Is Retro Gaming Dying?

[pineapplehead2]

I am 15 and it seems like the kids around me thinks that Retro Gaming is for poor people and is to old and my litte brother puts it as BORING but likes some games, but I love retro gaming,

I play my NES more then my PS2,and now own about 86 or 87 NES games and 1 Famicom Pirate,and also collect Sega Master System games and also next year (2005) want to get a Sega Satur,DreamCast and Mega Drive.

Would this be because my littro brother grew up on N64, while even tho i am 15, i didnt get my first next gen(not next gen now) system intil 1997 which was N64, abd for about 3 years was playing befor i got my N64, about 1995 I was playing Atari 2600,NES and Commodore 64.

[Cauterize]

Retro Gaming is for poor people

yeah, agreed as Air Raid (2600) is about 10p ;) ;) ;)

Dont listen to them, my firends used to say the same, till one day they came round and ended up on the retro systems!
"Streets of rage? wow i havent played that in years" they all said!

[s1lence]

Maybe it is in Austraila, but it is more then alive and well in the states all you have to do is look on ebay. O_O

[pineapplehead2]

There is qutie a few auctions in Australia, not as many as urs tho i dont think but check out the http://videogames.listings.ebay.com.au/Nintendo-NES_W0QQfromZR4QQsacategoryZ3607QQsocmdZListingIte mList

For aussie listings of NES junk or http://videogames.ebay.com.au/ for the content, and click on the system u want, never know you could get some PAL only titles there.

[Muscelli]

im 14 and I am mainly a Dreamcast and saturn guy.... even most of my friends never heard of saturn, they think dreamcast sucks... once i tell them that i burn and download games, then they think its cool.

[s1lence]

im 14 and I am mainly a Dreamcast and saturn guy.... even most of my friends never heard of saturn, they think dreamcast sucks... once i tell them that i burn and download games, then they think its cool.

Rrrriight, I guess it doesnt matter to them that you could do that with a saturn too. But then again both are stupid as the collection will never be worth anything to anyone but yourself. :D

[klausien]

Keep the faith young friend! There will always be room for good games, no matter what age they are from. I also need to say that I am impressed by your nuanced gaming tastes for your age.

Retro itself will never die, no matter how much Barnes and Noble wishes it would. :P

Unfortunately, at least in the US, retro styles of gameplay and graphics have fallen by the wayside thanks to Sony, EA and all the other gaming megaliths.

We all need to make sure we go out and buy games like Alien Hominid to try and stave of the suits just a bit longer. :evil:

[pineapplehead2]

I dont like copying, because its not the same as the real thing, its like finishing a retro game with a game genie, u dont feel right, you have to finish it with no cheats by your self, i myself would much perfer the REAL copy, so i can say to ppl, look i have SO and SO.
get it

[s1lence]

I dont like copying, because its not the same as the real thing, its like finishing a retro game with a game genie, u dont feel right, you have to finish it with no cheats by your self, i myself would much perfer the REAL copy, so i can say to ppl, look i have SO and SO.
get it

Now that's the right attitude. Keep in mind some bootlegs I dont mind, like the DC games you cant get otherwise because they were NEVER released to the public. ie Half-Life and Propeller Arena.

[Ed Oscuro]

Retro itself will never die, no matter how much Barnes and Noble wishes it would. :P
But they have all those old book covers on their bags! Plus their computer books section is about as "retro" as you could ask for LOL

Really though, retro gaming is in NO way endangered. Tetris came out of the Soviet Union, after all, and Zoo Keeper is nothing but another simple puzzler - so people still like the old stuff. I also think that retro computer gaming has yet to really take off, too. Halo's starting to do it for Bungie games, and some will just always be worth lots of money, but there's many more games - some incredibly rare - that go for a pittance these days despite being groundbreaking and great fun.

[pineapplehead2]

but what happens one sometakes all the good and rare games, i dont wont to be cought up with a heap ot Tetris's and Mario bros/Duck Hunt LOL LOL

[josekortez]

I don't think so because I just saw the videogames documentary on PBS last night that said that it's still going strong (can't remember the name of it right now)...

[pineapplehead2]

As in Retro Games still going strong?

[s1lence]

Well also retro re-releases of games are selling. Mame cabinents are selling and are fairly popular. As long as there are collectors "retro" gaming will be around, I was playing older games before "retro" was even a term used in this context. Besides todays games will be tomorrows "retro", oh and I know people in aus play old computer games as well. Don't worry, its not going anywhere. There now Im back on topic and I'm spent.

[Muscelli]

ive realized that burning games does ruin the experience, eeven on a good game... i got pds burned the other day, and all i was thinking about while playing it was to play more burned games....

I do like to burn games that I will never buy, however... expensive stuff like rsg and bubble bath babes (horrible game)

[pineapplehead2]

Even tho they said Bubble Bath was a horrible game I would still like it in my collection due to its rarity in Australia.

[Kid Ice]

Dying? With all of these compilations and plug n play joysticks and t-shirts? I don't think interest in "retro-gaming" has ever been this great.

[Ed Oscuro]

Even tho they said Bubble Bath was a horrible game I would still like it in my collection due to its rarity in Australia.
Ya but it's common everywhere else

[pineapplehead2]

Yea but since i live in Australia its hard to get unless im willing to send money over to E bay America.

Also because it wasn't realise in Australia, does Unlicence NTSC games work on PAL.
I know normal games dont unless you take out the Uni chip.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Nope, Retro gaming isn't dying at all. Why? Because I have recently been disgusted with the prices of Sega Genesis and N64 stuff at a local store.

Would you pay MK Trilogy for N64 for $29.99? or Sega Six Pack for $14.95?

How about Bubble Bobble for Game Gear at $19.95?

Note: these are all LOOSE CARTS!

I'm talking about the only store in the Waco, TX area, called "Special FX Game Store" which is now the only place to find Sega related items now. Since GameStop has trashed Genesis and Dreamcast now.

I am forced to find anything for a better price here and Ebay...

They wanted $9.95 for a Used power supply unit for a Sega Genesis..GameStop used to have them for $3.99....

So in conclusion, no it's not dead, it's just jacked up and milking the poor suckers who want to find it again.

I hate to admit it, but Ebay has been my only source of good deals. Yet DP Buying and Selling always has the best crew for anything you want.

[Ed Oscuro]

Yea but since i live in Australia its hard to get unless im willing to send money over to E bay America.
ROFL

It's extremely rare EVERYWHERE, man. I was pulling your leg - we don't see them around much ourselves!

[christianscott27]

I used to be Retro. But then they changed what Retro was. Now what I'm with isn't Retro, and what's Retro seems scary and wierd. It'll happen to YOU

[TheRedEye]

Yeah, I hear Metroid Prime 2 isn't doing too well, I hope Retro is okay...

[Pantechnicon]

"Retro gaming is for poor people?" O_O . You need to show your mates what some of this stuff goes for on Ebay.

Just out of curiosity, do you have things like thrift and second-hand stores in Australia? I know that our friends in the UK do not have things like Goodwills and Salvation Army stores, but I'm curious if you have these things down under. If you do these tend to be the best places to find deals.

[pineapplehead2]

Salvation Army stores we have and we also have dumb stores where you can buy stuff that comes from a dumb for example my next door neighbout went there and got me Excitebike boxed and also the a 2nd store that sells NES games called Hippoputums(spelling i think is wrong) and they went from $5, to $2 and now to $12. also i got Wario Wood's for $2 aswell and also MAXI 15(PAL Version), but i think the reason why they are 12$ at the moment because the games are boxed and new abut also there about 2 or 3 games just by them self that are 12 and also wait for ir.

DUCK HUNT/SMB is $12.00

[Flack]

If your friends don't like retro gaming then it's time to get new friends.

I'm guessing you're not the only person in your town or even school who's into these old relics like the N64. ;) Keep your old pals around for other stuff, but keep an eye out for some new friends who like trading and playing old games with.

At the end of the day, it's all about what YOU enjoy anyway, isn't it?

[Aussie2B]

They got it backwards, I'm poor BECAUSE of my interest in retro gaming. :P

[imanerd0011]

You really can't judge retro gaming in general just based on how retro gaming in your area is doing. Because as far as I know I am the only collector or retro games in my entire town, but there are thousands of people across the nation that share the same passion as I do, and I never would have known that just looking around my town.
I think that overall retro gaming is more intense than ever, since most of the games are going up in price.

[mkuo7]

In my opinion everything comes down to graphics. Some friends won't even think about playing a game if it has lower bit graphics. I think Maddox puts it well:

http://maddox.xmission.com/contra3_owns.html

"Developers today try to make their games as realistic as possible and the end result is having to spend hours and hours trying to find shit in the game. It's boring. Nobody wants to play "virtual scavenger hunt." If I wanted to find shit for hours, I'd clean my room, and if I wanted realism, I wouldn't be playing video games. It's that simple. The characters in this game don't talk. They don't have cute names. They don't make smartass comments every time they run into something, and they don't have 10,000 frames of animation"

[whoisKeel]

I used to be Retro. But then they changed what Retro was. Now what I'm with isn't Retro, and what's Retro seems scary and wierd. It'll happen to YOU

what is that from? it sounds familiar...i wanna guess grandpa from simpsons but i'm not sure.

but anyways, yeah don't judge the retro scene based on just the people you know. i mean, i like jazz, but i only have one friend who enjoys it also...that's not to say there aren't millions of people who enjoy jazz around the world. i don't have very many friends that read (books), but that's not to say...well you get my point.

i will admit tho, cheap games is part of the reason i enjoy retro gaming. i wouldn't have bought river city ransom if it were still $40-50.

to me tho, retro gaming, and gaming in general, is about having fun...and for alot of us, nostalgia as well. i enjoy the simplicity of older games, but also the complexity of newer games as well, the best of both worlds. game on my friend, even if it is by yourself, i know i get some strange looks from my friends when they see my massive game collection (200 games is tiny here, but pretty massive to everybody i meet).

[lendelin]

Would this be because my littro brother grew up on N64, while even tho i am 15, i didnt get my first next gen(not next gen now) system intil 1997 which was N64, abd for about 3 years was playing befor i got my N64, about 1995 I was playing Atari 2600,NES and Commodore 64.

Interesting Q, but there is no answer; without reliable data WHO plays WHICH games and WHEN they had their first game experiences, the Q if 'retro'-gaming is a generational phenomenon, a fashionable cultural one or not restricted to generations based on the power of 'timeless' calssics, can't be answered.

My hunch is that retro-gaming is predominantly (!) restricted to your childhood experiences, that means that most 'retro-gamers' do not go back farther than the game-generation they grew up with. Reasons: the power of childhood memories; affordability of the games because adults can financially afford it; you stick with systems and games which you are 'used' to and don't have to get used to pre-generational games which might play differently.

This is mere speculation, if systematic data would be available, we might get surprised. :)

On the other hand, you could make the case that a Galaga or Dig-Dug in their simplicity never get old because they appeal to the most basic motivation playing games: challenge! ...plus older games might fill a vacuum which modern games necessarily create. (bigger challenge, shorter, simpler) Then it would be indeed a 'supra-generational' phenomenon. (sorry for the highfalutin term, I can't think of a better one so late :)

[max 330 mega]

Even if retro gaming does die, or atleast "fade out" it can only be better for the true collectors because its less people to compete with, and places will stop jacking there prices on older games also.

[Cauterize]

places will stop jacking there prices on older games also.

I hate price jacking.... but at the same time i guess it makes us feel great when we score something dirt cheap!

[Lady Jaye]

Lessee...

There are primarily 2 types of retrogamers:

The fashionista, who's currently a retrogamer because it's hip and who will get rid of all his retrogaming stuff when it's no longer trendy.

The true-blue retrogamer, who actually grew up with the given consoles (or at least some of them). They were the gaming child or teen in the 70s, 80s or early 90s who spent so many quarters at the arcade and/or so many hours in front of their TV with their fave console. Their retrogaming story often begins with a bout of nostalgia that quickly develops into a mania of buying back all their fave games from their childhood or adolescence.

In a way, though, retrogaming will probably be around for the next few years... the only difference is that the focus will shift on what the 20-year-olds of the time have played when they were children. Nowadays, the retrogaming trend seems to be on a fence, between the pre-crash generation (see the Jakks joystick's success) and the NES generation. Soon enough (probably in the next year or 2), it'll be the 16-bit generation that will be the center of attention. Etc. etc. GMR magazine was kinda jumping a bit ahead of themselves by including too many N64/PS1 game reviews in their retro section, but the day isn't too far off when the treatment of the N64 and PS1 as retroconsoles becomes more and more common.

[portnoyd]

At the end of the day, it's all about what YOU enjoy anyway, isn't it?

Seriously. If the fad fades or whatever, who gives a shit? I could be the last 'retrogamer' on the planet, but no matter what, my games and love of those games are staying where they are.

[gamegirl79]

I personally hope the fad of retro gaming goes away, the sooner the better...I'm sick of the ridiculous prices on ebay.

[segafan]

Collecting is a "closet hobby" for me. None of my friends really PLAY videogames, let alone collect old shit. so hey, it could be worse.

[Aswald]

No, it isn't.

But it by no means gets the glitz and hype of current games.

[Sanriostar]

I think the best paralell to all this is 50's music for playing the games, and 50's cars for the collection of the games.

50's music is still around, and you can find fans that are too young to have experienced it first off (I'm a big Buddy Holly fan FWIW), but it's not 'hot' or 'hip' , and it'll be around in some way for quite a while. Maybe on a mobile phone, maybe as these Classic collections that now seem to come out for every system generation. And every now and then you'll get the privilige to plug a quarter into an actual vintage machine, or a cart into an actual 2600, because there's someone (IE >>>US!<<<) who's collected all these things.

And so we segue into game collecting: to see the real, vintage original thing, you have to go to an organized event, like a 50's car show, or um.. CGE. The old 'real' stuff's still around, but you have to make a bit of effort to see it/ play it first hand. There's people with garages full of Studebakers and '57 Chevys, and those whose garage is chocked with Major Havok and Fantasy. Both collectors tend to be participants in these shows. and every now and then you get the luck to see either a Tucker or an Akkah Arrh.

That's the best way I can put it. Thought of this while eating at the Johnny Rocket's in the mall I work at. And they have have a few Buddy Holly tracks.

[pineapplehead2]

the PS2 will soon be Retro, jus think about it, in about 3 yrs people will be too busy playing N5 and PS3, I like PS2 the best out of Xbox and GCN. so I am going to be a collector for PS2 and below(Channel F,Attari,etc), i dont know if i will be collecting XBOX or GCN yet.

[jdc]

Retro's what you make it. I'll bet you that there are plenty of people who consider the launch line-up of the PS2 to be too old to bother with.

Plenty of modern "gamers" are graphics whores or the types that need that "bigger better louder faster" instant gratification. Lots of them don't want to "work" in a game and deem a game as shit if there's no huge Hollywood GC movie at the end. Remeber when your reward was being able to proudly enter your initials?

All of it just means that there's more N64 games in the wild for me.