The Rise Of Retro Games
Those who were born around the same time that video games were and used to play the earliest arcade games are now in their 30's and 40's now have positions of influence, more disposable income and (possibly rose-tinted) fond memories of sticky floored, smoke-filled arcades where you could go and bask in the dim, yet warm glow of video screens.
Exactly what constitutes a vintage or retro machine or game is open for debate, but Retro-gaming tends to mean different things to different people, based on age and location. American retro usually means old arcade games, and old consoles like Atari and NES, or the younger gamers think that SNES is the most retro thing since 8-bit consoles.
European retro tends to mean Commodore 64, Sinclair Spectrums and similar home computers, with more emphasis on the programmers involved (some like Jeff Minter and Rob Hubbard getting cult status). Most of my friends had Spectrums, in fact most of the school did, it was the nerdy kids (me) that had C64's, the real geeks had Dragons. Although I'm sure all this took place in a world without the words 'geek' or 'nerd'.
Most modern games thrive on intense sound and mind-blowing graphics, but sometimes they lack what really counts, a fun factor and lasting appeal, which is why games from the 80s survive even today. Some of these original games can't have been so bad if they are still around and still being enjoyed, many now in updated versions, like Tetris or Super Mario.
Even with their blocky graphics, tinny sound and bizarre plots (if they had a plot at all); yet despite this rudimentary look and feel, these games have inspired an almost manic need to play them. The affection that a lot of people still have for these games shows that all the money and time spent on graphics and special effects count for nothing if the underlying game play isn't up to it.