A Chronicle of Emulation: Proposed Eras for Video Game Emulators

Abstract

Most discussions about videogame emulators revolve around their legality or their use in video game history preservation. Little has been written about their cultural influence or their historiography. However, an active member of the emulation community at the time wrote an exhaustive history of emulators up until 2000. Expanding upon this history by Pettus, the following paper proposes five distinct periods in their history based upon pivotal events: the Dawn of Emulation (1964- 1988), the Golden Age of Emulation (1989-1998), the Underground Era of Emulation (1999-2008), the Mobile Era of Emulation (2008-2024), and the Modern Age of Emulation (2024-Present). Breaking down the history of emulators into these five eras allows for additional research into the trends, events, and cultural exchanges that happened within the emulation community. Emulators and the community have reacted and adapted to advances in technology, revealing how the planned obsoletion of video game consoles is being rejected.