In the age of high-tech like virtual reality, 4K resolution and motion detection, gamers still like to play gaming hits from past times. Those who were in the world in the 80s and 90s were up close and personal when home computers and consoles moved into people's living rooms and made Mario, Sonic and Co. part of their leisure time. Whether you preferred to collect and train small creatures on your Gameboy, win races with a blue hedgehog on Sega, or rescue the princess with a bearded plumber on Nintendo, everyone became part of the video game era back then. Even after 20 years in the new millennium, gamers still yearn for the cheerful sounds and pixelated game characters from back then.
The retro console is back
Just because technology is getting better all the time doesn't mean that the original games from back in the day aren't any good. In fact, game developers back then achieved remarkable feats with very limited resources – just around 4MB per game and immense graphical limitations – and created gaming legends. These live on today in new form, as the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition mini versions of the former gaming consoles came out in 2016 and 2017, respectively. They were sold out within a very short time, such was the demand. What was particularly exciting about the small retro consoles was that they came with a selection of games pre-installed that you could play right away. Players are used to having access to a wide range of games from online gaming platforms these days. For example, the German online casino now offers a wide range of casino games from slots to roulette and blackjack online. You can also find games here that have been inspired by former classics, such as the Street Fighter II Slot, which brings the former arcade game to life on the reels. Similarly, the videogame platform Steam offers an immense repertoire of games that players can easily buy and download. You can find an entire category of retro games here.
Nostalgia on all channels
A particularly large factor that fuels the retro trend is undoubtedly the incredible nostalgia that comes with playing the old classics. They whisk us back to the 80s and 90s in no time and let us reminisce in old memories from back then. The former heroes can be experienced again today on all platforms. Super Mario Run brings the plumber with high resolution to the mobile device, Sonic now even rolls with high speed on the cinema screen through the area and with Pokémon Go the small animals from back then have even arrived in today's world and can be found virtually in the middle of streets and parks. Game developers are aware that gamers today are looking for nostalgia and enjoy reminiscing in old game memories. Recycling content and releasing it again is not a new concept, because already some Hollywood remakes came to the big screen and attracted numerous visitors to the cinemas to experience old movies anew. The same happens on the game console. The industry relies on nostalgia to generate new revenue from old content. And the concept works. Who would forego the opportunity to play former beloved games again?
The technologies of today are developing at a rapid pace and never take long to come up with new brilliant developments. At times when new player experiences such as virtual and augmented reality are on the rise, players still turn to retro hits that transport them back to the past. Even today, in 2020, it can be said with certainty that retro is once again fully in trend and this will certainly remain so.
