RetroGaming

It turns out that, just like fancy graphics, not constantly trying to empty your customers pockets actually represents some kind of economic value. The ironic thing is so many of these old games were literally designed to steal your quarters.

It's because those old games are good and fun

Because the games are good? Does their need to be a deeper reason then that? I mean, I guess a boom in retro games among Gen Z and younger says something about the state of the modern industry, but younger generations have always liked older things despite entertainment industries trying to push them towards the shiny and new. Still definitely nice to see though.

They made gaming a chore.

Games used to be a simple concept, and fun to play. I still play Tetris more than anything else by a huge margin. Imma go play a round right now.

retro accessories such as the Wii Fit Balance Board

I feel old now

I recently started playing Zelda The Minish Cap (GBA) on my PS Vita, and for me the appeal - especially with old handheld games - is the simplicity in terms of game mechanics.

The game only has like a dozen of equippable items, dialog with NPCs is very simple, there's a lot of puzzles cleverly integrated into the map, a small trading system (forgot what it's called, these round things where you match your half with an NPCs half), a few different collectibles (heart containers for example) and they pretty much made a very enjoyable game out of that.

Today, a lot of games come with a crafting system, some sort of hunger/food mechanic, complex character progression systems etc. And while I enjoy this a lot of the time, playing a well crafted game based on much simpler (and fewer) mechanics is a welcome change from time to time.

Probably because "AAA" games are almost all cash grabs at this point.

cheaper, easier, simpler, more accessible, a good game is timeless

edit: easy as in shorter and to the point

The philosophies behind game development has changed so much.

Developers used to try and make fun games that they wanted to play, in hopes that fun games will sell well.

Now they have marketing teams with budgets that are greater than twice the development cost. Committees designing games to maximize addiction. And of course, the endless need to monetize everything, micro transactions, games as a service, etc., in order to maximize profits. Is the game any good? Probably not, but they just need a few whales to dump money into it.

Seeing a Wii Fit Balance Board referred to as a retro gaming accessory...

Just fucking bury me now, why don't you. 💀

No microtransactions and old websites still have the codes you can type in for goofy play through

Because it is a time where you picked something up to be transported away from your worries, or just to have a bit of fun. You turned it on, hit start, and for the most part that was it. There were no season passes on the NES. There was no bullshit shoved in your face constantly. It was just the game, and that was it. My kids are shocked when I tell them about the flash game days, or the late 90's with an N64. If I was there for the commodore and atari days I'm sure I'd have more to say.

are they? much is propagandized about the new generations to older people but it rarely holds true.

just look at the numbers on any mtx ridden mobile game.

Sometimes simpler is better.

The fact that younger generations are picking it up suggest it's not just nostalgia. It's not someone who was there wishing things were still like their childhood. Something has downright broken in the games industry for this to happen.

Something like my generation (elder millennial) listening to Stairway and Dark Side of the Moon. The associated industry was not providing in modern times, so we looked back.

Genz here, there's this sweet spot from about 1985 to 2010 where games and even movies just peaked for me. (Yes I'm aware most of that is before I was born). For movies special effects were finally good enough to still hold up today if used well but not so insanely cheap as to get the modern michael bay problem where writing has actually become secondary to often pointless spectacle. With games its a similar story, the end of that time range is pretty much the point of highest technical capability before online updates allowed a 'fix it later' philosiphy to creep in as well as all the cool secrets (Red levels + star world + extra second secret star world is still unmatched in sheer childhood wonder) becomming paid DLC.

TLDR: Retro stuff doesn't nickle and dime you and survivorship bias means we can pick from the best of it.

I've played a lot of different games in recent years. I'll be honest and say that I'm pretty easy to please. Also I'd say that for the times I was disappointed, it was usually by an AAA title. So much of the time they're just so boring, the files are massive, and the stories are whatever.

Some of the best gameplay I've experienced is in indie games with hand-drawn 2D or pixel graphics. So much more energy is put into games being enjoyable and interesting in these games.

It's so obvious that many of the features of larger releases are put in by non-gamers. Why do I need a 10 minute "quest" of getting drunk in a saloon with an NPC in RDR2?

There are some great AAA titles, ones that put less energy into marketing and more into polished gameplay. But I think if you want to have reliable fun, retro and indie games are the best. And the barrier for entry is a lot more manageable.

JC Denton is eternal

Here's a total banger that's simultaneously retro, indie and a cult classic: Cave Story. A remake is available on most digital stores, including Steam for the people interested. It follows the story of "Quote", a lovable and- you know what? No spoilers, I'll let people fall in love with the game by themselves ;)

Ah shoot, just when I had the disposable income to start collecting. Good for them tho for having good taste