Retro gaming has been an area of gaming seeing continual releases, whether through games released during the early days of gaming or definitive versions of early noughties classics. Now, with legendary publisher Capcom putting out a retro game arcade to celebrate their 40th anniversary, there are even more classic games for fans to tangle with, according to IGN. The joy of retro games comes in their nostalgia, but also the social networks that can be used to spread the joy of enjoying these classic titles together.

Social gaming

A big aspect of why retro gaming is so enjoyed is the social gaming aspect of it. Mobile and social media games have seen a huge source of interest as they combine accessible play with fun and a chance to talk to peers. Largely built up through the likes of classic arcade-style games that mimic Candy Crush (now 10 years old, according to GameRant) and Farmville, these also have started to register as true retro games due to the golden of mid-00s Facebook being a time away now.

Enjoyed in better quality

Many key titles of the noughties did suffer from poor graphics and game engines. Xfire picks out Deus Ex, Jedi Knight II, Tiberian Sun and PUBG among. With remastered editions coming thick and fast, these games, which often have excellent themes, storylines and gameplay mechanics, are suited to the modern generation who are used to the likes of the Unreal engine providing a base level of graphical quality.

Classic gameplay

New games are always looking for ways to iterate on older titles and improve gameplay methods. According to Wired, it’s often the case that older games had gameplay that was good enough. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Zelda and Mario already had mechanics that bridged the gap between difficulty and fun. Arguably, at a time of lesser technical capability, there was more time to hone in on the themes and feel of the game, without the pressure of huge studio crunch dates and the need to apply complicated engines to the product.

In a way, retro gaming is enjoyed for its simplicity. It harks back to a time when gaming was new, and focused on the characters in the title and the fun of gameplay. If modern titles can get back to that, they’ll have lightning in a bottle.