Not as simple as that to me. Intent has a lot to do with whether theft is wrong, as stealing an inflatable swimming pool from Inflatable Swimming Pools R Us is wrong, but stealing a loaf of bread from a supermarket to feed your starving family is.. well, let's just agree it's less wrong.
Here's a good read from Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun Times, dated a couple weeks back: http://www.suntimes.com/output/derogatis/c...nws-dero20.html. Sure, it's about music copyright infringement, and there are a couple hints of Robin Hood "steal from the rich, give to the poor" angst, but the topic almost mirrors rom piracy, and it's not a lost cause that columnists are putting greedy corporate execs in their place.
This is the most valid argument so far I think, as emulation of SNES, NES, Genesis, and "abandonware" PC games are touchy ground, being almost a decade old, no longer published, and difficult to obtain if you don't have an ebay account. Only comparing cars to software is apples and oranges, because one is physical property and the other is intellectual property. Physical property theft is clear-cut compared to Intellectual property theft; if I let you borrow a shovel, all is well because for that duration I cannot also use the shovel, but if I let you borrow a "copy" of my Diablo 2 CD... we might as well invite some more friends and start a LAN party.
Soon sharing becomes stealing, but once again intent still matters. Are you trying to keep the classic gaming scene alive by downloading roms to play on your GP32? Are you supporting in any way the artists whose work goes into producing a game, by donating money, purchasing other games, endorsing their products, coding a bad clone of your favorite game out of respect, and shar.. er.. informing friends about them?
I justify to a degree partaking myself in emulation and playing games I do not own (omg, I just incriminated myself!) because it has honestly led to a large (60-70+) collection of old cartridges from Funcoland. And emulation often actually enhances some old games, in that you can play games online, view sharper graphics, take screenshots, make video recordings, and share better and more tips and information with millions of gamers via the internet.
Do you agree? Does intent matter when you download a rom? Or, a better question, is downloading roms from one specific console okay, while another console is not? Are there right or wrong uses of roms and emulators?
