Hey everyone, I'm pretty new to the site and was wondering a few things about how this thing operates. 

First of all, I have pretty limited understanding of programming-I have training in Java and know how to program rudimentary functions like while and if loops and some display and calculation type functions.  So I was wondering what type of language is used in programming these games and all of their pretty complex visual and sound displays.  Is there just a massive body of code, or are there standardized bodies of code used for specific functions like lighting, three dimensional space, sound programs, etc.?

Secondly, what exactly does the emulator do?  I understand it to be a sort of translator for the code being streamed and read-and it is what actually translates the coded game file into video and audio that we all enjoy.  But again, this is only my understanding of it and I am hardly an expert on the matter.

Also, how does licensing work on a site like this?  To rent out these games using Viz, does there need to be a business agreement with Nintendo, Sega, Commodore, etc?  Or is it specifically through game manufacturers like Enix or Squaresoft or that type of thing? 

Perhaps some dorky questions to ask, but I'm always fascinated in how things physically work.  It's like a decoding of the physical world we all experience-and I've always been the boy who took things apart and had to know how they worked.

Mwa ha ha ha!
-Kefka

im pretty sure the games are just the data without the medium e.g disks/cassetes etc.
The emulator makes up for the fact that the pc has absolutely no idea what to do with, for example, a gameboy game, given they arent designed for pc.
Its kind of like device drivers if you know anything about them.
It is where most of the coding is done, allowing the pc to run the games.
Most of the game makers dont really care, the games are mostly abandonware, if they notice vizzed they sometimes request certain games be taken down (which davideo has done) but for the most part, they dont car since they dont make money off them anymore.
Most of the games the copyrights have long since expired, the only reason Some games/music etc is always still charged for is because you can renew the copyright, if youre not making money off it thats a waste of money, hence most game companys just let the copyright expire.
There are people who wait and then jump on the same day it expires, youre not breaking any laws.

For the ones that run with java as opposed to the rgr plugin, i dont know if thats just the game or if something has been done to it.

Ahh.  Thanks thenumberone!

That does explain the whole licensing thing to me.  I just wondered how the site was able to rent out these games for non substantiated currency like Viz and still not have to charge membership fees.  I think that's totally awesome that the copyrights expire and game manufacturers allow their old hits to become public domain.  That's so awesome considering that if you were to attempt to collect the physical cartridges and discs with consoles in any reasonably good shape, it would cost quite a bit and not offer any comforting guarantees for your investment as to whether you'll get a reliable and/or durable product.

Now...I guess to keep conversation going, are there any programmers or hackers out there who know the inner technical workings of video game programming?  I've wondered how these things were possible ever since I learned the basics of computer programming.  I assume there must be shortcuts or standardized templates to save not only time but space and editing efforts when it comes to rendering things like lighting and sound.  In raw code, the details of angles associated with hues, shades and tints-as well as audio tones synchronized with frames within the game must be extremely cumbersome and daunting.

Anyone out there know the technology and the trade?  I'd love to hear from ya!

Mwa ha ha!
-Kefka

I don't mean to bicker with thenumberone, but actually most of the copyrights for the games in the RGR are still valid, the reason we can "rent" them out is because Davideo7, the owner of Vizzed, actually owns a hard copy of each game available, and he isn't distributing the copyrighted code, so much as lending it out to the user. It's not exactly legal, but Vizzed exists in a technical grey area that most companies don't really care about.

As for the programming languages used, it depends on the system. Each game system uses a different type of programming, and the actually "language" that the programmers wrote isn't there anymore. If you want to learn more about this you should look into ROM hacking, it's really more than I know about.