Why are retro games making a comeback

 Ok, so this isn't scientific, it's purely my opinion and guess. 

There is a push; a concerted one at that, for "service as a service". Essentially, pay for access monthly to do whatever. We do this with our streaming services, some do it for Office programs, Adobe Photoshop etc. We are also seeing this push in the Video Game industry. 

So what does that have to do with Retro Gaming? As with most things in life, for every action there is an equal reaction. It just may take some time for those reactions to become prevalent. Retro Gaming simply put is where you have the equipment and the software (games) to access anytime you want, with no additional cost. 

We are currently seeing this happen in the film industry as well. Photography film that is. 35mm is seeing a resurgence (which is something I'm all for) as it has benefits that when combined with modern technology, can produce specific results that are desired. Photos taken on film softer feel, one that can't be exactly duplicated. There is also something therapeutic of developing your own film, or the equally fulfilling waiting period for it to be developed professionally. Either way, the "NOW" mentality is forced into "patience will prevail". 

Back in 2015, a movie came out called Pixels. Its a comedy more than anything, but it showed that Hollywood realized there is a desire for retro gaming in our pop culture. In 2020, Retro Gaming equipment and games spiked in price. One could speculate this was due to the pandemic and the stay home orders. Why not play games that don't require the bandwidth that was needed for telework. 

Is there another way to look at this? Yes, I'd venture to say so. Video games are, like many creations of art, capable of being replayed/reread/rewatched. If you have a library in your house of classical books, or movies, tapes etc, there is nothing to say that you can't have a library of games that you enjoy to play. Modern games are increasingly becoming dependent on servers and ever increasing bandwidth requirements to download. There is nothing wrong with this, however, what happens when the servers get shut down? Can you honestly in 15 years go back to that game and play it again like you did the first time? 

Odds are you will not be able to. So the next time you think "why would I keep that old game/console" keep that in mind. There is a lot to be said about physically owning a game and have the ability to play it "on demand".

photo of Atari cartridges is from Pexels