Retro gaming: Why players are returning to the classics

Games controller

Whether you enjoyed curling up with Tetris on a Gameboy, rolling around as Sonic on a Sega, or were just trying to ignore the loud beeping sounds coming from the next room… if you were around in the 1980s and 1990s, you will remember the arrival of home gaming.

Computers had made it into our living rooms, and although fans had their favourites – the thrust of Street Fighter, the platforms of Super Mario or the simplicity of Pacman – children and adults alike were hooked.

The market for consoles has continued to grow over the decades as technology companies across the globe try to get their bite out of the gaming pie.

But almost 20 years into the new millennium, passionate players are still looking back in time to find their fix.

  • Mario caps Nintendo’s triumphant comeback
  • Hopes of a games arcade revival

“While there’s definitely an element of nostalgia, it’s important to recognise how well designed many of those classic games are,” said technology journalist and retro game collector KG Orphanides.

“The developers had so little space to work with – your average Sega Mega Drive or SNES cartridge had a maximum capacity of just 4MB – and limited graphics and sound capabilities.”

The average game now weighs in at 40GB.

Cheap but cheerful

But these limitations did not stop them from making some memorable games.

Gemma Wood, from Basingstoke, has never put her Nintendo GameCube in the loft – despite having it for more than 15 years.

“I love it, in fact I was playing Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart Double Dash yesterday,” she said.

“I really could not get on with the controls on the Wii [a more recent Nintendo console] and, with retro consoles, most of the games are cheap because they are second hand.

“Newer consoles and their games are incredibly expensive. I understand that a lot of hard work has gone into the design etc, but how can anyone justify £50 to £60 for a game that you might not even enjoy?”

[Source”indianexpress”]