, in games like pokemon mostly, which kinda ruins the game for me

What about all of you? Also as a used-to-be hacker of Super Mario World, hacks are different because it's pretty much a whole new type of game, and a free one (well roms are free but you know I mean).

Benjamin Kuli

Mahagon

Seen April 23rd, 2022
Posted July 16th, 2015
37 posts
10.9 Years
I mostly play original/physical games on original/physical consoles. I barely even pay for digital downloadable stuff, since I have lived for 3 years in a flat where I only had internet access only on my notebook.

Emulation, on the other hand, can be nice to try out older games (as they lack demo), but sometimes they have some minor bugs that can be frustrating. And yeah, hacks are a totally different category.


If you like Pokémon-style games, feel free to check out my own video game project, Companions, which is a parody of monster catcher games.
Male
Valla aka Kitsune Kingdom
Seen July 20th, 2021
Posted October 7th, 2017
943 posts
11.3 Years
Depends really.
I will illegally download a game if:

-It is in japanesse and I want to play a fan translation.
-It is ridiculously expensive and rare(ex.Tharcia 776)
-It is on an old console i cant get my hands on or doesnt work on the TV.
-It is a full priced game(over 20 euros)and has only a download version.(Not always though since I want SMT IV even though it is eshop only)


3DS:4871 4138 8216
Friend Safari:Bug with Combee,Illumise and Heracross!

Candy

Age 26
Female
In OJ Land
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted August 22nd, 2020
3,813 posts
14.3 Years
I'd really prefer to own an actual copy of a game than illegally download it. Sure, a ton of my games are illegally downloaded, but don't kill me because an original copy of any game can cost me half of my monthly college expenses, and that's a ****ton of money.

Plus, most of the things here are bootlegs anyway so even to go out of your way to grab an original copy is hard.

But I still try my best to own the original, unless if it's a hack or fan-translation.
_
Zhuang Zi
Crash Fever

Starry Windy

Everything will be Daijoubu.

Male
Liberty Garden
Seen April 28th, 2020
Posted April 28th, 2020
9,307 posts
10.4 Years
Actually, it depends, but if I could, I'd like to buy original games, with exception of ROM hack games.
Age 35
Male
Dream World
Seen December 21st, 2016
Posted October 8th, 2016
1,638 posts
10.8 Years
You can play romhacks in real consoles nowadays with flashcarts like the Everdrive.

I consider romhacking as a legitimate modding scene. You don't have to obtain the rom illegally. As long as the rom isn't distributed with the hack, everything's alright. Of course, 99% of the people who play hacks obtain their roms illegally, but that's a problem of the sites that offer the roms, not of the hackers.

I prefer playing the games on a real console, but sometimes they just die (more frequent with modern ones ironically), so emulation is more convenient. Also, classic games look like **** on HDTVs.


Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, the day Pokémon pulled a Dallas and jumped the shark.

Juno

OK I PULL UP

Age 28
Female
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
4,561 posts
9.5 Years
When I was younger, I did, because "oh man, I can get all this stuff for free and I don't have to wait for Christmas or my birthday?" My cousin got me an R4 and showed me how to use it, so I downloaded tons of roms for my DS Lite. It wasn't exclusive to DS roms, though, I used to pirate PC games, too.

But when I got older I realized that it was wrong and that I was being selfish, so I started buying all my games legitimately, and have been doing my best to replace roms and pirated games with legitimate copies. Buying is also a lot more convenient imo - downloading roms isn't bad, but getting certain pirated PC games working on a laptop can be quite a hassle.

I do still play roms of GBA games though - I have the physical copies in a box but I lost my SP charger and haven't been able to play on that. My GBA still works but I just can't go back to consoles without backlight anymore, feels really weird.

Hiatus

Seen 6 Days Ago
Posted July 24th, 2021
12,283 posts
10.8 Years
Playing games with consoles is one thing, and with ROMs in emulators, it's another. Personally, I find former to give me much more of an engaging experience, which I truly enjoy. With video game consoles, you usually have to use controllers to play, which is one thing that drags me into them. Holding those things into my hands and mashing buttons together is a lot of fun, if you ask me. I suppose same could be done with emulators if you have a controller plugged into your computer and whatnot, but they're not always compatible with games that you happen to be emulating, which does wind up limiting you.

As for playing ROMs within video game consoles with help of external devices--M3 Zero, for example--I'm neutral on that. You're gaming without having to pay much price, which is good, and to top it all off, you're also getting the same, exact (or at least similar) feel and experience as you would from playing with cartridge. I've been through it before, and it's honestly not so bad. Mostly, though, I try to keep myself away from downloading ROMs, as it's not exactly the correct thing to do. Usually, you'd see me using these things only when the games are no longer available in market.
Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
7,741 posts
16.6 Years
I'll definitely get something illegitimately if the copyright holder shows no interest in selling the product to me anyway (primarily: games not localised in my area; old games with copies no longer being distributed first-hand) or if I wouldn't buy it myself even if I didn't have the option to get it illegally (primarily: games without physical copies; obtuse DRM). This is generally true of most instances of piracy, AFAIK; the idea the industry expresses of every pirated game being stolen and being a lost sale is quite warped.

Altius

Flygon Fan

Age 26
Male
Singapore
Seen February 26th, 2019
Posted February 26th, 2019
1,010 posts
10.5 Years
The thing about illegal ROMs, in my opinion, isn't all about stealing and stuff. I feel that people tend to not appreciate the games as much when you have about 30 games stored in your card. Most of those titles won't be touched, and the games in general won't feel that 'fulfilling'.

I used to play pirated ROMs on the Nintendo DS, as I received such a chip from a relative as a gift. Out of the 50 preloaded titles, I find myself only touching 2 or 3. Now that I buy actual 3DS tiles, I only have about 5 games but I feel a lot more content.

Sheep

She/Her
Australia
Seen 13 Hours Ago
Posted 16 Hours Ago
39,266 posts
16.6 Years
Tacking another vote onto buying because pirated just.. doesn't feel the same as owning the actual thing. I'd rather toss aside however much for a game than obtain it illegally as then I don't feel as dedicated to putting energy into the game; the passion won't be there otherwise. At most I've torrented a game or two as sort of a "free trial" that I later purchased after deciding I enjoyed it.

Kyora

Age 22
Female
at my computer desk tbh
Seen September 14th, 2019
Posted March 14th, 2017
276 posts
9.4 Years
I only emulate games I can't reasonably own, games where the port/remake is worse than the original, and Hacks. I used to emulate a LOT of DS games, but then the 3DS came out and now We buy all the 3DS games. I've only played Majora's Mask on an Emulator, because where are you going to find a working N64 these days? I know I could get it on the Wii U, but then I wouldn't be using an N64 Controller, I bought one for my computer specifically to play Majora's Mask XD I know it's a weird reason, but I enjoy using the original Controllers unless it's a Remake :P Gimme Majora's Mask 3D o3o
Here's my newest shiny, Zula!


She was Dexnav chained at 5!

Thomas

HAIL HYDRA!

Age 35
Male
Lafayette, LA
Seen February 11th, 2022
Posted November 22nd, 2018
5,984 posts
19.2 Years
I will never pirate a newer game.

If I don't have a system anymore (ex. PS2 or GBA), I will download an emulator and play old games I used to own. I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong downloading a playing old games that I've already purchased.
Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
7,741 posts
16.6 Years
The thing about illegal ROMs, in my opinion, isn't all about stealing and stuff. I feel that people tend to not appreciate the games as much when you have about 30 games stored in your card. Most of those titles won't be touched, and the games in general won't feel that 'fulfilling'.
Looking at people's profiles on Steam has told me that exactly the same thing is just as likely to happen with bought games. Plenty of users have over 200 games and haven't played most of them at all. I haven't found that access to illegal means has made me want to download a lot of games; the matter may be down more to individual temperament than actual accessibility. Well, it probably is more down to accessibility; I just wanted to raise the thought.