Gameboy games on the computer

[SkyC]

Hello everyone, I often comment on the forums when I have a video game craving and I need some general advice/knowledge on how to fill it.

This time I am hard core craving the old pokemon games for the gameboy advance. The fewer the pokemon the better. The Problem of course is finding the old stuff these days. Do any of you know of a safe and preferably legal* way to get them on the computer?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks for your time.

(*preferred legal, not required)

 

[number2301]

The (arguably) legal method, depending on your country, is to own a cartridge and download the information from that onto your PC. Even then, using an emulator to play it is iffy.

Any more info would probably evoke moderator wrath, but you're looking for ROMs and emulators.

 

[Seishisha]

To my knowledge there isnt a 100% legal option for what you want, as stated roms is probably what you want.

 

[Zantos]

Due to digital backup laws (the same ones that make it legal to copy your CDs onto your computer), if you own a console you are allowed to emulate it on a PC due to the only illegal thing about emulators being the BIOS download, however if you own the console you are allowed to digitally back-up the BIOS. If you own the cartridges you are allowed to own a ROM of them on your PC as a digital data backup too. Providing you don't download emulators for consoles you don't own and ROMs for games you never bought then it's perfectly legal.

 

[Judgement101]

I really don't know a way to word what I think without sounding like a pirate. Arrrrr!
(I do not pirate games nor will I ever and I do not think pirating is right no matter what the circumstance is)

 

[Zantos]

Due to digital backup laws (the same ones that make it legal to copy your CDs onto your computer), if you own a console you are allowed to emulate it on a PC due to the only illegal thing about emulators being the BIOS download, however if you own the console you are allowed to digitally back-up the BIOS. If you own the cartridges you are allowed to own a ROM of them on your PC as a digital data backup too. Providing you don't download emulators for consoles you don't own and ROMs for games you never bought then it's perfectly legal.

Negative, Ghostrider. There is no legal argument for cartridge "backups" under any circumstances, self-made or otherwise. (At least within the U.S. Some of those other "less free" countries they keep telling us about in school may have such powers.)

The only legal ROMS are the licensed packs released by companies specifically for use with their various multicade packs, or those licensed game-in-a-box things that plug into your TV.

http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROM_image


"However, in the U.S. it has been illegal since 1983 for a user to create their own backups of video game ROMs onto other cartridges. This was decided in the court case of Atari v. JS&A. JS&A manufactured a "game backup" device that allowed users to dump their Atari ROMs onto a blank cartridge. JS&A argued that the archival rule allowed for this. The court disagreed, noting that ROM media was not subject to the same volatility as magnetic media (for which the law was created). Thus, not being so relatively vulnerable, ROMs were not applicable under section 17 USC 117(a)(2).[5]"

Ooooh, very cool. I'd never heard of this case before. Fortunately all of mine are disk back-ups, so it's still covered, but I'll definitely have to look out for this more often.

Also, my first thought for "less free" countries was actually "Countries more expensive". I need more coffee. Or less coffee.

 

[x-machina]

One word: Emulators. Who gives a crap if its legal or not?

 

[loc978]

Well, emulators are perfectly legal, but ROMs... not so much. I've heard BGB [http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS356&q=emucache&btnG=Google+Search#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS356&biw=1280&bih=911&source=hp&q=gameboy+emulator+BGB&pbx=1&oq=gameboy+emulator+BGB&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v2g-b1&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=112373l114386l2l114788l5l4l0l0l0l0l200l594l1.2.1l4l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=49e38ad9bebabcf0] works fine under most Windows operating systems... but I have nothing to test it with, so... that's all I've got.

 

[GrimHeaper]

Gameboy is to old to be enforced.

 

[DustyDrB]

One word: Emulators. Who gives a crap if its legal or not?

This is the only time I encourage people to download a game. And then not every game. I did this to play Earthbound. I wouldn't do it to play Super Mario Brothers, as I can actually still purchase that game today. The only way to get Earthbound is to go to some second-hand dealer who is selling it in who knows what kind of condition for profoundly ridiculous prices. If they ever released Earthbound on a console, I'd buy it.

 

[Uber Waddles]

There is absolutely no legal way to download your games legally. All games now a days have copy rights. But this is a case where the law isn't exactly where you should invest your moral code. The company is no longer going to be making money off of the game - any dealer you find for it is making money for themselves or their companies, not the original producers.

You will more than likely not face reprecussions for downloading a game nearly 10 years old illegally. Nintendo isn't making money off of the GBA or its games.

While I would normally help you, its against Escapist Policy to. I think its a stupid rule, especially for games that aren't important (I.E. if you were asking for Wii/360/PS3/current PC downloads, that wouldn't be cool. Everything else, its whatever).

 

[SkyC]

Well I think this was a very interesting if brief conversation. I would happily give my money to Nintendo if buying what I'm looking for was easy, so if I happen to chose to do something illegal, I would, hypothetically, have a clear conscious on the matter.

Thanks everyone.