When I was a poor college kid, I did emulate a few things. However, the only game I really played that way is Chrono Trigger, and thanks to a job and a husband, I bought it years ago for the PS1 and he got it for me a few years ago for Christmas on the SNES. Then I got it when it came out for the DS, so I feel like I've paid my dues on it.
If they figure out how to emulate Japanese 3DS games on an American 3DS, I may change my stance slightly. I've imported all my Japanese DS games and have physical copies, but with no region-locking, I didn't have to import another system to play them. I hate that these companies punish people for speaking another language.