ROMs vs Purchased Games

[dsheinem]

yes

[Sano]

I know its a silly question, I was just curious as to what people would consider a legit collection would be. Mainly do people think pirated games can be included as part of a any collections that would be considered retro.

I agree with dunpeal2064 as well. Also with Sarge on digital games not really being retro. I am not really sure on where I stand as far as ISOs go. As for 16bit/8bit era ROMs I lean towards them not being in the realm of a true retro collection.

P.S. I can't seem to word this question the way I have it in my brain.. I hope you guys get what I am trying to ask.

[Jagosaurus]

I think of it as a digital library.

I ripped roughly 100 PS2 games that I later sold. Are those "pirated" files? Did they only become pirated only once I sold the physical media?I am also in the process of backing up all the PS1/2 games I am keeping. That's why I stay away from that area of the discussion. It's circular IMO. I do think the games left my "collection" once I sold them, but they're still part of my playable library (via a modded system).

A good way to think of it is CDs vs MP3s in my brain. You can show folks your shelves of CDs. You can then put good use to your digital mp3s to easily play music for them.

You can show them your shelf of Nintendo games, but have no shame in the convenience of firing up an Ever Drive N8 with a library of 700 digital titles on it.

I did just spend hours organizing my digital game files recently (from 2600 to PS2 in one place!). It is something I'd be proud to show others into emulation, modding, flashcarts, tinkering, etc... but not to someone who wants to see my game collection.

[Gunstar Green]

Well... you can have a collection of pirated games in the same way that you can have a collection of anything. But I think like dunpeal said if someone asked to see my collection I wouldn't say, "here's my burnt Dreamcast games," because I wouldn't consider them part of that collection. They're part of my library of games, but they don't belong to the same set as "legitimate retail games that I collected."

If I collected stamps I wouldn't print out copies of stamps I don't own and say they're part of my stamp collection either.

Maybe a more interesting question would be do people consider professional looking reproductions as part of their collections? If so, why is that different?

[Jagosaurus]

Not a bad point. What we're calling a library could also easily be termed a "digital collection" regardless of it was purchased or DLed. You're just getting into differing terminology preferences though.

My digital music files have come from all over throughout the years... all the way back from Napster to itunes, to ripping CDs, to torrents, to DL files from artist sites. I'm about to start using Amazon for mp3s as well. I consider them all part of my digital library. I do not categorize them into: here's my pirated digital files and here's my legit digital files.

Some seemed to brush over this topic but it hits home for me. Over the past year (started last May) I really made an effort to go digital. I ripped 100s of Blu Rays & DVDs (MakeMKV) to DRM files. I downloaded 100s of retro ROMS. I ripped 100s of PS1 .bin/.cues & .isos. I even ripped some CDS that had slipped through the cracks. I then sold off a lot (not all) of the physical copies.

I think the important part to me is that they're very much a part of my overall "media experience" in my life today. I don't go grab a DVD, I fire up my media player. I rarely grab an NES cart. I fire up the EverDrive SD card or emulator with the same ROMS. Same scenario across most mediums now for me. Maybe it is a digital collection in its own right by the definition, but certainly not how most would classify it so I'll stick to the term " digital library."

To address the repro question above, there's a whole sub-section of collecting reproduction classic cars. Look into the Cobra replica scene. It's huge. I don't really understand it, but it's there. I don't see why not for games. I still don't understand it

[CFFJR]

I don't really think of anything digital as being part of a "collection", whether it's legal or pirated or ripped or whatever.

I have a little over 3000 songs on my computer, almost all of which were ripped from cds I bought new or purchased digitally from this or that service. I don't think of it as a collection. Same with any games I have on Steam or XBLA or whatever. They are accessible and playable, but that's it. They're always an addendum - "I have this many games, plus ____ if you count digital stuff."

Regarding the repro question, I do consider reproductions to be part of my collection. They have a different kind of appeal for me, and it's nice to be able to own physical copies of oddities like, for example, Duke Nukem 3D on the Genesis.

And that last sentence is the key really. Physical. I like having something tangible. That makes all the difference.

I can compare it somewhat with my other hobby of toy collecting. You can view photos or something of a toy, and someone might say that toy has good articulation or a strong sculpt. You might then be able to say, yes, that looks like a good figure. But it's something that's difficult to really appreciate without having it in your own hands. You can tell what company released a toy just by how it feels when you handle it.

That tactile experience matters to me a lot. And yes it's less important for games (and books and movies while we're at it) but the sensation I get from that can't be understated.

Of course people can do whatever the hell they please, I don't care. That's just my own standard applied to my own stuff.

Sorry, that meandered a lot.

[alienjesus]

I include any game I paid for or otherwise obtained through legitimate and legal methods are part of my collection, regardless of if it is physical or digital.

[Jagosaurus]

I include any game I paid for or otherwise obtained through legitimate and legal methods are part of my collection, regardless of if it is physical or digital.

Do you buy games from GoG? Aren't those DRM free? How do you classify those versus say, a DL of a DOS game?

Do you rip or backup any of your physical games?

I don't care either way of course. I just find it interesting we all seem to classify this a little different.

[alienjesus]

I include any game I paid for or otherwise obtained through legitimate and legal methods are part of my collection, regardless of if it is physical or digital.

Do you buy games from GoG? Aren't those DRM free? How do you classify those versus say, a DL of a DOS game?

Do you rip or backup any of your physical games?

I don't rip or backup my physical games. I don't play PC games much, so GOG isn't something I use a lot, but I'd count them as part of my collection if I did. If the downloaded DOS game was freeware, I'd count it. It's a legit release of the game. If it's just a ROM dump, I don't.

My collection is determined by me, so I only go with things I feel like I have legitimately added to it. If other people have different ideas of what counts, no water off my back. I just feel like something like World of Goo on Wiiware is a game I have paid for and possess in some form, so I will count it as part of my connection. My burned copy of Spriggan on PC Engine CD I don't count because I made it to try the game out and I haven't purchased it in any form - it's no different to an emulated Rom in that sense/

[harper]

For me, something that might be a bit of a fine line, is emulation on the Wii. I don't consider those roms/emulators to be a part of my collection, but obviously the Wii is a part of my collection. And I would definitely be willing to show off all the cool stuff that can be done with it.