Snarboo

@Snarboo

they/he

I play video games!

Snarboo @Snarboo3/21/2024, 11:59 PM

When did the definition of "retrogaming" change exactly?

I'm one of those people that considers games and consoles that are 10 years or older "retro", but I've found this definition to be controversial when I bring this subject up. There's a variety of opinions on why 10 years is too new, but even games and systems that are 15+ years old don't pass the sniff test for the retro enthusiasts I know.

I wonder about this because I feel attitudes have shifted from where they were when I was growing up as a teen getting into retrogaming. If the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis were dated enough to be considered "retro" at the end of the 90s and into the early 2000s, I'm not sure why the 7th gen and before doesn't qualify.

With the DS, 360, PS3, and Wii being almost 20 years old now, I'm wondering if or when the definition of "retro" will change.

#video games #retro games #retrogaming #musings

You must log in to comment.

in reply to @Snarboo's post:

giwake @giwake3/22/2024, 12:01 AM

"its retro when you can see the pixels"

Brisken @Brisken3/22/2024, 12:04 AM

I personally consider something retro when it was new for the majority of my childhood. So everything from the PS3 down is retro to me.

Krake @Krake3/22/2024, 12:24 AM

It feels weird for ps3 era to be retro, but time passes you by. I can't deny ps3 is retro now because it's old.

When I was younger retro meant NES, now NES games practically belong in a museum. 😆

PolarBair @polarbair3/22/2024, 12:25 AM

Yeah, I don't know why people are so sensitive about it either. I guess it's because there are such diminishing returns on graphics in the last couple generations that stuff doesn't feel that old.

idk how people could argue the Wii isn't retro of all things

Kylie @KylieNeko3/22/2024, 3:21 AM

I wonder if it's a mix of factors. Like others say, there are games coming out today that don't feel very different from games that are now a decade old. Some games that are over ten years old are still being played en masse; or even receiving fresh content updates. There's "retro is the stuff from my childhood." There's "I don't want to acknowledge I'm old." Once upon a time, people made games to be "retro-style", and now they're old enough to be retro.

Just thinking out loud ideas.

Pinned Tags