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I grew up in the early 2000s playing games likeCall of Duty 2andNeed for Speed: Most Wanted, but I also played older games likeAltered Beast,Doom, andPrince of Persia. To my surprise, my younger brothers (aged 10 and 13) hadn’t even heard of these games, so I asked them why.
Poor Platform Availability
Unfortunately, many old video games are simply not available. While you may technically still purchase thousands of old games, just as many have been delisted or replaced by remastered versions. This is what happened withWarcraft 3and the original 3DGTAtrilogy. Licensing issues can also lead to games getting delisted or altered, resulting in a diminished experience compared to the original.
There’s another, more technical reason why you can’t run old games on new hardware. The PlayStation 5 isn’t backward compatible with consoles older than the PlayStation 4. Outside of some remastered or adapted classics, you can’t (natively) play older games on a PS5. The same is true for Nintendo games on the Switch, and Sega doesn’t even make consoles anymore. Windows PCs are best in terms of backward compatibility, but there’s still a host of random issues like weird aspect ratios, graphical glitches, and compatibility problems.
The best way to experience old games is on original hardware, but kids aren’t exactly standing in line to buy consoles that are older than their parents. My brothers' oldest console was the PlayStation 3, so they didn’t play games much older thanFIFA 16,Uncharted 3, andGran Turismo 5.Video game emulatorsare a valid option, and I’ve played emulated games as a kid, but that’s only because my dad set it up for me.
My younger brothers don’t even know what an emulator is, or why they’d have to use one instead of downloading a game from a store, and that’s a fair point. Regardless of how easy it is to emulate games now, it’s still an extra step over just downloading and playing a game from Steam. Emulators also raiselegal and ethical considerations.
Old Games Can’t Compete With Modern Technology
I initially thought that outdated graphics were the biggest reason today’s kids don’t like old games. While graphics are a factor, they’re not the main one. Kids don’tcare about ray tracingthe same way adults do. My 10-year-old brother said he doesn’t mind the pixelated graphics in old games at all; in fact, he loves simple graphics and prefers games likeFortnite,Minecraft, andRobloxover the semi-realistic graphics found in games likeForza Horizon 5.
My other brother, who is 13, said that while he doesn’t like outdated graphics, the poor physics and game mechanics are the worst parts of old video games. I had him tryBurnout Paradise Remastered, and he hates how clunky the cars feel. He couldn’t get the hang of how to smash opponents' cars and where to find the new cars he had just unlocked. He also said that he couldn’t find his way around the interface.
Admittedly, whileBurnout Paradiseis a fun game, its interface might be the most unintuitive one I’ve ever seen. I played the original when I was around his age, and I couldn’t figure out how to change the resolution and graphics settings until my older cousin showed me how.
Another technical issue that you might face when playing old games on a new platform ispoor controller support. It’s a common technical issue, as some old games don’t recognize modern controllers and have no way to rebind the buttons.
Others, like 1992’sAlone In The Dark, use weird control layouts that don’t hold up today and can be difficult for young kids to grasp. Remember, some classicboomer shooterslikeWolfenstein 3Dwere originally designed to be played without a mouse, so you had to move, aim, and shoot with just the keyboard. It’s not that kids can’t adapt to this control scheme, but it definitely makes these games even more unapproachable and unappealing.
Kids Are Constantly Exposed to New Games
Convincing young gamers to try old games is difficult enough on its own, but it’s even harder given the endless stream of new games. Kids play a lot of mobile games (often ontheir own personal devices), and free games are filled with ads for other games, which creates a self-perpetuating cycle.
Kids are far more influenced by virality and peer pressure than adults. When they see their favorite YouTubers and friends playingAmong Us,Fall Guys, and, most recently,Chained Together, it’s even harder to convince them to try a stale old game that nobody ever talks about.
I have to acknowledge that kids don’texclusivelyplay viral games. My brothers can’t get enough of soccer and similar sports games, and they spend countless hours inFIFA,Rocket League, andNBA 2K. If your siblings or kids love a particular game genre, try introducing them to some classic games from your childhood within that genre. For instance, I could show themPES 4andPES 6, soccer games I played as a kid.
A Lack of Multiplayer
Have you noticed that the vast majority of games that kids play are either multiplayer or have online social elements? Multiplayer games are a big draw for kids because they offer a chance to hang out with friends, make new ones, and work together toward a common goal. I didn’t have an internet connection until 2008, so I spent my early childhood exclusively playing single-player games.
Playing games on your own is a fun, tailored, and immersive experience, but my brother finds them lonely and monotonous so he rarely plays them for more than an hour at a time. The moment his friends call him to play something together, he’s done with whatever adventure game he was chipping away at. To be honest, I often do the same, as I don’t always have the time and patience that story-driven single-player games demand.
Older Gamers Are to Blame, Too
Old games don’t randomly surge in popularity, and with so many newer games available, kids are unlikely to pick up something from the 90s. If we want younger gamers to be familiar with culturally significant games that we grew up with, it’s on us to introduce them. Other than exposing my brothers toBurnout Paradiserecently, I admit that I haven’t done my part, but I plan to change that.
I’ll create a list of my favorite childhood games and invite my brothers to play them with me. I’ll explain what makes each game unique and why they hold a special place in my heart. It’ll be a fun nostalgia trip for me and an interesting gaming experience for them.
I’ll have to temper my expectations, though. My younger brothers don’t see these games through the same rose-tinted glasses like I do, and they don’t have an emotional attachment to older games. If you’ve ever tried to play an old game that others love for the first time, you know what I’m talking about. I never playedZeldagames as a kid, so when I tried them as a teenager, I didn’t like them at all.
At least I can appreciate these old games, and I can still see their appeal. Who knows, maybe my brothers will end up loving these old games as much as I do. At the very least, we’ll have a great bonding time together!
Looking for a great way to play games on original hardware? Why notbuild a MiSTer and virtualize hardware using an FPGA.
