Mame arcade machines: are they for the purists?

For people who don’t know what MAME is, it is an arcade emulator made for Microsoft Windows in 1997. In short, what it did was allow any PC owner to play all those classic arcade games. video games of the past, right on your computer.

After MAME got really big for the PC, the arcade cabinet makers decided that it would be a financially smart idea to use the MAME emulator on real arcade cabinets. Of course, no matter how much fun computer games were, it was a million times better in an arcade cabinet. There was no comparison when it came to playing the game the way it was initially designed. Playing Double Dragon on PC just couldn’t compete with that.

It really was the perfect idea. You can store thousands of games, if necessary, in a single cabinet. Sheer convenience plus the ability to save a great deal of money was too much for players to say no.

The real advantage of MAME arcade machines is that you don’t need the newest and most expensive technology to create one. The internal computer doesn’t have to be the best, because most of the older arcade games weren’t that demanding on memory.

Now for the purists. I’m talking about those of you who have been collecting arcade machines since they came into the mainstream, MAME arcade machines are considered second-rate. For staunch purists, owning the original machine with its original artwork, buttons, joystick is the only way to collect arcade games.

Do you have a point? Of course yes! No matter how cool a MAME machine may be, there is still no substitute for the feeling you get when you see a basement full of old arcade games. The MAME machine just can’t compete with that site.

However, one thing is for sure: MAME arcade machines are here to stay and are an important part of this business / hobby.