Musings on Retrogaming

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 11, 2015

Sometimes I wonder if my weird retrogaming habit isn’t to appease my insatiable inner 13-year-old, who didn’t own a console system, and blew his allowance regularly at the local arcade. That kid had way more time than money, and not a lot of games (for a while).

That was probably a good thing for me, in the long run. I wrote games because I wanted to play games, and most of what I could afford came a quarter-a-play. Or I’d play at a friend’s house. So I’d go home and dream of how to make games like these. Only better, of course. At the time, that was at least remotely achievable. These games were largely developed by teams of one or two people, over a period of just a few months. That was something a kid learning programming in his bedroom could aspire to. Nowadays, a AAA game is so far beyond the pale of what a newbie can even conceive of developing (and yet, they do…)

Then came college, when a lack-of-time kinda matched lack-of-money. By that point, I could afford the occasional game every month or two, and would play the crap out of it, because it was all I had. And I’d drool over the magazine ads and reviews for games I really wanted to play but couldn’t afford.

And now I’ve got very little time, but the prices on old games are ridiculously cheap… especially if you wait for sales. Hey, another PC game from the 90s that I was always interested in playing but couldn’t afford the $50 for… now for $7 (or $2 or $3 on sale)! Okay, maybe. And I’m supposed to play this game WHEN?

Ah, well. So I have a hoarding mentality. I could play games 50 hours a week for years at this rate and not get through them all.

The thing that’s funny is that for me, it’s not just playing the old favorites. Sure, going back and replaying the old Ultimas and Might & Magics is a blast, once I get over the clumsy interface. No problem there. But it’s also going back and playing the old titles for the first time, and seeing what I missed. Sometimes (most of the time), I find I didn’t miss much. Or whatever praise I remember hearing back in the day, it didn’t apply to me for some reason.

But then I encounter the occasional gem. Something overlooked when it was new. Something simple and fun. Sometimes those old games were only popular because they were technological novelties. But sometimes… well, they are just as fun now as then.

Most of the time, I feel like a collector these days.  Not a collector of oddities or rare items. No, I just collect digital versions of games. And I think to myself, “I have this vast library of games… definitely one for any possible mood!” Except then I still can’t figure out what to play. It’s like picking a show to watch on Netflix. Staggered by possibilities.

I’m just glad that’s still an option. Thank you, emulator-makers!

Filed Under: Retro - Comments: 2 Comments to Read



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