ManciGames
02-12-2005, 07:45 PM
Everything old is new again. Or so the saying goes. Like many of you, I've heard the whispers of how our tiny hobby is on the cusp of becoming a mainstream juggernaut. No doubt, that played some role in the formation of Manci Games. All of us are fans, and we wanted to provide something that was for the fans, by the fans.
Since I am a hard-core gamer, I sometimes find myself wondering what the appeal in retro-gaming is to the average Joe. Why is it catching on so quickly? What has caused the masses to finally pull that old dusty Atari, Nintendo, or Genesis out of their closets? Those are good questions, and ones that I do not claim to have the answers to. However, I do have a theory, and it goes a little something like this:
Everything old is new again. Most of us spent at least a portion of our youth in the 80's. Let's not kid ourselves here. Yes, the hair was big, but so was the gaming. The 80's saw the peak of the 2600 era, the videogame crash, the rise and fall of the Nintendo Entertainment System (oh, beloved NES), and the introduction of the Sega Genesis. We had Pac-Man, Mario, Shinobi, Zelda, and if you stretch it just a bit into the 90's, Sonic. These characters were icons. All have stood the test of time. And all now serve as a reminder of a 2D past that was far simpler...not only in terms of gameplay, but in terms of our lives.
There was no internet. "Downloading" usually referred to something you would do in the bathroom, if you used the word at all. Things were more casual. A little more relaxed. If we weren't adults, our bedrooms were our world.
Then we left our parents' homes (well, most of us...you know who you are), and took on the rigors of everyday life. Soon after that, information overload hit. We had the internet and beepers, and eventually cell phones and palm devices. You can't even take a hike into a forest without the threat of serenity invasion.
Then one night…you go back home and you see that old Sega sitting in a dusty corner of your closet. The Altered Beast cartridge winks at you approvingly as you pull it out and dust it off. You fire it up and hear, "Wise Fwom Yo Dwave," for the first time in years. And then something happens: You remember what it was like the first time you played that game. Things were a lot more simple then. You remember the Sega/Nintendo "Bit-Wars" and "Sprite-Battles," and you wish it was all that simple again. Then you realize that, "Gee, this here old-fashioned game is actually pretty fun to play!" Another retro-gaming convert is welcomed to the fold.
Everything old is new again.
Since I am a hard-core gamer, I sometimes find myself wondering what the appeal in retro-gaming is to the average Joe. Why is it catching on so quickly? What has caused the masses to finally pull that old dusty Atari, Nintendo, or Genesis out of their closets? Those are good questions, and ones that I do not claim to have the answers to. However, I do have a theory, and it goes a little something like this:
Everything old is new again. Most of us spent at least a portion of our youth in the 80's. Let's not kid ourselves here. Yes, the hair was big, but so was the gaming. The 80's saw the peak of the 2600 era, the videogame crash, the rise and fall of the Nintendo Entertainment System (oh, beloved NES), and the introduction of the Sega Genesis. We had Pac-Man, Mario, Shinobi, Zelda, and if you stretch it just a bit into the 90's, Sonic. These characters were icons. All have stood the test of time. And all now serve as a reminder of a 2D past that was far simpler...not only in terms of gameplay, but in terms of our lives.
There was no internet. "Downloading" usually referred to something you would do in the bathroom, if you used the word at all. Things were more casual. A little more relaxed. If we weren't adults, our bedrooms were our world.
Then we left our parents' homes (well, most of us...you know who you are), and took on the rigors of everyday life. Soon after that, information overload hit. We had the internet and beepers, and eventually cell phones and palm devices. You can't even take a hike into a forest without the threat of serenity invasion.
Then one night…you go back home and you see that old Sega sitting in a dusty corner of your closet. The Altered Beast cartridge winks at you approvingly as you pull it out and dust it off. You fire it up and hear, "Wise Fwom Yo Dwave," for the first time in years. And then something happens: You remember what it was like the first time you played that game. Things were a lot more simple then. You remember the Sega/Nintendo "Bit-Wars" and "Sprite-Battles," and you wish it was all that simple again. Then you realize that, "Gee, this here old-fashioned game is actually pretty fun to play!" Another retro-gaming convert is welcomed to the fold.
Everything old is new again.