Originally Posted by
InsaneDavid
This is something I try to explain to people when they say they want to start owning arcade games and it actually also applies to console emulators vs. arcade emulators.
You never have to spend three weeks getting a game you just bought working on your NES, Genesis, Atari 2600, etc.
You can spend upwards of YEARS getting an arcade game you just picked up at auction or off craigslist running properly.
These are arcade games, junior. This is the big leagues. These games are infinitely complex and very poorly documented by their manufacturers. Most arcade games were expected to last for a few months and then be replaced by the next title. These were never intended to be consumer products and because of that you have to actually put some time into them to get entertainment back in return. Instant gratification is something for players, not operators. And if you're getting into arcade games, if you're going to own and maintain arcade games, then you're an operator! If you want to get heavy into MAME and have it do all the things you want it to do, exactly in the fashion you want it to perform, then guess what - you're an operator in almost the same sense.
But once you get everything set up right and take the time to understand why you have to do things certain ways, you'll find it way more rewarding and way more enjoyable than loading up a ROM of Super Mario World to play for 15 minutes before getting bored and moving onto the next game in the list.