Retro vs. Next Gen Videogame Popularity

[slip81]

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts were and why.

I personally think that gaming was more popular in the Atari age than it is now for a few reasons, then it was new technology so everyone was eager to try it out, you had more competeing consoles, and there were many more arcades around promoting gaming.

Now even though we have movies, tv shows, television channels and comics based off of games, it just doesn't seem to be the craze that it was back then.

EDIT: As per request another option is added to the poll.

[Melf]

The question only refers to gaming's popularity being as big as it was before when it is actually much bigger. You need a "bigga, betta" option!

[liab1228]

it may not be the craze it was back then but i think the industry is bigger now and more people are playing games now.

ex.
halo 2 is being released on the 8th and a lot of places will be open later and longer for the realease of the game.

plus a lot of stores are taking preorders for the big name games, so the craze is there just might not feel the same as it was in the 70's and 80's

[Captain Wrong]

The question only refers to gaming's popularity being as big as it was before when it is actually much bigger. You need a "bigga, betta" option!

Agreed. I really don't remember it being this mainstream back in the day, except for the Pac-Man thing, and that was really played more like a fad.

[YoshiM]

I agree, there should be a "more" option because the gaming scene is way bigger than it was in the 70's or 80's. We just remember it as being "really big" back then because it was so new. Today games are so integrated into "the mainstream" (as we're exposed to it practically everywhere in some way shape or form) many don't really think about how big gaming is. To many, gaming just "is", like TV or radio.

[ianoid]

The industry is much bigger, producing earnings larger than the movie industry.

It's weird because it is almost tacitly acknowledged that gaming is a real consumer force, with but one channel giving it coverage regularly. It's almost counterculture, but it's so big that it's not. Gamers are sequestered from mainstream culture (tv, radio), whereas in the height of the initial trend, it was far more acceptible.

Perhaps it's just the highschoolization of mainstream society.

[NintendoMan]

I agree, there should be a "more" option

Umm, there is a "More popular Now" option. Can't you read?? :) :)

[jdc]

Way bigger.....no question about it.

Back then games were for geeks....now it's the cool thing to have an XboX on a 52" plasma with home theatre sound.......even if you don't play it!!!! R.I.P. hardcore gamer.....hello casual gamer.

The more this happens....the more I cling to this forum. LOL

[joshnickerson]

Way bigger.....no question about it.

Back then games were for geeks....now it's the cool thing to have an XboX on a 52" plasma with home theatre sound.......even if you don't play it!!!! R.I.P. hardcore gamer.....hello casual gamer.


Exactly the way I feel. LOL

[slip81]

I agree, there should be a "more" option

Umm, there is a "More popular Now" option. Can't you read?? :) :)

to his credit there was not a "more popular now" option when He posted that message.

Now after reading people's responces and thinking about it more I think I may have been wrong in selecting the "no" option. All that I know about that era in gaming I learned from documantaries and books (I was too young to remember it) and I just always got the impression that it was a huge craze, an while I agree that gaming is more mainstream it just doesn't seem to be as celebrated, but maybe that's just due to the area I live in.

Of all the people I know (not counting the peopl on this site) I'm the only gamer/collector, and not too many people I know have more than one gaming system (some don't even have one), and there is only one small arcade somewhat close by. So to me gaming seems like something that eveyone knows about, but not too many people do.

[YoshiM]

I agree, there should be a "more" option

Umm, there is a "More popular Now" option. Can't you read?? :) :)

to his credit there was not a "more popular now" option when He posted that message.

Now after reading people's responces and thinking about it more I think I may have been wrong in selecting the "no" option. All that I know about that era in gaming I learned from documantaries and books (I was too young to remember it) and I just always got the impression that it was a huge craze, an while I agree that gaming is more mainstream it just doesn't seem to be as celebrated, but maybe that's just due to the area I live in.

Of all the people I know (not counting the peopl on this site) I'm the only gamer/collector, and not too many people I know have more than one gaming system (some don't even have one), and there is only one small arcade somewhat close by. So to me gaming seems like something that eveyone knows about, but not too many people do.

True it was more celebrated but if it was more "popular" then do you think there would have been a market crash? Right now we have PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA, N-Gage, Computer (Windows, Mac and Linux), Nintendo DS (I mention it as it'll be out in a week or two), cell phone gaming along with the big retro craze going on with the TV Plug-in games and many game stores selling used last-gen games (most notably PS1 and N64). There is a dedicated video game cable channel (as crappy as it may be), many magazines devoted to gaming, college courses devoted to video game creation/design. If that's not proof of being more popular as a whole, I dunno what is :)

[NintendoMan]

I agree, there should be a "more" option

Umm, there is a "More popular Now" option. Can't you read?? :) :)

to his credit there was not a "more popular now" option when He posted that message.

OOPS.

[NintendoMan]

YEP, there is absolutely no question about it at all, games are WAY bigger today.
Shit, I bet even on most systems that playing the "older" games today are more popular, than they were in the actual years of the system back when.