Hi there! I know this sounds like a really stupid, noobish question.... but what what is "dumping"?

Specifically I encountered these sites like "No-Intro" and "redump", but I can't for the life of me figure out what they are. I've found people mention terms like "dumping", "ROMS", "DATs", and calling those sites "datting groups", but for the life of me I cannot figure out a guide to what these terms mean.

Searching YouTube for "what is game dumping" or "game dumping guide" shocklingly doesn't come up with any videos just explaining what, in abstract, the process of dumping is or what these websites I linked above would be for. I get that it has something to do with game preservation, but none of the videos mention that, either. Instead, all that surfaces are a bunch of tutorials for how to take save info from cartridges to backup them for your personal use somehow. Is that what "datting" is?

Even more surprising is that a Google search for "what is game dumping" or "game dumping guide" or "game dumping explained", or "datting groups" doesn't come up with any site that just has a straight definition of what this activity is, either. It just brings up conversations people are having about ROMs and DATs and dumping with the assumption that everyone already knows what it is.

I've also searched Reddit for the answer as well, but its results were even less helpful.

If someone could just specifically explain to me:

• What is a ROM?
• What are "DATs"?
• What is a "datting group"?
• What is the definition of "game dumping"?
  • What is the purpose of game dumping?
  • What is the connection between game dumping and game preservation?
• How would you describe the sites "No-Intro" and "redump"? What is their purpose and how do they operate?

Thanks so much, sorry for the long post 💙