Game On: Retro video games are making a comeback – but why?

In July, the Video Game History Foundation, in partnership with the Software Preservation Network, publicized their study on the commercial availability of classic video games. They determined that 87% of retro games in the U.S. are “critically endangered” – essentially, there’s no easy, legal way to buy and play them on modern-day hardware.

If a gamer wants to play older titles, they essentially have two options: collect old hardware or emulate it on their current computer. Emulation isn’t perfect, often introducing extra bugs and visual artifacts and strictly speaking, – although people are very rarely prosecuted – emulating software you don’t own is illegal.

So while other forms of media are enjoying nostalgia kicks, video games are too – but with precious few titles actually available on current systems, collecting old games and systems has become increasingly lucrative.

The most straightforward way to acquire these relics is online using eBay, but I can tell you firsthand a person isn’t likely to find a good deal there – the sellers are almost exclusively collectors who know exactly what they have and what it’s worth. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace offer better prices but far less inventory.

This phenomenon gives rise to gatherings like Classic Game Fest, a convention in Austin, Texas, hosted annually since 2007. Its first year attracted just 50 people, but the event this year on July 22-23 attracted a record 13,000 attendees. Aside from dozens of booths selling older games, systems and peripherals and original hobbyist artwork, festivities included a cosplay contest, upwards of 30 arcade cabinets and tournaments for Tetris, Mortal Kombat and the like.

The event has numerous sponsors, but it’s ultimately hosted by Game Over Video Games, a small chain similar to Game World in Spokane and Spokane Valley. In recent years, these retro game stores have enjoyed far more success than GameStop, the nationwide chain struggling to stay afloat as all modern gaming systems now feature robust digital storefronts.

While the Nintendo Switch has a cartridge slot and the high-end PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have disc slots, it’s noteworthy that the lower-end PS5 and Xbox Series S lack disc slots. It’s not unlikely that the next generation of game consoles will be all-digital, for better and worse.

Only time will tell whether or not all-digital media will be good or bad for game preservation. On one hand, a digital license can’t get scratched or misplaced the same way a CD can. On the other, if a person takes the time to read user agreements, they’ll most often find they’re not paying for the game itself, but rather, a license to play the game.

That makes it much more legally feasible for a game publisher to simply revoke access one day, especially in the case of always-online games. And over the past decade, more and more video games are requiring players to have a stable internet connection to play, even single-player titles.

But these technicalities aren’t the only reason people are returning to play retro video games. There’s instances of rose-tinted glasses, of course, but many games made the most they could with the technology they had. Everyone’s favorite classic Mario and Sonic games were less than four megabytes in size. Many titles utilized clever techniques like pre-rendered graphics and rotoscoping to give off the appearance of realism.

Technical constraints aside, a decent story and good pacing are timeless qualities. I have yet to find a game with a more thought-provoking story than 2001’s Soul Reaver 2 or a more imaginative setting than 2000’s The Legend of Dragoon, and while I’m all too happy to replay Ms. Pac-Man over and over again, I can’t always bring myself to complete modern open-world titles even once. Bigger isn’t always better.

Famous director Orson Welles is credited for saying “the enemy of art is the absence of limitations,” and I’m inclined to agree. As technology improves by leaps and bounds, development studios’ biggest obstacles are their own imaginations as choice paralysis sets in. While there are countless exceptions, many retro games are fondly remembered for emphasizing straightforward fun above all other qualities – and rightfully so.