MAME
emulation software that aims to recreate the hardware of many systems
MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to emulate the hardware of arcade games, later expanded to include video game consoles, old computers and other systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage video games from being lost or forgotten. It does this by emulating the inner workings of the emulated machines; the ability to actually play the video games is considered "a nice side effect". Joystiq has listed MAME as an application that every Windows and Mac gamer should have.
The first public MAME release was by Nicola Salmoria on 5 February 1997. The project currently documents over 32,000 individual systems, with more than 10,000 working titles, including arcade hardware, home computers, and video game consoles, though not all games are playable. MESS, an emulator for many video game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME core, was integrated into MAME in 2015.
History and overview
The MAME project was started by Italian programmer Nicola Salmoria. It began as a project called Multi-Pac, intended to preserve video games in the Pac-Man family, but the name was changed as more games were added to its framework. The first MAME version was released in 1996.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “MAME” is emulation software that aims to recreate the hardware of many systems. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through MAME, emulation and software, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “emulation software that aims to recreate the hardware of many systems” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1054055. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1997, 2015 and 1996.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “MAME”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow MAME primary sources, MAME archive and MAME research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “MAME”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “MAME” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.