Why is it illegal to pirate games that the game companies no longer make money off of?

I'm talking about old games and ones that aren't in production and that the game companies don't make money off of and that you can pretty much just find used (games like NES games and what not).



Why is it illegal to download them for free?



It could be because they sell the games still like on Wii Virtual Console and in "gem collections". But couldn't you say your downloading it instead of buying the cartridge, not the Wii Virtual Console version?Why is it illegal to pirate games that the game companies no longer make money off of?
You arent buying it. PERIOD.



if you own the game and (lets say it breaks) that is a different story.



ROMs are not illegal in any way unless you have things like the R4 or a hacked PSP or Wii and you download games on them without owning them yourself
it's illegal if you do not own a real copy of it yourself. It just is. it's like stealing. you are getting something without paying for it, even if it's not made anymore.Why is it illegal to pirate games that the game companies no longer make money off of?
the game aliens versus predator 2 for the PC is a game up for grabs, because both the publisher and the developer were bought out by other company's and then the parent companies went outta business.
It's illegal for the reasons you stated, and No, you can't say you're downloading it instead of buying the cartridge, for the simple reason cartridges are finite, and downloads are infinite.

If you buy a cartridge 2nd hand, that means, whoever originally bought it had to give it up to sell it, if you download it from someone, you can both have it without either of you giving it up.Why is it illegal to pirate games that the game companies no longer make money off of?
Because its stealing from someone.
its fun
It is illegal because copyright lasts for 75 years. Will you get caught? Unlikley.