What Defines "CLASSIC"?

[dlopez9069]

A very annoying poll brought about this question so I decided to put up an annoying poll to see what the masses think.

[Kid Ice]

For me, if it's not pre-crash, it ain't classic.

[Push Upstairs]

Pre-crash I consider "Vintage"

Nes up to Dreamcast is "Classic"

Dreamcast on is "Modern"


But this is just my classification.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Pre-crash is "Old"

Pre-2600 is "Really Old"

NES up to N64 is also "Old"

Dreamcast is "Kick Ass"

Anything newer is "New Fangled"

While I would claim to prefer--and indeed voted for--the dictionary definition of classic, I guess I actually apply it unevenly. While I would have no problem calling a game released last week a classic, it would have to be really extraordinary. That's the dictionary definition, as I understand it, but I find that I become progressively more willing to use the word the older a game is. So I'll quite often refer to 32-bit games as classic, usually refer to 16 bit games as classic and pretty much always refer to 8-bit games as classic, even when I know the really suck.


...word is bondage...

[Blitzwing256]

I always thought classic refered to a game or item that stands the test of time, ie legend of zelda or metroid. something that you could play for the first time today and say "wow thsi totallly blows away halo 5346346!"

[k8track]

I would say the Crash of 1984 on backward (I can't stand it when Wikipedia insists on saying "Crash of 1983", but perhaps that's another topic) would be "classic"; then the period from 1985-1994 I think of as the 8-and-16-bit eras, and 1995-onward, for me, is modern.

And I only use the designation "classic" with other people; when I think of just "plain old video games", that era, for me, is the default. I'm actually inclined not to have any label for the "classic" era, only making a distinction from NES onward (but I also dearly love NES and SMS, don't get me wrong!).

I also wanted to say that I personally don't use and care for the terms "retro", "old school", and "vintage", because those terms, in my mind, imply that 1.) those kind of games came and went before my time, which they most certainly did not, and 2.) that they're somewhat regarded as kitschy, quaint, and simplistic. In my mind, there are no "retro" games, just games.

[smokehouse]

Age defines classic, not the era in which it was released. You can’t put an era cap on it because eventually, it will single out the minority. A 2004 Mustang Cobra might not be a classic now but it will be in 2054. Saying “Only cars made before 1970 are classic.” would be absurd. To say “Only pre-crash consoles should count” is too limiting. Look at it this way, in the year 2050 the NES will be pushing 70 years old….pretty much so a classic by every definition.

I say 20 years or more. The NES and Master system just joined the “classic” ranks in my book. In 2009, the US Genesis will be 20 years old and in 2011, the SNES will join the ranks as well.

[PentiumMMX]

I personally think it's classic if Gamestop won't carry it. Laugh all you want...

[smokehouse]

I personally think it's classic if Gamestop won't carry it. Laugh all you want...

Hey, to each their own but that’s not a bad way of looking at it. What’s the oldest system they carry now? Saturn/PS1/N64?

[anagrama]

Short answer: whatever you want it to be.

[Little Samson]

Hey, to each their own but that’s not a bad way of looking at it. What’s the oldest system they carry now? Saturn/PS1/N64?

My local Gamestop gamestopped carrying everything before GameCube/PS2/Xbox. So, the definition of "classic" on this forum and the definition "anything Gamestop doesn't carry" are pretty identical, I think.

[jwm2]

Imo it has to be something genre defining. Like gta3 could be considered a classic for its time. Age has no bearing on the term imo. But thats just me.