900 Classic internet arcade games can now be played for free

The internet arcade has made about 900 coin operated arcade games so far, starting from the 70’s to the 80’s and the 90’s that are available to play for free online. Players can choose from a handful of suggested games or search the non-profit organization's digital archive for games from developers such as Atari, Capcom, Nintendo and Sega.

Firefox is the recommended browser but different browsers offer varied results and the games are emulated using the JavaScript Multi Emulator Super System (JSMESS) software package. While games can be controlled using a keyboard, gamepads do work with the emulator after a bit of manipulation to get them operating properly.

“My hope is that a handful, a probably tiny percentage, will begin plotting out ways to use this stuff in research, in writing, and remixing these old games into understanding their contexts. Time will tell,” Scott said.

“Obviously, a lot of people are going to migrate to games they recognize and ones that they may not have played in years,” Internet Arcade Operator Jason Scott said in a blog post. “A few more, I hope, will go towards games they’ve never heard of, with rules they have to suss out, and maybe more people will play some of these arcades in the coming months than the games ever saw in their ‘real’ lifetimes.”

The arcade project is the latest in the Internet Archive’s mission to preserving computer and video game history. Also last year the Internet Archive launched the Historical Software Collection, a collection of classic console and computer games and software.