Anil Wilkes 
Retro games are currently experiencing something of a revival, drawing in new gamers while keeping the same charm that made them popular initially.
Retro games continue to delight gamers of all ages, whether competing against friends for high scores or enjoying them on nostalgia-inducing consoles. But why?
Pixel art
Pixel art is a digital representation of objects and characters in video games composed of pixels (picture elements). Its simple visuals make it easier for players to identify different game elements, leading to smoother gameplay experience.
Pixel-based digital artwork isn’t essential to all games, but it is an appealing aesthetic choice that evokes classic video game design. For example, Celeste (2018) employs 8-bit visuals in its branching narrative that nods back to both NES and SNES classics.
Pixel art has also gained popularity among artists who use it outside of gaming context. Some artists utilize pixels as their main artistic technique while others explore and go beyond technical limitations of pixelated imagery. Richard Schmidbauer of freelance games artist Richard Schmidbauer has developed a distinctive style which embraces early home computers such as ZX Spectrum while taking full advantage of their limited color palette to produce striking landscapes such as this evocative Jungle Temple scene.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is an emotive experience at the core of modern culture. From throwback playlists and retro games to fashion relics from decades past, nostalgia seems everywhere you turn today. What exactly drives its appeal?
Nostalgia evokes memories of happy times, while also sparking optimism – two characteristics which set it apart from negative emotions such as melancholy which involve longing for past times and lack of hope.
Retro gaming’s recent resurgence can be attributed to digital platforms that make rediscovering classic titles easier, as well as modern video game developers incorporating classic graphics into new titles – giving players the best of both worlds: nostalgic charm of old school with convenience and thrills of new tech!
Convenience
Retro video games provide the ideal distraction for busy students between classes or study sessions, since they require little time investment to pick up. Without an endpoint such as levels or scores to beat, retro games provide endless amounts of playback; perfect for time killing in between sessions!
Retro games stand apart from modern video games by using classic graphics as part of their aesthetic. Pixel art’s appeal to gamers extends even to casino online games.
Retro gaming’s revival demonstrates how nostalgic nostalgia can bring people together across generations and bring life back into a period in gaming history that many players hold dear. Through remastered classics, retro-inspired new releases, emulation, and social media campaigns reviving this period in gaming history has brought excitement back into it all for players of all generations.
Value
Though it might be tempting to attribute this renaissance solely to new casino titles, older arcade titles also played an integral part. They fueled gaming’s golden age.
This period lasted roughly from 1979, when color arcade video games first made their debut in bowling alleys and bars, to 1982 when home console gaming became viable with the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Companies like Taito, Namco (known for Galaxian, Pac-Man and Pole Position productions), Atari, Sega Cinematronics Konami Bally Midway Manufacturing Company Centuri and Williams saw financial benefits during this era.
Jobst explains that the high prices being achieved for some older video games isn’t due to demand or an actual surge in classic gaming interest; rather, according to Jobst, top-tier retro game prices could partly be attributable to an unethical WATA-fuelled speculator bubble; since WATA assigns extremely high values for retro games that attract buyers looking for quick profits by buying up copies of those most valuable ones before selling them at higher prices themselves.
About Author
