What Happened With Actual Retro Gaming? For the Most Part, It Vanished
(UPDATE: Had to add the word “actual” so I didn’t get laughed out the room.)
So why do people love retro video games anyway? Some people clearly dismiss them as “old”; while others merely think they’re “simple” compared to most of today’s AAA endeavors.
But here’s the thing. The simplicity works in their favor. You plug in and play, learn as you go along (without the hand-holding), and experience some great adventure. Simple to play, of course. But long-lasting and worth the journey? Absolutely.
That said, there’s another concerning factor — they’re literally vanishing.
I took a look at a recent report posted over at the Video Game History Foundation, which recently worked alongside the Software Preservation Network on a new study. But it’s not all good news — according to the study, the availability of classic video games has dropped to an all-time low. In fact, 87 percent of all games released in the United States have been labeled “critically endangered.” In other words, hard to find, junked, or just plain vanished. Like ghosts.
“Just 13% of video game history is being represented in the current marketplace. In fact, no period of video game history defined in this study even cracked 20% representation,” the report notes.
Granted, the retro market has changed so much over the years that accessing the best retro titles has literally become close to impossible. Some high price them so badly (thanks for nothing, WATA) that you’d have to pay hundreds to even get a feasible copy of a long-lost favorites; others are so far gone that the only other option to play them is getting a pirated unit with a ROM loaded onto it (like, say, Marvel’s X-Men: The Arcade Game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, long delisted).
As such, some people just prefer the simplicities of retro gaming, based on whatever they find. Sometimes they’ll make a pilgrimage to a game store to see what they can come up with, or, in the case of YouTubers like Retro Rick, going all out to find unbeatable deals in stores, storage sheds, or whatever have you.
Now, I’m not saying retro is dead. It’s thriving more than ever. But it’s definitely more sophisticated now than it was back in, say, the 90s. Again, high pricing gets in the way of a lot of that; and some games are so impossible to find that some people have no choice but to turn to Etsy to get reproductions at a far lesser price (and in particular cases, quality).
I’ve talked about in the past how some people turn to piracy to get their classic gaming fix, if only because it’s a viable solution when it comes to hunting down titles you just can’t get any more without putting down a third mortgage (like the truly awesome Panzer Dragoon Saga). Some people frown on this because they think it makes an impact in the retro gaming market. But for others, it’s the only other option they have because things have changed so much.
Now, there are classic gaming compilations, like the awesome ones that Konami has released, that are worth checking out. But to some, it’s not the same as slapping a cartridge into a system and playing the “old-fashioned” way — even if it takes forever to configure on a new 4K TV. (Maybe we could just buy a Samsung GXTV if we could find one in decent shape…)
But still — 87 percent! Think about how many people threw away their games or simply junked them or, even worse, just let them sit in a storage bin for years without playing them or even considering them, only for someone to find them later on and possibly worry about resale value. It’s depressing, to say the least, and makes you wonder if this is why the retro market exploded the way it did. With the lack of availability and the growing demand for certain titles, it’s definitely gotten much more wilder than expected.
I definitely suggest giving this story a read. But I also suggest making sure it doesn’t discourage you from taking up retro gaming. Even if you buy one of these multi-units from Amazon and simply talk about games you haven’t played in years, you’re supporting a medium that millions now partake in. It’s just the business side — and what led to it — that may leave a lump in your throat.
Here’s hoping we get more scavengers that can help these numbers pick up. If we could reach 20 percent it’d be a miracle.
Have a good week, everyone!
