Some of you may remember the war between Sega and Nintendo, over which console was the best and whose games would be the most popular. It may surprise you to know that some of the games they fought over back in the 1980s and 1990s are still in demand today. This is so much so that Nintendo has made moves to shut down websites hosting old games because they intend to reissue them all on a platform of their own.
This is not especially good news for players. If they play on a site that records their progress that will all be lost,
With the average age of gamers in the US being 34, there are many of them that remember the fun they had with games 20 years or more ago, and it is these gamers that are helping to make retro gaming a huge market for the developers.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is best described as a mix of positive and negative thoughts about the past. There are often triggers that set it of. This could be some music you hear or maybe a smell or taste that reminds you of something that happened years ago. Unfortunately, the triggers could also be boredom or loneliness. Whatever takes your mind back though can be beneficial as nostalgia can make people feel better about themselves, and promote a better mental health.
It should be no surprise that nostalgia is the biggest reason for people playing retro games, A quick look at forums and debate sites will soon show that although games such as Red Dead Redemption pinball are loved by many people, there will always be some that want to play the older games like Pong, virtual pinball or Super Mario Bros 2 too. In fact, it seems that Mario and Sonic are the two games that produce the most nostalgia.
They Are Still Selling
According to Amazon, eBay and other online selling sites, the sales of these games, new and used, have never stopped. It is thought this is because they are not so technically advanced. This results in fun games that will not stretch the brain after a hard day at work.
They pale in comparison to the games being developed today where players are immersed into interactive worlds with graphics that are almost real. But perhaps this is the problem with new games. How many of them will still be around in 20 years in their present form? The answer is probably not many, as they are updated all the time to keep pace with the latest technology.
Prices
Although for some people the price is a minor factor when choosing a game, the older games all cost a lot less than the newer ones. The developers have recouped their costs many times over, while with the new games, they are still working towards that every time a new version is issued.
Of course, what games you play is a matter of preference, but if you have never played the original versions Pacman, Mario or Sonic, perhaps it is time to give them a try.
