Fashion and music are constantly looking back to the past. But would you be interested in retro video games? If so, you are part of a growing trend.

 

Vintage video games are making their way back into living rooms. There is already a large market for 1970s and 80s games consoles. Despite their limited graphics¹ and sounds, original machines by Atari, Nintendo and Sega command high prices. This year, a charity in the UK is hoping to cash-in on this with the re-release of the hugely popular 1980s home computer, the ZX Spectrum². The new version has 1,000 games pre-loaded - a big change to the old machine that loaded games from a cassette tape. That process took several minutes and would often go wrong.

 

In the United States, large numbers of gamers wanting a taste of 80s action are visiting beer and arcade³ game centres where they can drink and relive the games of their childhood. "Our most popular games are the classics like Ms Pac Man and Donkey Kong and also the multiplayer games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Simpsons, NBA Jam and X-Men," says Paul Kermizian, owner of one successful chain of arcades⁴.

 

Pinball goes even further back in time, but it's also enjoying a revival⁵. New technology means contemporary machines have more features, but the gameplay has not changed. Pinball machine maker⁶ Gary Stern says people like playing because it's physical - more like a sport than a video game. Because of this, it's becoming popular with people in their 20s as well as older players.

 

So, is it just nostalgia⁷, or are older games more fun? Either way, with a new generation of fans, it looks like retro gaming is here to stay.

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