What Are Video Game ROMs?
ROM itself stands for Read-Only Memory. Unlike RAM (Random-Access Memory), ROM consists of permanent, unchangeable data. Video game cartridges and arcade game chips consist of ROM, since it is only necessary for the data to be read, rather than changed. (The exception to this comes when you save a game, in which case you must access a separate RAM memory card or other device.) On older gaming systems like the Atari 2600, it was necessary to plug a cartridge into the machine in order to play a game. The cartridge had a chip inside it that contained the game’s ROM. The ROM would be read by the console where it would interact with the joystick or paddle, and the entire outcome would be visible on your television set. Arcade games, too, run off of video game ROMs. Like the home game console, the ROMs contain the “meat” of the game. Different items interact with user input (like a joystick control or a “fire” button) and the output is displayed on the built-in video screen.
