Retro Gaming. It’s Saving Gaming History

Why Retro Gaming is on the Rise in the Gaming World

Have you ever decided to get rid of something that you no longer needed, only to regret it later in life? You probably have; most of us have done something like that. There are probably plenty of poor nerds out there who were persuaded to sell their old comic books or donate their old consoles to charity. Fast forward years later, they see how much items like that are going for online, and realize they missed out on easy money; so frustrating! It’s reasons like that more and more nerds are holding onto their stuff even after they outgrow it, and gamers are no exception. There’s a growing wave of gamers that are holding onto their old consoles, copies of games, or trying to find other ways to play them. This retro gaming may seem like pure sentiment to others, but to gamers, it could end up saving their history.

In a nutshell, retro gaming is when gamers play video games on devices that are discontinued or through other methods. At a glance, one would think that this simply means getting your hands on an older-gen console and some games and start playing them. However, that’s only one example. If a console or a copy of the game is not readily available, gamers will use emulators to emulate the system the game was designed for. Porting is a similar method and involves converting games onto a new system, albeit without any save files. Lastly, retro gaming can involve remakes of classic titles for a newer gen, or re-releases on a new platform. The bottom line is that there are actually a lot of ways to go about retro gaming, and it’s becoming increasingly popular.

I should know. I’m one of those people who partakes in retro gaming.

Why Retro Gaming?

Even though I’ve long since become an adult, I have refused to let go of many of the trappings of my childhood, especially video games. Save for a few handheld devices that broke or exchanged for a newer model, and one console taken by a family member, I’ve kept every gaming device I’ve ever had. Not only does that include most of my Nintendo Handhelds, it also includes the entire PlayStation line, as well as a sizeable number of games for each generation. In other words, I’ve gotten big on retro gaming without even realizing it.

The big question about retro gaming is why? Why take up space keeping old consoles and games? Why spend money buying vintage at stores or online? For that matter, why risk a gaming company’s wrath due to emulators? It might not seem like it’s worth it, but trust me, there are plenty of reasons why retro gaming has gotten so popular.

Firstly, there are the sentimental reasons for keeping these old games. Take me, for example. Some of my best childhood memories come from playing games on my PS2. I consider getting it for Christmas the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Even if I’m now playing on its great-grandchild in the form of the PS5, I refuse to part with my beloved PS2. So I will keep it in storage for as long as I can.

Secondly, there’s the monetary angle. Like many products, retro games and consoles become more valuable as time passes. If you keep them in good condition, then decades from now, they could be worth a lot of money to the right people. Decades from now, something like my PS2 could be worth a fortune to the right buyer, assuming I choose not donate it.

However, there is one reason why retro gaming is on the rise, and it’s one that concerns all gamers: preserving our history.

Games are Being Abandoned by Their Creators

A not-so-fun fact about the gaming industry: did you know that the majority of video games in the US are unpreserved? No, really! A 2023 study by the Video Game History Foundation and the Software Preservation Network learned that 87% of all games are preserved for future generations. That means that there are countless video games out there that are at risk of being lost forever. And what’s even worse is the fact that some of the companies that make them are actively hindering efforts to save them.

Nintendo is a big example of this. They’ve always been notoriously protective of their IPs, and if they find someone trying to emulate one of them, they will come down hard, seeing it as no better than piracy. They can also refuse to re-release some of their older games onto the newer consoles, forcing fans to pirate them in desperation. The irony is that many fans would gladly pay to play these games through legitimate means, yet Nintendo does nothing.

As bad as Nintendo is, though, there might another company that’s worse when it comes to preserving its library: Ubisoft.

Ubisoft used to be standing near the summit of gaming, but these days, people can’t help but look at it with disappointment. That disappointment, though, has turned into outright disgust recently. A few months ago, it was discovered that the company updated its end-user license agreement, or EULA. It says that if they choose to terminate service to one of their products, the customer is supposed to uninstall the game, delete it if it’s digital, and destroy any physical copies. They’re trying to force gamers to destroy the product that they bought, and no one is happy about it.

The simple truth of the matter is that retro gaming is vital to the gaming industry. For every title that gets ported or remastered onto the newest gen console, plenty are left behind. It’s why I refuse to give up any of my old consoles or games, and why many others are doing the same. When the companies themselves fail to preserve that which made our childhoods, it’s up to the fans to do it themselves. Thankfully, retro gaming is becoming more and more popular as gamers take matters into their own hands. One day, may all the games out there manage to find a safe place to rest! Until then, the work continues.