MAME, acronym for "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator", is a free program capable of emulating old arcade games, published on different hardware platforms, directly on a Windows computer. To install and use the MAME emulator, you must first download the installation file from the official website of its developer, then download the file of the individual ROMs (i.e. of the individual video games) and copy them into the appropriate program folder.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Install the MAME Emulator
Step 1. Visit the emulator's official web page using this address
Within the site indicated you will find the latest updated version of the program.
Step 2. Click on the link for the latest installation EXE file
Choose the file available for Windows systems, then save it directly to your computer desktop.
Step 3. Once the download is complete, go to your computer desktop and double-click the EXE file icon you just downloaded to extract the MAME emulator
The file will be extracted automatically, after which you will be asked to select or create the folder where the MAME emulator will be stored.
Step 4. Select the option to create a new folder which you will call "MAME"
Within this directory will be stored all the files necessary for the operation of the program, including the ROMs of the games that you will download.
Step 5. Search and download the video game ROMs you want to play on the MAME
The number of websites that share the ROMs for the MAME emulator is practically infinite, without forgetting the fact that you can download them directly from the program's website at this URL: https://www.mamedev.org/roms/. The ROMs featured on the MAME program website have been officially approved for free distribution.
Download game ROMs from other sources and third party websites at your own risk, as downloading copyrighted files is considered illegal in most countries of the world
Step 6. Select the option to extract the contents of the ROM inside the "roms" folder
It was created automatically when you extracted the MAME emulator EXE file.
Step 7. Hold down the "Shift" key while selecting the "MAME" folder with the right mouse button
Step 8. Choose the "Open PowerShell window here" item
MAME is a command line application that therefore requires the use of the command console in order to run individual games.
Step 9. Type the command "mame" followed by the name of the folder where you extracted the contents of the downloaded ROM
For example, if you downloaded the Circus game ROM from the MAME emulator website, you will need to enter the command "mame circus".
Step 10. Press the "Enter" key to execute the indicated command
The game in question will be executed and its window will be displayed on the screen.
Step 11. Press the "Tab" key on your keyboard to open the configuration settings menu
In this way, you will be able to choose the keys related to the game controls. By default, most MAME games use the directional arrows in conjunction with the Control, alt="Image" and Spacebar keys. Once you have configured the controls for the game you want to play, you can start a new game.
Part 2 of 2: Troubleshooting
Step 1. If you get the "missing files" error message when you try to run a certain ROM, try deleting and reinstalling the game files
This specific error usually indicates that the ROM developer has updated or released a new version of the file that replaced the previous one.
Step 2. Contact the developer of the ROM for more support, if the MAME emulator has indicated that you need to install additional components in order to start the game
Some ROMs require additional files and tools in order to run properly within the emulator. Normally, these components are provided directly by the ROM developers.
Step 3. Refer to the MAME emulator guide available at https://wiki.mamedev.org/index.php/FAQ:Games if you are getting error messages when trying to run specific ROMs
Inside the document indicated there are tips and tricks that can help you solve the most common problems related to different games. For example, if you want to play Phrase Craze, the "Push Any Switch" error message will appear on first launch, as the NVRAM memory needs to be initialized first. In this case, you will have to press the "Space Bar" to be able to start the game as described in the MAME guide.
