An Investigation into MAME v0.148 and the “14,820 Arcade Games” ROM Pack for PC: Viability, Authenticity, and Legal Implications
This paper examines the popular but often misunderstood bundle combining MAME version 0.148 with a ROM collection advertised as containing 14,820 arcade games. It assesses the technical compatibility of this specific MAME version, the accuracy of the ROM count, performance expectations on modern PCs, and the legal status of downloading full ROM sets. Findings indicate that while MAME 0.148 is functional, the ROM pack includes many duplicates, non-working titles, and regional variants, and its distribution typically violates copyright law unless the user owns original arcade PCBs.
This package promises one of the largest ready-to-play MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) collections available — 14,820 arcade classics bundled with an emulator setup for Windows. If you’re a retro gaming fan, the idea of having almost every arcade game from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s in one place is incredibly tempting.
