Classic games economics and ethics

[BoneSnapDeez]

Edit: Bone didn't create this topic. Marurun did. But the sort default puts Bone's post at the top. See page 4 for why this topic exists and how it came to be.


A game shop I visit sometimes is now selling EarthBound repros for $40 each. Yikes.

[Exhuminator]

I can totally understand buying an Everdrive. But a repro? No way.

[Segata]

A game shop I visit sometimes is now selling EarthBound repros for $40 each. Yikes.

Um no. They should not sell them for more than 10 bucks.

I can totally understand buying an Everdrive. But a repro? No way.

I feel the exact opposite. Then again neither is really more moral than the other. They are about equal in being shady.

[Sarge]

Selling repros is a lot more shady than a flash cart. We know what flash carts generally get used for, but not necessarily. Repros, on the other hand, are explicitly selling a copied version of a game that they have no rights to.

In emulation terms, the flash cart is part of the emulator, and the end user determines how it is used. A repro is quite literally the ROM, and is distribution of copyrighted material.

[Segata]

How do you feel about those NES 5-1 one carts and stuff? They were illegal when made. People seem to collect those. Hell people are willing to pay 1000 plus bucks for Cheetaman II. Unlicensed unauthorized in it's day also illegal.

[Exhuminator]

In emulation terms, the flash cart is part of the emulator, and the end user determines how it is used. A repro is quite literally the ROM, and is distribution of copyrighted material.

You can always count on Sarge to bring home the common sense.

You could just play public domain or homebrew ROMs on an Everdrive. Just because you own one doesn't mean you HAVE to use it for illegal stuff. Repros are just straight up piracy.

[Xeogred]

The only way I would support a repro is in the case of personally wanting some kind of custom version, IE like NA carts of Terranigma or Seiken Densetu 3, etc. Otherwise yeah, I don't think they should be supported at all in shops.

I'll never forget about 10 years ago seeing rom hacks being sold on ebay. Yikes.

[Sarge]

I think with repros it should be effectively under the table, with the end user supplying the ROM, and paying parts and labor costs. I get that folks want them, and don't always have the means to create them themselves. I mean, I've made my own. But just outright selling them in a store feels all sorts of icky. Especially when said game is still available legally via download services.

[Gunstar Green]

A game shop I visit sometimes is now selling EarthBound repros for $40 each. Yikes.

A game shop I visit now and then started selling repros at around the same price but it was only unreleased games (Like BS Zelda), homebrews and romhacks. Still a gray area and kind of overpriced, but at least not straight up pirate copies of retail games. That's just cringe-worthy.

[ElkinFencer10]

I have no problem with repros for games that were unreleased (like my StarFox 2 repro) or fan translated if you don't have a Retron 5 or similar device (I used to have repros of the three SNES Fire Emblems for that reason), and I think fan hacks on cartridges are just awesome, but repros of games that got released here and are just expensive? No, not cool. And as Sarge said, it's ESPECIALLY not cool when there's a legitimate re-release that's affordable. Don't buy a repro; just download Earthbound on your Wii U. If you don't own a Wii U, then shame on you, scrub.