What makes you a classic gamer?

[saturnfan]

I thought about this a little bit, and I was wondering, what makes you a classic gamer? Do you feel older games are just better than what is currently available? It is nostalgia?

For me, I would not consider myself strictly a classic gamer, but I have an affinity for it because I felt that I missed out on so many great games. We all know that as a child, you are basically at the whim of your parents and they decided what games you get because they hold the purse strings. Sure you ask for games on your birthday and Christmas, but you will miss out on 99% of what is out their. I am looking into and playing so many classics, especially for the NES, SNES and Genesis.

Of course, if by 1980 you were already a teenager or an adult than the point is moot. You always had the ability to pursue the games you wanted to play, but you probably have your own unique reasons for classic gaming, which I want to hear.

[ChuChu Flamingo]

Reason for me is because it is simply better in my opinion than current generation of gaming. Games in the 80's/90's just had a certain sense of creativity that was lost post 2000. That and sprites are simply awesome.

[AppleQueso]

I'm pretty sure we had a thread just like this not long ago, only real difference was that we were defining what a retro gamer was.

[gennss]

Because I didn't let go of the old stuff when I started playing the new stuff. I accumulated and didn't transition like most others. (at least on my block).

[Jayson]

I would say it's a combination of things.

Cost of entry. As I get older, I have less and less to dedicate to my chosen hobby. As long as you aren't after some of the holy grails of gaming, playing older games can be very inexpensive. You can often pick up a used console bundled with a couple of games for less than the cost of a new 360 or PS3 game.

Simplicity. I like to play Starcraft 2 and while I can't think of a more mentally taxing game right now, sometimes I like to just slow it down and play a game with 1-2 buttons and a nice slow-paced storyline.

Art style. I like 2D and Sprites more than 3D and Polygons. While a game like Bioshock is really good looking, there is just something great about looking at games like Ghouls N Ghosts and Metal Slug. I even prefer the newer psuedo-3D 2D games like Contra Shattered Soldier and New Super Mario Bros because of this.

Nostalgia. I am 37 years old and remember playing some of the older arcade games like Pac Man and Donkey Kong back when there weren't even arcades, just machines in a pizza parlor or laundromat. I cut my teeth on the 2600 and grew up with Nintendo and Sega. Was Married when I got my first Playstation and remember playing Tomb Raider with my 3 month old Daughter sitting in my lap. (She's now 13, YIKES!).

When playing a game, it takes me back to a time and more than just game memories come flooding back. It's still hard for me to replay Metroid because I played and beat that game with my best friend that later died from cancer.

Games can be very powerful in this regard.

[MidnightRider]

I'm a classic gamer because sometimes the same old shit is good enough.

[MrPopo]

I got my NES when I was 5 and my SNES when I was 7. I've been gaming ever since, and the old stuff doesn't suddenly start to suck as a whole as technology progresses. So now that I'm an adult I can fill in the holes of stuff I wish I could have played back in the day but couldn't for whatever reason.

[slowslow325]

Cost of entry.

I couldn't even read that without highlighting it!


But for me I think it has to do with that it's much harder to design sprites and make a game on the limited hardware than it is today. Yea, it may take more time today, and may require more technical skills, but it takes far more creativity to make a simple game.

[sevin0seven]

..because i love the classic games better than the new games. i also own more classic games than the next gen.

[SegaDreamscape]

I think i'd have to say that it was the nostaglia side of things that got me started in retro games but its been a while since that was the main reason. Although I do still get that same feeling from certain games I did when I was younger I get exited when I find an old game that was missed the first time round.

I think I sway to more towards Sega because I wanted a Saturn when I was a kid for about two years before I got one. When I did get one for christmas in 97 my parents had it wrapped in christmas paper on the living room table for a few months before hand, asking me with an evil glint in their eyes every time i went in there if i knew what it was knowing full well i did.