Friday Find: The Internet Arcade

Not all of the links on our Resources page are going to teach you how to code or help you write that term paper you’ve been assigned. Some of them are just plain fun. And I, as someone who’s first video game was Pong which was quickly replaced by the local video game arcade and my trusty Atari 2600 (yes, I still have it and it still works!) I find The Internet Arcade to be an amazing resource. 

The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s through to the 1990s, emulated in JSMAME, part of the JSMESS software package. Containing hundreds of games ranging through many different genres and styles, the Arcade provides research, comparison, and entertainment in the realm of the Video Game Arcade.

The game collection ranges from early “bronze-age” videogames, with black and white screens and simple sounds, through to large-scale games containing digitized voices, images and music. Most games are playable in some form, although some are useful more for verification of behavior or programming due to the intensity and requirements of their systems.

Many games have a “boot-up” sequence when first turned on, where the systems run through a check and analysis, making sure all systems are go. In some cases, odd controllers make proper playing of the systems on a keyboard or joypad a pale imitation of the original experience.

You can find the link to the Internet Arcade and many other sources of fun and learning on our Resources page.