I once read an interesting quotation in a philosophy newsletter. It said, "All things will eventually end where they began." This type of cycle is thought to be a continuos loop, much like the process of water evaporation into the earth's atmosphere. In the first fledgling years of video games the classics were invented. Games like Pong, Pac-Man, Centipede, and Galaga were in every arcade across the country. Technology evolved and the relics of the past were left behind as obsolete reminders of how primitive early games were.

Almost twenty years later, we have personal computers that can outperform those on the space shuttle and video games that put Pong to shame. Three-dimensional polygons were unheard of in the early 1980's but are now practically a staple of every recent game. Young gamers of today lament the poor quality of the 16-bit console systems. How little they truly know about video games (some of us remember those fabled days before the 16-bit movement.) Yes, there were systems that preceded today's wonders. Lately, it seems that many game-enthusiasts are returning to their roots and delving into those ancient consoles.

These days, Atari, Sears, the Sega and Nintendo 8-bit consoles are nearly a rarity. It's not everyday that you could head out to the local electronics store and expect to find one of these gems. Flea markets, bargain bins, and garage or yard sales are usually the final resting places for some of these video games. Finding functional systems at such sales is an even more rarity. Much of the older technologies were simply trashed or abandoned when Sega and Nintendo came on the scene. Are the classics lost forever in the void?

Well, not really. Vintage game enthusiasts (many times who are also proficient computer programmers) have brought the classics to life once again through the use of software emulators. These programs are small and efficient, allowing you to store literally hundreds of vintage games -- and the emulators to run them -- on a few floppy diskettes. Finally, the classic video game collector is able to attain these programs for little or no cost by downloading from the Internet. Most of the classics are preserved in nearly the original forms while others sport a few new additions just for a little variety. While emulators allow for the preservation of these classics, the legality of the practice has not been questioned as yet.

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