It’s not that easy to keep videogames running. Technology evolves at a rapid pace, including software and hardware, making some of the most iconic games from the past unplayable on today’s technology. Not to mention all the parts and programs used in videogames that are long obsolete and no longer supported. In the past fifty years, countless games have been lost.
But it’s not all bad. One of the most important tools to preserve videogames is emulation, which recreates the hardware and software needed to run games on modern machines.
MAME, or Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, is one of the most well-known and important emulation tools. It recreates the inner workings of thousands of arcade machines, letting players in the present a chance to play the best games of the past.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
P179439
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Games Lab → GL-02. Cluster 2 → GL-02-C02
Measurements
Object Types
3D Object
Computer game equipment/Game
Exhibition Prop