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

[Damm64]

I don't think "old graphics" is quite the same as "bad graphics," is it?

Old graphics: Banjo Kazooie

Bad Graphics: Superman on N64

[TheBrick]

I go where the fun is. If the fun is on my Genesis, I'll go there. If the fun is on that brand new game I just got on the PS4, I'll go there.

[Key-Glyph]

This thread is making me realize that my predilection toward classic gaming may be founded more on my relationships with consoles than individual games. I'd never really considered this before.

It seems that whenever I'm in the market for a new game, whether I consciously notice or not, I'll have a particular console in mind. I will say to myself, "Oh, I'd love a new Genesis game," or, "I wonder which GameCube game I should get next?" I'm always coming from a system-based direction, and that's the focus that ultimately guides my choices, not just a general "What one game out of my entire wishlist of picks do I most want to try out right now?"

My husband is the same way -- except with more modern consoles. When he goes browsing for a new game, it almost always means "an XBox 360 game." Although I enjoy the 360 for what it is, for lack of a better analogy I never truly adopted it into my heart. I will play a game or two if a title significantly strikes my fancy or is essentially just really good (and especially if we already own it and it's right there in front of me -- proximity and repetition are very effective), but I don't get excited about expanding or exploring that library for its own sake, and the thought to do so would never really cross my mind in the first place. That console and I just don't have chemistry. My classic systems are a completely different story.

There is definitely an element of loving a pixelated visual style, but if that were my primary motivating factor, my SNES and Genesis stashes would be more equal in volume. It all comes down to bias, I guess.

And I wonder how much the love of retro gaming goes hand-in-hand with with the fact that the libraries are basically closed. Gem-hunters have the benefit of looking back on a history that has already vetted the best of the best, and collectors have categories of games with finite entries to pursue. There's little allure to amassing games for active systems from a collector's standpoint, right? But knowing that forty 32X titles exist, period, and seeking to complete your set... that's accomplishing a defined goal.

[Xeogred]

I like your last part there, as sometimes I do feel it's a bit taxing keeping up with current games, sales, bundles, Steam, and all that. But old console libraries are said and done, it's up to you to dig through and find stuff if the interest is there and sometimes that's a lot of fun in itself. And relaxing. lol

It's almost like maybe I should stay behind a gen, that way I don't even have the option to feel overwhelmed. Stick it out on the older consoles and when I'm done, then I can move on and by then I'll really know what I want to play on whatever console. Wonder if some people here do or think like this...

... not that it'll happen, I'll get a PS4 sooner than later. lol

[3DSStrider]

I'm 14. I grew up on oxbox and PS2. I have no reason to get these old games, I just enjoy them. You don't have to have a reason to play games- old or new.

THIS! I'm also 14, and I play games because they're fun. Same thing with everything else I like; my favorite movie is Gojira and my favorite TV show Frasier. However, I do gravitate towards old games for two reasons:
a) They're cheap
2) I don't like many of the trends in new games, such as brown graphics, waiting through cutscenes, too much focus on online play, etc.
Unfortunately, I don't meet many other people my age who share these interests. They're always obsessed with the newest CoD or whatever. Blecch. I'll take a bright, fantastic platformer over a dull, brown shooter any day.

[Violent By Design]

I'm 14. I grew up on oxbox and PS2. I have no reason to get these old games, I just enjoy them. You don't have to have a reason to play games- old or new.

THIS! I'm also 14, and I play games because they're fun. Same thing with everything else I like; my favorite movie is Gojira and my favorite TV show Frasier. However, I do gravitate towards old games for two reasons:
a) They're cheap
2) I don't like many of the trends in new games, such as brown graphics, waiting through cutscenes, too much focus on online play, etc.
Unfortunately, I don't meet many other people my age who share these interests. They're always obsessed with the newest CoD or whatever. Blecch. I'll take a bright, fantastic platformer over a dull, brown shooter any day.

I kinda wish the internet era was more prominent during the days where instead of a lot of "brown shooters" we had "bright platformers". As much flack as FPS get, there were far more generic platformers pumped out back in the 2D era days.

[Retronomy]

I have a bit of a hard on for vintage technology in general, but when it comes to old games and computers, man. I know I don't play these things purely for "nostalgia" because I play games older than I am, games I've never played before. In fact, I've always prefered older games in general. There is a feel to them that just doesn't exist anymore. I can't explain it, and I feel like a vinyl junkie when I say this with the common "vinyl just sounds better" phrase.

I suppose I keep pursuing older games because I'm trying to capture that feel again. It get's harder every time, the more you play. It's an addiction.

[AppleQueso]

I kinda wish the internet era was more prominent during the days where instead of a lot of "brown shooters" we had "bright platformers". As much flack as FPS get, there were far more generic platformers pumped out back in the 2D era days.

You mean you didn't love Awesome Possum?

[ZeoDefender]

I kinda wish the internet era was more prominent during the days where instead of a lot of "brown shooters" we had "bright platformers". As much flack as FPS get, there were far more generic platformers pumped out back in the 2D era days.

That may be true, but those generic platformers weren't popular. It was the unique and creative platformers that stood out in those days. The same can't be said of brown shooters today.

[Violent By Design]

I kinda wish the internet era was more prominent during the days where instead of a lot of "brown shooters" we had "bright platformers". As much flack as FPS get, there were far more generic platformers pumped out back in the 2D era days.

That may be true, but those generic platformers weren't popular. It was the unique and creative platformers that stood out in those days. The same can't be said of brown shooters today.

Depends on what you call popular, the standard for today is different since more people play video games than in the past.