Offy's MAME Project: What's MAME?

What is MAME?

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. When used in conjunction with a game's data files (ROMs), MAME will more or less faithfully reproduce that game on a PC. MAME can currently emulate over 2,600 classic arcade video games from the '70s, '80s and '90s.

The ROM images that MAME utilizes are "dumped" from arcade games' original circuit-board ROM chips. MAME becomes the "hardware" for the games, taking the place of their original CPUs and support chips. Therefore, these games are NOT simulations, but the actual, original games that appeared in arcades.

MAME's purpose is to preserve these early decades of video-game history. As gaming technology continues to rush forward, MAME prevents these important "vintage" games from being lost and forgotten.