Do you ever feel juvenile because of retro gaming?

Started by fcgamer, July 27, 2014, 05:03:54 am

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Shumi Nagaremono

This weekend was one of those times that really puts the retro vs current gaming issue in perspective. 

I maintain that I don't feel immature playing retro games.  Largely because when I go shopping in Akihabara or at whatever Book-Off or any other place, the other customers are generally my age or older. 

But this weekend, I picked up Smash Bros for the 3DS and (since I didn't do the midnight release) MOST of the people picking up the game were like 20 years younger than me.

It's a bit of consolation that literally NONE of those kids will know who many of the game's hidden characters are.  In a perfect world, they'd ask their parents who they are and the gap will be bridged a bit. 

Bob-Bob

Uh, 43 out of the 46 characters in the game either still consistently appear in newer games, are from newer games, or have had their games re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console or something on that order. Not sure where you're getting the sense that kids wouldn't know who they are.

Shumi Nagaremono

Quote from: Bob-Bob on September 14, 2014, 08:32:28 am
Uh, 43 out of the 46 characters in the game either still consistently appear in newer games, are from newer games, or have had their games re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console or something on that order. Not sure where you're getting the sense that kids wouldn't know who they are.


Most, yeah.  But most kids aren't going to know about Mr. Game and Watch, Duck Hunt, or the Robot. 

"Many" was  the wrong  word to use.

tappybot

But I don't think most of the young kids are following games like Metroid, Punchout, or even Zelda.  They may vaguely be aware of them, but no way they're intimate with the characters like the older generation is.

Shumi Nagaremono

Quote from: tappybot on September 15, 2014, 01:35:28 pm
But I don't think most of the young kids are following games like Metroid, Punchout, or even Zelda.  They may vaguely be aware of them, but no way they're intimate with the characters like the older generation is.


I  think most kids who play games know Zelda.  Not sure about Metroid, tbh.  I think it'd be safe to say that Punch-Out is probably a bit of a deep-cut among elementary school kids in Japan.

tappybot

Did you see the recent 'teens react to NES' video?

Apparently some of them were oblivious to Zelda.  They may have just been hamming it up, though.

UglyJoe

Those "kids/teens/seniors react" videos are disingenuous at best.

NintendoKing

I agree, they are definitely acting because you can see retro NES games on emulation everywhere and even on Wii/Wii U. There is no possible way for those kids not to know about NES especially with YouTube reviewers constantly showing the NES and how to use one...

That's like the kids reacting to the old computer, they somehow didn't know that you need to turn on the monitor and tower yet computers still need to be turned on exactly the same way...

maxellnormalbias

Sorry for the bump, but I think I should revive this topic:

I don't feel juvenile because of retro gaming, mainly because I am pretty juvenile in the first place.

I'm almost 12, and I actually discovered the NES (and later the Famicom and whatnot) because of the Virtual Console. I saw games like Super Mario Bros. 1, Zelda, and Metroid, and eventually I just became hooked on that sort of thing.

And now I'm some sort of famicom geek or something. But anyways, it's cool that adults are playing these games too, although I really have no idea what nostalgia for these games is like because I have none.

I just wanted to say this because when I first saw all these things I was surprised how many adults there are interested in video games.

fcgamer

A few weeks back I did a lesson at my job on the history of Nintendo, and all of the adult students dismissed it as kids stuff, basically.  A few had mentioned that they would play wii, if they had the time.   But since they don't have time for stuff like that, they don't game.  The only gamer there (he had mentioned to me previously about playing online computer games) had kept mum the whole time, when I asked if anyone played games.  He was embarrassed to share this with the rest of the class, and he would always say "Oh when I was a kid, I blah blah blah"  He never mentioned the PC gaming or anything in the present.  On another note, although this guy claimed to not really play games at all, when I had asked the class if they knew what Mario's occupation was, there was silence...then the guy that sometimes games quietly spoke up, "Er, aren't they plumbers?"  Hahaha, he wanted to feign ignorance initially!

To go along with that theme, the other day I was sitting in 7-11 and playing Game Boy, just killing time before going to my evening job, and I saw one of my adult students there.  The woman came up to me, with her little boy (about two or three years old), and the woman saw I was playing Game Boy and was surprised, asking why I like to still play that kids stuff.  I felt pretty childish that day.
Family Bits - Check Progress Below!

https://famicomfamilybits.wordpress.com

maxellnormalbias

Weird, considering how much those same people probably play games like Candy Crush on their cell phone.
It would be especially weird if you were playing Tetris, because that's a popular phone game.

But yeah, one time I was playing a (duh duh DUH) Game Gear while waiting in a dentist's office and one person said (despite me being 10 at the time) being "too old" for video games and that she didn't know "big kids" played them too. By the way, I was playing Mortal Kombat, so....

Yeah for some reason people want to sound ultra-serious all the time or something.

Highwind

I've never felt very juvenile about collecting games at all.
I have always managed to balance my everyday-life between game-collecting and "adult behavior" kinda stuff. :P

I've heard a few times that I'm a nerd and shit, but I just reply with something like "Yeah, so what? I'm still more bad-ass than you'll ever be." :D

Famicom <3 x)
I have been eating PANCAKE!  :o

fcgamer

Quote from: maxellnormalbias on October 12, 2014, 12:02:16 pm
Weird, considering how much those same people probably play games like Candy Crush on their cell phone.
It would be especially weird if you were playing Tetris, because that's a popular phone game.

But yeah, one time I was playing a (duh duh DUH) Game Gear while waiting in a dentist's office and one person said (despite me being 10 at the time) being "too old" for video games and that she didn't know "big kids" played them too. By the way, I was playing Mortal Kombat, so....

Yeah for some reason people want to sound ultra-serious all the time or something.


Well I was playing a crappy unlicensed Lord of the Rings game on the Game Boy that day, not Tetris.

The thing that surprised me though, is exactly what you mentioned above.  These people are all playing phone games - I see grandmas playing fun games on the train, as well as all of the middle aged folks.  I personally find those games to be less engaging, but no one would say a thing if I were playing on the phone, but suddenly bring a Game Boy into the picture and it is seen as childish or juvenile.  I just don't understand the difference, aside from the fact that the GB games are good and the phone games suck   ;D
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maxellnormalbias

Oh. Yeah, I find phone games way less engaging, especially if they're those money-stealing games that try to rob *cough* *cough* sorry, "monetize" you.

Although I find that since my NES broke I've really been gaming less and less, not even on portable consoles. (I don't have a Game Boy just a Game Gear, maybe that's why)

Anyways whenever I travel to America, nobody "plays NES". They "used to play" it. Before my NES broke (which, incidentally, happened roughly the same time I moved away from my friends) lots of people played Virtual Console, my best friend owned a Retron, and some other kids had a NES frontloader. Keep in mind these were ALL kids.

But, yeah. Weird stealthy idea: use a GB emulator on a phone!