How many classic gaming "Enthusiasts" are there? [Archive]

digitalpress

02-12-2004, 09:53 AM

Last weekend I had a reporter over to the house to talk about vintage gaming, get a look at what a game collection looks like, and discuss various aspects of both classic gaming and collecting.

He asked a number of interestnig questions that I have my own opinion on, that I told him would vary depending on who he asked.

One of those questions was "how many classic gaming 'enthusiasts' do you think there are?". When I asked him to define what he considered an enthusiast, he said: "people who regularly play systems that are not current".

I had to give this some thought. I thought about the various gaming conventions, online communities, websites, and the fact that there are companies creating retro compilations that must be aimed at *some* percentage of people we don't know about. I told him "about 10,000".

What do you think? Am I off the mark?

omnedon

02-12-2004, 09:59 AM

My 'guess' is that that number is low.

In my area alone, I know about 5 or 6 enthusiasts who browse and post here, and are 'visible' in the community.

I know at least that many again who are not computer savvy, or lack computer interest, and therefore are totally invisible to the community at large.

Oobgarm

02-12-2004, 10:24 AM

Your guess is either on target or a bit low, but I certainly don't think you've overshot it.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. More and more people are discovering that there is a large community of folks who still play and sometimes sell the classic games and equipment. I can't count on both hands and feet how many times someone has come into Funco and siad "wow, I remember the Nintendo, those were some great times"--and leave with the system under their arm. It still happens, to this day.

hydr0x

02-12-2004, 10:26 AM

in the US or worldwide?

anyways i think your number is WAY to low, you just have to look at the number of classic game auctions, that's already more than 10.000 people bidding @ebay.com (that's a guess of course, but i think i'm correct)

i can only speak for germany, we have about 80 million people here and i'd guess there are about 25.000 retro gamers here

Keir

02-12-2004, 10:41 AM

Yeah, I'd say that number is really low too.

RangerG

02-12-2004, 11:08 AM

Does anyone know the sales figures for some of the more mainstream Videogame nostalgia books they sell in Borders, Barnes& Noble, etc. ? I think Supercade is one.

Mayhem

02-12-2004, 11:50 AM

Way low. We get 1,500+ people to CGE now and those are the people who are able to make it and afford it. We're in the minority for that show by far. I'd say 100k is nearer the worldwide figure at least...

Lady Jaye

02-12-2004, 12:14 PM

I think that number is too low. For all of us who are passionate classicgaming geeks, there are many others who still play their old console out of nostalgia without necessarily beng active in the classicgaming scene. I think of my friend Seb, who introduced me to the NES in the late 80s. He got enthused about emulation of classic games and does play them sometimes, but he's also a current-gen gamer. I'd still count him in because he wouldn't say no to a good ole game of Baseball Stars on the NES or of Asteroids on the Atari 2600, even though he's quite attached to his Xbox and his PC.

My best friend Julie is not part of the classicgaming scene. Yet, she still plays the Sega Master System and the Genesis, once in a while, to this day. She even still has the boxes fand foams for both consoles and has kept all her games.

Are they "classic gaming enthousiasts"? Well, I guess it depends how into it the person has to be into it to be deemed an enthousiast, but neither of my friends has rejected the classic consoles like some kind of worthless trash.

Flack

02-12-2004, 05:04 PM

I love torturing numbers.

10,000 people equates to 200 people per state (and that's only in the U.S.).

If you want to look at it another way, there are approximately 200 different countries in the world. That's 50 people per country! While Ethiopia may not have 50 classic gamers, I'm guessing the US might average that number out.

RetroYoungen

02-12-2004, 05:26 PM

I don't know, I'd say maybe about 10,000 is close to right. At least from my experience, I'm an anomoly in the groups of gamers I hang out with, no matter HOW many times I try to hook them to these boards or set up a system for them to check out. But that's just my experience.

IntvGene

02-12-2004, 05:46 PM

I think the number is VERY low, especially if you are considering worldwide, and include arcade games, PC abandonware, etc.

Look at some of the registered users of the following message boards:
Neo-Geo forums: 7800 users
Mameworld: 1200 users
MAME: 59000 users
KLOV: 19400 users
Atariage: 4700 users
DP: 3400 users
Home of the Underdogs: 79900 users

Not nearly all of them are active, and there is a lot of duplication in those numbers, but still that is only a fraction of the population. And, I think that this is still ignoring a huge population in Japan, and other non-English speaking countries.

"Regularly play" is the tough part of the definition, as that can range from once a week, once a month, or once a day. But, your definition also includes people who play systems not due to enthusiasm, but simply cost. There are alot of people who can't afford a current system, and will buy something for the kids at the thrift store. It's very tough to get a ballpark figure, but if I had to guess, I'd say 100,000 worldwide, at least.

Sph1nx

02-12-2004, 08:09 PM

I'll create an example of why I think that number is insanely low.
I (as I'm sure everyone here is) am an enormous geek. Reading, Gaming, MTG, D&D... I've done it all at some point.

I've got two roommates who are totally opposite...

YET... They play the hell out of our sega genesis. PS2? Bleh. Computer? Bleh. Arcade? Bleh.

Genesis? HELL YES!

I think people have a link to systems they owned in their youth, and often remain an enthuiast.
Now... If I can only con on one them out of their action 52.....

Sotenga

02-12-2004, 09:41 PM

The overall number is low, I'd wager, but the percentage of those who are under the age of 16 makes... what, fifteen? And I'm proud to be one of them. I said this many times before, but I grew up on the NES, and I still have a soft spot for it... actually, it's my favorite out of all consoles. So, yes, I am a classic gaming enthusiast. Still in high school. As you probably all know. :)

Raccoon Lad

02-12-2004, 09:52 PM

Does that factor in poor people who can only afford NES's, and thusly actively enjoy them?

What about the BILIONS of chinese who STILL consider the Famicom to be a "current" game system?

Dr. Morbis

02-13-2004, 01:52 AM

Does that factor in poor people who can only afford NES's, and thusly actively enjoy them?
Are you implying that nes enthusiasts only like the system because they are either too poor or too stupid (or both) to know any better? It's you verses an entire generation. You think 2600 collecting is big? Just wait ten years. You can't fight it Raccoonlad, so why don't you pull out your ol' graybox and give it the loving it deserves ;)

Raccoon Lad

02-13-2004, 01:12 PM

You can't fight it Raccoonlad, so why don't you pull out your ol' graybox and give it the loving it deserves ;)

That blinking POS with the 3 color sprites and hundreds of shitty, cheaply made games put on the market to make a quick buck, yet the enthusuasts of the system always point out half a dozen of the best titles as a defense to attest to the quality of the system, and thusly will never acknowledge the overall shittyness of said system's library?

Nah, I think I'll play some Fantasy Zone 2 on my FM equipped Mark III.
*cringes at the thought of the POS Famicom port of Sega's awesome shooter*

ventrra

02-13-2004, 01:14 PM

I would think that that number would have to be exceptionally low. Consider the fact that Muncie, IN is not exactly on of the U.S.'s largest cities, yet Starcade, Mixaen, (banned member) Magus, and I are all from here. Plus, I can probably name a good 20 or so people off of the top of my head that would qualify and I'm pretty sure that Mixean could do the same (for an entirely different set of people). That's just this city. I could actually think of a few more outside of Muncie and I'm pretty sure a number of them could name others and so on (it seems like many of us know about a few others). I'd suspect that 10,000 wouldn't even begin to scratch the surface of the numbers in the U.S., let alone the world.

jgenotte

02-13-2004, 01:20 PM

Dont forget college dorms. I would bet that all over the us there is at lease 1 retro system (mostly nes) per floor, per doorm building, per capus throughout the us. I think the number of players from this sector alone is more than 10,000. i would say the correct number is more like 100,000+. This is, of course, just my opinion.

-james

bargora

02-16-2004, 04:28 AM

Since I regularly roll with my GBA packing Atari Anniversary, Namco Museum, Konami AC, and R-Type DX, I think I could fall into the vintage enthusiast group even when my 5200 and Genny are sitting lonely and cold.

I think there are probably many more than 10,000 out there.

8-Bit Master

02-16-2004, 03:24 PM

That blinking POS with the 3 color sprites and hundreds of shitty, cheaply made games put on the market to make a quick buck, yet the enthusuasts of the system always point out half a dozen of the best titles as a defense to attest to the quality of the system, and thusly will never acknowledge the overall shittyness of said system's library?

Nah, I think I'll play some Fantasy Zone 2 on my FM equipped Mark III.
*cringes at the thought of the POS Famicom port of Sega's awesome shooter*

Isn't that all a matter of opinion? Both the NES and SMS have horribly shitty games. The NES has more good games than the SMS because the system's library is larger. It also has more shitty games for the same reason. It doesn't really matter to me, because I love both systems. I just collect for NES because I already had about 150 games before I decided to seriously start collecting.

jdc

02-29-2004, 08:54 PM

There are bound to be many more enthusiasts than that. Hard to peg the degree of the word "enthusiast"....but let's just say that it's simply a person who likes to fire up an old system. Some fire them up out of financial necessity, it's true...but there are people out there that like the simplicity and challenge that the old games bring to the table. The number is only going to grow as more and more people latch onto things that represent happier retro times. Check out any weekend flea market. Many view retro games as quaint and charming, others view them as kickass. The outcome from both sides is the same. The systems and games are getting purchased and played.

Gabriel

02-29-2004, 09:33 PM

I think that number is off by several orders of magnitude. But it all boils down to what constitutes a "enthusiast" and what constitutes a "classic system".

charitycasegreg

03-10-2004, 10:05 PM

id say about 342,434.43

drwily008

03-14-2004, 12:02 AM

At my store (not saying) we get about 5-10 people a day that look at our NES & Genesis seletion (and ususally buy). We also have about 5 more a day that are surprised that a big chain like ours sells such old games and quickly follow up with :"how much are nintendo systems?

ApolloBoy

03-14-2004, 06:36 PM