This is something I have been thinking about for a while. Ever since I learned about emulators I have wondered if there is reason to still buy physical cartridges and seek those hard to find systems?
Well in my opinion, YES!
There is value in having something physical, something you can hold or display on a shelf. Our digital world is slowing taking that a way, and I think its a shame.
Part of what I loved about video games in my youth was the collection aspect. Having my boxed Intellivision games stacked on a shelf in a way that I could sift through them and admire there artwork.
There is also that attachment that only a physical item can give you. The two favorite games that I had were both given to me by important people in my life. I remember receiving Donkey Kong for the Intellivision as a gift from my mother, I played that game probably more than any other game and it remains my favourite to this day! In fact even when I was older and sold off my Intellivision and all the games (yes, regrets) the only thing I refused to give up was the Donkey Kong cartridge even though I had no system to play it on. Just guess the first thing I did when I bought an Intellivision again?
The other thing about playing on the actual system were the controllers. Some games were designed to be played on their native system using specific controllers. The Intellivision has a keypad and a disc, the Atari had paddles you would turn and so on.
That being said, I am not one of those people who are against emulation. I think a lot of gamers enjoy them both. You can try out games before buying them, and its a lot easier to play various games without having to switch carts and systems.
Brian Pudden