I write a lot about retro games. Most of the time, I look for what was released close to the time I print the article. It’s nice to take a trip back and see what came out during that year. A few months after starting, I asked myself the question on why retro game continue to still be enjoyed. The video game industry is one that thrives on the next big thing, the next technical advancement. Retro games are not still enjoyed, but the industry is popular in the streaming industry and sell highly on the market. How can two widely different views coexist. Retro game stores do better than ones who sell modern gaming.? I did some research, both personal and professional, and I think I have a few conclusions. Not the answers to everything, but a few of them.
Comfort
There is something relaxing about playing a game where you know where things are and what is coming. Hell, it’s the same reason people continue to watch Michael Scott and his employees six years after their last episode. We like the familiar sights and sounds of the familiar video game. It hits that sweet spot in our brains. It can bring us back to a time when things were simpler or to a good point in our life. Plus, we can’t forget about the ego boost. If you know the game, you know where the secrets are and how to beat the enemies. I would sometimes make a quick run through Super Mario Bros when I needed a confidence booster. Retro games are familiar, and that familiarity can bring down stress and put us in a better state of mind.
What You Missed
Gaming has been around for a while now, and no one has been able to play everything. Depending on where you lived, somethings were not even available to you. When I was younger, Turbografx 16 was like a unicorn. Everybody had heard of it, but no one actually owned one. Now that I am an adult and in control of my own money (when my wife says I can) I can now get the games that I never got to experience the first time. With the rise of retro system minis and emulators, there is no excuse why you can’t play that game you wanted to try all those years ago. You want to try Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the NES? Go for it. It sucks, doesn’t it?
History
As a firm believer of looking back to see where you are going, retro games can provide a fascinating look of how we got here. When reviewers say that this game is reminiscent of some old game, there is a lot of truth to that. Undertale is an Earthbound (Or Mother if you are feeling fancy) sequel. This does not mean it shares characters or story lines, but the game plays like it’s predecessors. It even looks like it. This is not to say that Toby Fox didn’t create an entire universe, he did, it just shows how a game from 1994 can influence a game that came out twenty-one years later. Retro games can also give you perspective you might not have had at the time. Are the 10 best Sega games better than the 10 best Nintendo games? Discuss.
There is more, a lot more actually, which I will try and cover next week. This will include some of the darker aspects of retro games. So for now, can we agree that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was terrible? The box art was cool though.
