Many of these servers are honeypots. They log your IP address, your user agent, and your exact requests. If you click an .exe that requests admin privileges, you may be installing a Remote Access Trojan (RAT).
It represents a time when the internet felt vast, dangerous, and uncurated. There was no algorithm recommending your next purchase. You had to type the address. You had to find the path. You had to know the syntax.
: Searching for publicly accessible web servers (often via Google Dorks like intitle:"index of" ) that host game files or installers.