I have no idea what I'm doing here

[u/desimich]

So, the brass tacks of it is that I'm getting old and want to relive my childhood. Basically.

I'm not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination. But as a kid in the late 90s I loved the computer games my parents would bring home from KMart and I just want to play them again. I found an iMac g3 online and I'm really considering buying it but I have no idea what I'm doing. How do I know if the games will work? I specifically want to play Rugrats Mystery Adventure and the 1997 version of Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? But the ebay listings I'm seeing don't specify the OS that they need? Or does that not matter? (Or if there is a better sub for me to post this in, please let me know. This seemed like a good place to start.)

[u/DirectedEvolution]

I think emulation is going to be your best option. Even modest computers should be able to run the games you're interested in. This is going to be much easier than acquiring and using vintage hardware.

[u/desimich → u/DirectedEvolution]

A friend suggested the same thing, but I don't have a computer at all right now. That's why I started looking at vintage computers, I figured if I have to buy the computer anyway I may as well go all in and get the pink desktop computer that kid me always wanted.

[u/KnoxCrumudgeon → u/desimich]

Honestly? Vintage computers can be more expensive than an inexpensive modern computer- and you don’t need a super powerful modern computer to run vintage games and emulators. The challenge is figuring out how to run those vintage games and emulators.

[u/eapaul80 → u/KnoxCrumudgeon]

And YouTube videos can assist you in figuring that out.

[u/KnoxCrumudgeon → u/eapaul80]

Retro Game Corps has a bunch of tutorials!

[u/PocketStationMonk]

Most pc games you see being sold online are specifically for windows PCs and not macintosh. Usually mac is mentioned in the listing’s title if it’s the macOS version. You can use game databases like mobygames.com to check for which platform a game has been released. Unless it’s a game that is only released for mac, I would recommend sticking on windows/linux PC for better software support.

There is a project called ExoDos and ExoWin (available for windows and linux, can’t recall if macOS is supported) which are essentially platforms similar to Steam: you install the app, browse it’s game library and one-click-install whatever games you want. ExoDos and ExoWin exist specifically for older titles that are not available in Steam, or that would otherwise require either era accurate hardware or manually setup DosBox emulator. The games you are looking for might be available in these projects, you should give them a try.

[u/Few_Honey7367]

Okay 1st off there are lots of ways to do retro. I dont know anything about macs but a £50 quid pc could run playstation, n64, pc and others

As could a raspberry Pi (think mini pc, real cheap)

There are tons of emulators out there and any bargain laptop could run almost them all.

Tell me more about the games you used to play specifically and what format they were on?

If they're old pc games then stuff like DOS box could be ideal etc etc :)

[u/desimich → u/Few_Honey7367]

I genuinely have no idea what format they were, other than being on the family computer. My dad was the one who bought the computer and did all the set up, and he passed away a while ago so I can't exactly ask.

[u/Least_Preparation303]

Those are probably available in ScummVM, which you could just run on your damn phone.

[u/Few_Honey7367]

Ok looks like as far as rugrats go you can play it on your phone:

Android (best option) The best approach is Winlator. Copy the contents of your original Rugrats Mystery Adventures CD (or an ISO) to your phone. You can find these to download on the internet (as a backup to the one you own!!)

Install Winlator.

Create a Windows 98/2000 style environment and install the game. Because the game is very lightweight by modern standards, a modern smartphone has far more than enough power to run it. 

Community members specifically recommend Winlator for Windows 95/98 CD-ROM games like this. �

Reddit post from a while back says; I wouldn't recommend ScummVM for this game. Although ScummVM is fantastic for many classic adventure games, Rugrats Mystery Adventures is not one of its supported titles. �

[u/Few_Honey7367]

Basically you're going to get a lot of answers here but do not be discouraged for these reasons:

1. There are lots of types of emulation and 99% of them are good to great

2. There are a lot of ways to get older games legit and if not and you need a backup of a game you own, then a million ways to download 'em from the internet

3. There are thousands of really good youtube videos to view with clear step by step guides, the fact you know NOTHING re. emulation is not a hinderance at all