Why do we play old games?

[bledgor]

Old itch to scratch, sometimes old games/movies/books just present something in such a way that can't be replicated, so to get that same joy (or at least attempt to) we go back and enjoy them again.

I play Chrono Trigger once a year because for me it is one of the greatest video game stories every made, the combat was very enjoyable, and even the graphics hold a special appeal.

[Aoyi]

There were good games made in every era of gaming. There's nothing wrong with going back and playing something that's 20 or 30 years old. All that matters is that you're enjoying it.

[Queen of Hamsters]

For the same reason that people listen to old music, or watch old movies.
If you enjoyed a game back then, it would be odd if you didn't today.

Then again, people can also return to old movies/games/music and realize that times have changed, that they no longer enjoy those titles. And that's OK too.

[letssee]

shit was better then LOL

true story

[Mirishka]

To this day I still play Super Metroid (1994) because it is literally 2D perfection.

[chubbybunny]

You could ask the same question about "why do we play NEW games that are in the 8-bit style graphics?", with all the GFX cards that give us 16.8m colours, ray tracing, blah blah blah.. we're happy playing things like stardew valley, minecraft, or retro console games like Snes, megadrive, gameboy, etc.

[Zaktar]

To me, nostalgia is about this attachment to the past, a longing for a better time - it really doesn't encapsulate my attachment to old, good stuff. There is stuff that came out within the last few years that I like to replay. Can I be said to be nostalgic for Tyranny? 3 years ago is like a blink in my life at this point. For me, I replay stuff if it was fun, and if the experience of replaying it is still fun. In the middle of an XCOM2 replay and the game still kicks my ass, and is still as fun as it's ever been.

To me it's a value calculation - about 3 out of 4 new games I try are average at best, it's a better return on time investment to play something I know for sure is fun, and a hell of a lot cheaper. Not to say trying new stuff isn't fun, of course it is at times, but sometimes you just want a 95% probable good time. (Good grief xcom has me right now).

[Kallisto]

shit was better then LOL

true story

No it wasn't. For every good game back then there were just terrible just like today.

Just like everything else people remember the good. Forget the mediocre and bad.

And damn were there so many terrible and bad games that were buggy as hell that they made a release day 1 version of a Bethesda game seem to be without bugs.

[PACOX]

Because games don't have an expiration date.

[Calfredd]

Because games don't have an expiration date.

Online-only games do...

[Zaktar]

Online-only games do...

Seriously, wish I could replay City of Heroes =(

[derpkitteh]

for the most part, they're better than new ones.

just like old movies tend to be better than new ones.

[Aleloron]

I seem to be one of the few that did not particularly care for Warcraft III; after spending countless hours playing Orcs and Humans and the amazing Tides of Darkness, 3 felt like it was just barely a Warcraft RTS. I’ve pre-ordered Reforged because $40 isn’t that bad for a game that I at least somewhat enjoyed and perhaps I’ll enjoy it more in my old age. Thanks to some awesome dude on these here forums I learned that Orcs and Humans and Tides of Darkness were on GoG for $15 and I’ve been playing the hell out of them for the past week. Orcs and Humans hasn’t aged all that well but Tides of Darkness is still every bit as fun as it was in the late 90’s.

A great game is timeless regardless of the graphics. Hell, Pac-Man is still fun. Most of the Super Mario Bros. series is still great (even 2 isn’t all *that* bad). If you get a chance to play an old game again take it!

[Calfredd]

Seriously, wish I could replay City of Heroes =(

Was actually thinking of those games with the online-only DRM but yeah games like City of Heroes too.

[Vash The Stampede]

Video games do not age. Video games do not become obsolete. If a game was truly good in 1985 then it will still be good in 2019. Newer games aren't always better. Take retail WoW vs classic. Classic was better, and a lot of what was lost over time was due to bad decisions made by the many game designers that had their hand in it. That doesn't mean new games can't be better, but with emphasis on micro-transactions, loot boxes, and DLC, it becomes harder to make a good game when there's so much focus on making a monetizable game. It's also harder to make a good game when your game has to reach as wide of an audience as it can to maximize profits. Gotta include a feature from some other game where it was popular, despite not being a good fit for the game.

[Zaktar]

Was actually thinking of those games with the online-only DRM but yeah games like City of Heroes too.

Ahhh, sure. I'd include platforms like Steam in that. Strong now, but who know what the future holds, it would make me sad to see all those games lost.

[scelero]

Why watch old movies or read old books? up here its our time!

It's our time. It's our time down here
-Goonies

[Sencha]

Because most new games, although pretty to look at, are too dumbed down.

[iosdeveloper]

cuz stimulating already formed neural paths feels good
it's very healing for your nervous system to rewatch your favourite movie, for example

[Pony Soldier]

Simply because some games are just that good that you want to go back and play them again and again. Sometimes it's also because you want to take a nice trip down nostalgia lane and remember the good ol' days.