OpenEmu

If you're a geek like me, then you probably like video games. Not just any video games, but the classic video games. Those are the BEST! We're talking Earthbound, Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 2, and even Paper Boy! Since the games are older, today's coders have created "emulators" to play these games on the universal device we use today, the computer. To elaborate, emulators are like a "digital console" that you install on your computer and a "ROM" is the "digital game cartridge" that we plug into the emulator. Most emulators are for only one console, however OpenEmu takes it to a whole new level! It combines the world's greatest emulators into one great app. Not only that, but it displays your ROMs beautifully with their cover art. When you play a game, you can use save states (an unlimited amount) and cheats (unless you're a true gamer). The best part is that OpenEmu is FREE (but it's only for Mac)! Instructions are below.

I'm sorry that my collection is small. I got this software recently and haven't gotten a chance to fully add all of my ROMS.

Here's how it works:

1. Install the latest version of XCode (Requires OS X 10.7 or later; I recommend OS X 10.9).
2. Download GitHub (Be sure you have a GitHub account; if you don't, get one here).
3. Go to this link and click "Clone in Desktop" (on the far right side).
4. Save it wherever you like and wait for it to clone.
5. Once done, go to where you saved the "cloned" folder and open it.
6. Find the file called "OpenEmu.xcworkspace" (pictured left) and open it (be sure it opens in XCode).
7. In the top-right corner, click on "OpenEmu" in the bar and select "Build All" and "My Mac 64-bit."
8. Go to the top and click "Product," "Build For," and "Profiling."
9. Wait for it to finish (Estimated time: 5 Minutes; If this fails, you may have an invalid build. This happened to me and it didn't work until I repeated step 3 a week later. Do NOT search for downloads of OpenEmu as they do not work and will make your life complicated in the future.). It MUST be successful.
10. In Finder, search for "OpenEmu.app" and right-click on the app and click "Open Enclosing Folder." It is pictured above and to the right.
11. In this folder, you should find a very similar app also called "OpenEmu." Open this (and drag it to your dock or Launchpad for quick access) to run the app.

There you go! I know that it is a very hard and painful process, but it is well worth it! If you didn't understand this guide, try the official guide by clicking here. Now, just follow the onscreen instructions to get started and download some ROMs off of the internet. Just Google something like "[Video Game Name] ROM" and find a site that is listed. CoolROM.com is a very popular site.