Emulation - The Legalities, Ethics, Benefits and Drawbacks

[SvennoJ]

So what's the stance now on pirating old games when they're available to buy again?

I've seen a lot of arguments saying it's ok to pirate old games, to preserve them etc. However with all the classic/mini consoles coming out now, GOG adding more and more classics, does that argument still hold any water? Star fox 2 for example, time to put the download to rest? Or is the argument now, it's too hard to get, can't wait until I find one in a shop, must pirate now. Or it's not good enough, I want it on the convenience of my pc in 4K with mustaches drawn on all the characters.

Which brings up the ethics of mods. Sure you can do whatever you want to your software in your own privacy. Yet publishing videos of modded games, is that ethical? I would be upset too if somebody published a video and mods if I made a game and all the characters were replaced with questionable stuff. To what extent should an artist's creation be protected.

Emulation is not illegal. Yet using someone else's work to show off how 'clever' you are modifying it, is. Of course it's mostly harmless, and making something yourself is hard work.