Emulators sound like something to get into. Is there significant legal action against people who use these things? Some kind of coalition of video game companies kind of like the RIAA for music and MPAA for film?

None that I know of, unless the FBI happens to be stalking you, and you happen to have any emulator newer then a playstation/N 64 emulator.

Hmmm...Would love to play some of those arcade games that I never had the chance to when I was broke-ass elementary school student (not that I'm not broke now).

you may get the ROM/emulator of any game/system that isn't produced anymore, I think. try out SNES and N64.

So games that you can't buy are like books which have their copyrights expired, right?

Pretty much, except, people like me don't really care for that "24 hour rule" or "new games are off limits" shit, I get hacks/cracks or whatever to allow me to burn and use newer games, like for example, dreamcast games, and I think a playstation game, once.

Nobody ever came after you for doing that?

tssk tssk freelance. they can't. You would have to go on nintendo's official site and send them a mail saying " hey i love your games but never buy them because i have over 135756 roms on my computer ;) cheers " to take a little risk. you know, about hmmm 100% people i know in real life with a computer have illegal movies on their computer. Guess what ? None were arrested. There 's just a few thing to avoid like some peer to peer program which are said to be unsecure. But otherwise theres no trouble ( which doesnt mean i think its a good thing to hack stuff or play everygames by emulators. If every guys were doing that, i would be starving in the future, so come on, somagu, now you take the little money your parents give you everymonth AND YOU SHOW SOME FRIGG'N RESPECT TO THE GODS WHO GIVE YOU THE VIDEO GAMES THAT MAKES YOUR LIFE A PARADISE )

Hey now, when did I ever say I don't buy games? I just don't buy OLD games.

I remember how arcades used to be a big part of college culture. When the rest of the student population hit the night clubs, the nerds and geeks would descend on the biggest arcade in the city and play Street Fighter or Killer Instinct all night long. Nowadays most arcades are littered with old, barely-functioning machinese which have signs on them reading "Must go quick! $500 O.B.O.!" I haven't seen a new arcade title in years. I think the Japanese still make arcade games though.

Damn. I never knew this arcade culture. There was no arcade around my town. Anyway, there is still new games for arcade i believe ( like moto, surf simulation i had never see before ) but yeah, it looks like most new arcade games are from japan ( saw a movie on japan and the arcade places there are many, huge, and filled with people everywhere : o. Though most of the games are karaoke or music games )

I've downloaded at least a hundred ROMs now, and I haven't been arrested yet. and a "few" old games, Fallout for example. SS2 as well.