Some gamers look sincerely surprised when they find out that their friends still download and play retro games. Still, the availability of high-end VR and AR games doesn’t diminish the importance of classic video games released for vintage consoles of yesteryears.
Today, you have a great chance to play a wide variety of old-school titles even without owning a physical console. To enjoy, say, your favorite SNES retro classics, all you need to do is to install a dedicated emulator into your PC or smartphone.
After that, you can download any SNES ROM, a game intended for emulators, and play it on the device of your choice. No need to splurge on used consoles and video cartridges that now may cost a fortune. Installing the necessary emulation tool and the best ROM games can be a matter of a few hours if you know where to look.
But why are people still so obsessed with retro games? Why does the world of old-school titles lure modern generations of gamers? And why should you care, after all? Let’s check out some reasons why retro gaming can be a win-win option for you.
# 1 Realism doesn’t matter
Have you noticed how obsessed modern gamers are with realism? Realistic characters that talk, move, and interact with their environment just like real humans have become a must-have feature of all quality modern titles.
Everybody looks for the realistic display and representation of things, objects, emotions, and whatnot in a computer-simulated world. But this is definitely not the case with retro titles. The worlds of vintage titles are inhabited by fun pocket monsters, bubble-blowing baby dragons, and anthropomorphic hedgehogs.
Nobody was fixed on realism back in the day. It was a flight of fantasy that was valued and the sense of freedom and unrestrained fun that classic games granted. Today, you can re-experience the whole specter of these nostalgic emotions again. So, if you want to get a more relaxing and fun gaming experience, you cannot go wrong with retro games!
# 2 Risk-Taking and Experimentation
Classic games were full of unexpected plot twists, secret levels, hidden bonuses, and other cool stuff. Modern games are much more predictable, strictly structured, and almost devoid of the spontaneity element. It’s a rare retro gamer that would disagree with this statement.
Retro games, on the contrary, give players a great possibility to exercise their wit, test their luck, explore every nook and cranny of their favorite titles, and experiment as they go. It seems like game developers themselves was bolder and eager to take risks. Suffice it to remember Mortal Kombat, where they dared to introduce shock value much to the chagrin of concerned parents.
The titles of bygone years will bring back long-forgotten emotions and make you feel like fully in charge of your gameplay.
# 3 Physical Media are Alive
Take a look through a collection of any self-respecting retro gamer, and you’ll likely come across a cornucopia of gloriously gaudy artwork, fascinatingly detailed instruction manuals, and multi-colored cartridges.
This was the world of retro gaming packaging, a truly awesome and artistic aspect of the medium that speaks largely of its intrinsic nature as a valuable work of art. Yep, the art of physical media was definitely not lost on gaming developers back then.
#4 No need for Internet
Nowadays, with the always online consoles and tons of games that require an Internet connection, gamers find themselves extremely dependent on the Internet. But if you opt for old-school games that can be run with emulators, your rewarding gaming experience won’t be that heavily reliant on the stability of your Internet connection.
Your emulator would still work if your Internet is down. All games that come in the form of ROM files require no Internet connection whatsoever. Just download a preferred game once and you’re all set to play it whenever you want.
#5 Pure Gaming Satisfaction
In the pre-Internet age, there was a certain special satisfaction involved in making it all the way through a particularly difficult game to catch an equally satisfying end sequence.
While it still exists today, there was no YouTube or means of seeing the ending prior to achieving it yourself. This made gamers more ardently try to complete their gaming quests and rub their hands together in anticipation of coveted victory.
And there are more, much more benefits to retro gaming. Make sure to discover all of them by starting to play the games that have long become iconic.
