Doesn’t emulation modify the original artwork?
That is a bit of a conundrum for which I have two answers; and both of them are “no”: a) An emulator is something that stands in for hardware. The program can’t tell a good emulator from the original hardware, and neither can the audience/user/operator. We all like vintage machines, but emulation is good for those who can’t afford them, and what goes for videogames goes also for Software Art pieces. b) Software Art pieces are like theatre plays. Consider this metaphor: software is run the way theatre plays are played. If the code is Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it can be played on any hardware: Gibson+Zefirelli+cinematography, funny_guys+IRC, paper+your_brain, Ethan_Hawke+Bill_Murray+awesomeness, TheRoyalShakespeareCompany+a_theatre.
