A game designed for the Nintendo 64 will only run on a Nintendo 64. A computer game might rely on a specific graphics card that hasn’t been manufactured in decades. To play an older game, you need to have the old system or know how to use an emulator.Įarlier this week, Nintendo announced the Super NES Classic, a limited-run console that emulates Super Nintendo games. Software, meanwhile, is entirely dependent on format.
At the risk of oversimplifying, these are, for the most part, exceptions. Most every electronic device today can stream a movie, and nobody needs specialized or expensive equipment for that. David Lynch’s short film Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) was meant to be projected onto sculptures. comes with dozens of pieces and inserts, and it can’t exist only as a PDF. Some films and books come in a peculiar format. I helped them set up an Amiga emulator until then, they hadn’t been able to play the game themselves and didn’t know they could.įor most people, playing old games and software presents a unique challenge.
Last month, a university history professor researching the French Caribbean contacted me to learn more about Freedom: Rebels in the Darkness. I hammer on this point a lot, but the challenges and possibilities have been especially clear lately. A string of events this month reminded me of the continued importance of making historical games available for anyone to play.
