People don't really play old games because they are old.

[Sasha_Blue]

That is what my co-worker said. I explained why people play old games, nostalgia as we revisit our childhoods, gaming collectors, enjoying a simpler time, etc. He still didn't get it. He responded "Why bother when you can download them?".

When people do play games or at least in my local area, nobody plays older games because the simple fact that they are old. And if they do play retro games, they only stick to the usual such as genesis era Sonic and Super Mario Bros. 3 mostly.

Sometimes this works in my favor. For example, I went to the local Goodwill and they were holding an auction with antiques and collectables. Their were only 2 bundles of games in the auction. The first was a Sega Genesis model 2 with lose Sonic 2 and some lose sports game. The auction went for $80. Holy crap! I wouldn't pay over $25 for just that. The next was about 37 Sega CD games. Nobody bid on them because they didn't know what the hell a Sega CD was. I bid on the bundle. In fact, I was the only one that bid. I won 37 Sega CD games for $15. Wow! I had some rare titles in it too. Other times I find treasure at the goodwill just because nobody knows what they have. I have picked up 3 N64 controller for 25 cents, a sealed boxed Age of Empires PC for $1, a few PS3 games for $2 each. When I find PC games, they are usually about 50 cents each to $1.

How is retro gaming in your local place? Do people know what they have or they just don't care?

[Violent By Design]

Hard to really stereotype the community around here because I live in NY so there are a lot of different type of gamers.

There is certainly a respect to older games, but mainly the known classics. Obviously only respect toward the mainstream systems in the US.

Can't say there are a lot of people who think playing old games is pointless, but at the same time I'm the only person I know that plays really old games on a regular basis. I dont play games for nostalgia either which makes me even more strange.

[AppleQueso]

I've heard the "why would you want to play old games?" line once, and I shot it down pretty quickly by bringing up the fact that people watch old movies all the time.

I dont play games for nostalgia either which makes me even more strange.

I'd wager that most retro gamers i've met online aren't actually just playing out of nostalgia. Many are constantly seeking out things they missed, hidden gems, etc. Hard to be nostalgic about games you've never actually played before.

IRL... I don't know, I don't meet people who play old games at all very often. When they do, it's usually via emulators, and they definitely don't really care about playing cool hidden gems or games/systems they missed out on.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Lately I'm playing more modern games than old ones, but my reason for playing old ones is different. I don't care about nostalgia or remembering an era in gaming I wasn't really involved in. I just play games I think are cool regardless of age. Nearly everyone I ask to play a "really cool game" is willing. Even if it's older, they can usually enjoy whatever is special about it.

[Violent By Design]

I've heard the "why would you want to play old games?" line once, and I shot it down pretty quickly by bringing up the fact that people watch old movies all the time.

To be fair most people do not really watch old films either, and the standard for what is an old film is quite a bit different from what is an old video game. Most people I have met would not watch a film before the 80s (I'm in my mid 20s, so people around that age), maybe a few from the 70s if the aesthetics look modern.

I'd wager that most retro gamers i've met online aren't actually just playing out of nostalgia. Many are constantly seeking out things they missed, hidden gems, etc. Hard to be nostalgic about games you've never actually played before.

I agree in regards to meeting other people online. In person though most people who I meet usually play "safe" choices. Ie a Zelda fan will play an old Zelda game and what not.

[AppleQueso]

I've heard the "why would you want to play old games?" line once, and I shot it down pretty quickly by bringing up the fact that people watch old movies all the time.

To be fair most people do not really watch old films either, and the standard for what is an old film is quite a bit different from what is an old video game. Most people I have met would not watch a film before the 80s (I'm in my mid 20s, so people around that age), maybe a few from the 70s if the aesthetics look modern.

Granted, most people watching older movies I'm sure are doing it out of 'nostalgia', but the fact is they do watch them. Wal-mart having tons of old movies from the 80s and earlier for sale is enough proof that people buy them. Same thing with oldies and classic rock radio stations.

We have a couple of places that make a lot of money selling old games. I'm sure that's a pretty solid indicator that there's definitely some retro gaming fans around town, but frankly I've never met them in person.

[Pulsar_t]

Even for a film aficionado I find myself pretty choosy with films from the 1930s and 40s for example, and much of music before the Beatles (excluding classical and folk) I don't even bother with. It's sad I know but hopefully in time we'll even get full-fledged museums for games

[Erik_Twice]

Everytime I recommend an old film the only reason it's rejected is "because it's old". Which is exactly the same reason given for videogames.

[Damm64]

Well i met a few people when they are selling stuff on a facebook group, most of them are retro gamers but i believe the general reason that they collect is a mix reason, they seaking out old games that played on their chilhoods and are looking for new games that miss on that time too. That is my personal reason as well, i already got all my chilhood snes games also the n64 ones, and i found some really nice games (ie never played CV legacy of darkness on the N64 and i really like that game). I do not keep every game i buy, if i think i will never replay it i will sell it.

I got some people asking "why don't you just emulate?" and i don't emulate because i got more joy from playing the game on actual console... they still don't understand but if they are ok with that i'm ok with them . If they throw something like "wow that's stupid" i simply ignore them. Also some say that we "show off" when we show a new game that we get from amazon, or from a old friend, etc.

And the retro gaming is a popular thing now in my country (suddenly everyone now like's retro games?) and most prices are going stupidly high because they are "collectables" or "relics" or "they worth gold", i believe that this trend will diminish in a couple of years, i'm still able to get some good deals from games.

[Xeogred]

I think I get more worked up about this with most people my age and anime. A lot of my favorites are from the 80's, I've seen some 70's stuff and loved it (Lupin, Yamato, etc), and I like new shows to this day. "It's old" is just hilariously ignorant and it's always awful when people mid 20's or beyond say that for some reason to me. Why limit yourself to a date stamp? Even worse is when stuff like Cowboy Bebop or other later 90's shows are "old" and people even avoid those, or stuff 5 years back. These people are sadly out there, their loss in the end I guess.

As for games, I don't know but I'm in the Vintage Stock area (two very close by), so maybe the retro gaming action here is better than I imagine. Some people like my roommate try to talk it up all the time, but in reality he can't admit that by old, he only goes as far back as last gen. If even, sometimes.

People can have their preferences and like what they like, but yeah the "it's old" excuse is terrible and some people are just being lazy.