RETROGAMING
In the modern age, most people play games on contemporary consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (2005) or Sony’s PlayStation 3 (2006). Portable smart phones, tablet computers, and mobile music players, such as Apple’s iPod or Microsoft’s Zune, have also emerged as viable gaming platforms. New games are constantly being added to the platform libraries and are sold in multiple retail outlets, thus making them readily available. Retrogaming, also commonly referred to as old-school gaming, pertains to the use of retired hardware that is no longer being produced and no longer receives software support from the original manufacturer for gaming. Retro games encompass games initially played on vintage home gaming consoles, personal computers, or even coin-operated arcade games. Fortunately, the fun did not end when the original hardware and software manufacturers closed shop or moved on. While many old consoles and games have been relegated to a box in the basement or attic, a great deal are still actively being used and the trend seems to be growing. In fact, using the original hardware is no longer even necessary in some cases, as time and technology have created other means of resurrecting games long since forgotten.
Modern consoles can play retro games from physical media such as a CD-ROM, through officially published video game compilations. Namco, Midway, Taito, Data East, SNK, SEGA, and others have ported classic arcade and console games for use on today’s dominant hardware. Examples are Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits (2001), Taito Legends (2005), Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009), Data East Arcade Classics (2010), and the popular Namco Museum series (1995–2010) that has been ported to over a dozen platforms. Modern consoles, such as the Nintendo Wii, allow old-school games to be enjoyed via its Wii Shop Channel, and classics such as Donkey Kong (1981) and Super Mario Bros. (1985) can be played via their Virtual Console service. In fact, games from several competing platforms of the past are present, such as the Commodore 64 (1982), the SEGA Master System (1985), SEGA Genesis (1988), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990), and SNK’s Neo•Geo (1990) to name a few. Microsoft offers a similar service and access to dozens of classic games through its Xbox Live service, as does Sony with its PSN Network.
Plug & Play TV Games, such as those made by Jakks Pacific, offer simple solutions to play multiple classic games on a modern television. By simply popping a few batteries into a single controller and plugging the device into a standard television’s audio and video jacks, one can be playing games from the past in minutes. AtGames and other companies including Atari themselves have released newly designed hardware that houses dozens of games such as the Atari Flashback consoles (2004, 2005, 2011) that feature actual games from the 1970s and 1980s running on a system released in the twenty-first century. Tommo Inc., in partnership with SNK Playmore, released the Neo•Geo X Gold Entertainment System (2012) which houses 20 classic Neo•Geo arcade titles within a replica SNK console. The unique design also separates in parts to form a handheld portable device.
Similar to the Plug & Play units, there are also non-dedicated retro systems that play actual cartridge games from their original era. For example, Hyperkin has released several modern systems that play vintage cartridges such as the FC Mobile II (2009) that plays NES games, and its popular Retron 3 system (2011) that will play most games originally designed for play on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the SEGA Genesis, all with a single unit. Other competitors include the FC Twin (2006) and Retro Duo (2008) by Retro-Bit, and Tomee’s NES & Genesis Dual Action 2-in-1 Retro Video Game System (2010).
Another means of playing retro games is through software emulation. An alternate device, through the use of software, can allow another completely different and unrelated platform to operate its gaming software. There are dozens of emulators for most vintage gaming hardware available for the personal computer and other devices. For example, the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (1997), also known as MAME (http://mamedev.org/), is a popular arcade coin-op emulator that first was designed for the computer, but has now been ported to countless other platforms from modern game consoles to cell phones and mind-bogglingly, even to the Kodak DC-260 digital camera.
Many retro gamers like to simulate the actual controls set-up when playing classic games through emulation. Several companies, such as HanaHo and SlikStik, make custom controls for use with MAME that are designed with genuine Happs arcade joystick and buttons that look and feel like an actual coin-op control panel. Various models are available, some including custom controls such as a trackball and/or spinner. X-Arcade even manufactures and sells full-size arcade cabinets for home use.
There are also controller solutions for those emulating classic console games in their home on their personal computer. While vintage game system software can be emulated quite well, playing a classic NES game with a computer keyboard or standard computer controller is not the same as playing with a genuine NES controller. Fortunately, companies such as RetroLink offer replica joysticks with USB ports to make the simulation more authentic. Likewise, RetroZone makes adapters that allow an actual controller to interface with a computer via a USB connection.
Other new games are created in the fashion of older titles to simulate a retro feel. These are sometimes referred to as retro remakes or be labeled as modern retro. By restricting screen resolution, color palette, audio capabilities, and other parameters, it is possible to create a game that looks substantially similar to a game developed on older less powerful hardware.
Some pioneering game companies such as Capcom have made modern-day sequels to retro franchises, for example, the Mega Man franchise. While the majority of the original Mega Man titles were released for vintage Nintendo brand hardware, Mega Man 9 (Into Creates and Capcom, 2008) and Mega Man 10 (Initi Creates and Capcom, 2010) were both released digitally for the modern Nintendo Wii platform, and even its rivals, the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Despite being programmed specifically for high-end equipment, both versions resemble the classic games released for Nintendo’s premiere gaming console, the NES.
R-Type Dimensions was released for the Xbox 360 in 2009, and was a compilation of the classic coin-operated shoot-’em-up games R-Type (Irem, 1987) and R-Type II (Irem, 1989). The game is unique and appeals to retro gamers because the graphic style can be switched with a single button press, alternating between the original classic graphics and a modern rendition of the games.
Galaga Legions (Namco Bandai Games, 2008), Pac-Man: Championship Edition (Namco Bandai Games, 2007), and the contemporary Space Invader titles are more modern in their appearance than their predecessors. However, by keeping the same gameplay style and continuing the use of a rather rudimentary controls system by today’s standards, they all mimic the adored game titles from three decades ago.
Many new retro games do choose to use more horsepower than their predecessors but keep the feel of classic gaming intact by implementing an art style that mimics or gives a nod to the classics. Atlus’s 3D Dot Game Heroes (2009) and Mojang’s Minecraft (2011) titles are definitely more sophisticated than games released decades before, due to their three-dimensional rendering, which was not possible at the time. However, the landscapes and characters within both games are designed with cubes that are a throwback to the early days in the industry when pixels were blocky. Some game franchises are resurrected from a retro game in the past and given a fresh paint job, so to speak. These games are known as “reboots.” They differ from remakes as they play and appear completely different from their predecessor, whereas a remake keeps the initial game mostly intact.
While not retro games by definition, there are new games being created by video game fans and hobbyists made specifically for classic gaming consoles. As a result, homebrew games are often associated with retrogaming. Homebrew titles are new games created for classic game consoles (such as the original Atari consoles) that traditional software publishers have abandoned. The homebrew scene first came to light in 1993 when engineer Harry Dodgson created his own development kit for the Atari 7800 and later modified it for use with the Atari Video Computer System (VCS). Fast forward almost 20 years, and now hundreds of homebrew titles exist. The list of new retro releases continues to grow and can be obtained by contacting the original programmers or through small homebrew distributors such as Atari Age (http://AtariAge.com) and Good Deal Games’ Homebrew Heaven (www.GoodDealGames.com).
To date, most homebrew releases are original in nature, or ports of games from another retro platform. However, some retro programmers are making what is referred to as “demakes.” Demakes usually take a more modern title and port the game to an older platform. For example, the popular Halo series premiered on the original Xbox in 2001 and continues today on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. However, in 2010, Ed Fries, Microsoft’s former vice president of publishing, released a version of Halo for a console more than 30 years old—the Atari VCS also known as the Atari 2600 console. Halo 2600 was released at the Classic Gaming Expo (CGE) 2010, an event that usually occurs in Las Vegas semi-annually. CGE features many vendors selling classic games and gaming paraphernalia and collectables. Events such as classic gaming trivia, world record high-score attempts, and other contests help celebrate the rich history of video games. Musical concerts feature bands playing music from vintage video games or chip-tune music, which is electronic music created with sound chips from retro video game consoles or arcade machines. One draw of the CGE is the opportunity to meet and collect autographs from the founding fathers of classic gaming. Guest speakers such as gaming pioneers Ralph Baer (the father of home video games), Nolan Bushnell (the founder of Atari), Al Alcorn (the creator of PONG (Atari, 1972)), David Crane (the programmer of Pitfall! (Activision, 1982) and co-founder of Activision, the first third-party publisher), Don Bluth (animator of Dragon’s Lair (Cinematronics, 1983)), and other retrogaming celebrities have all made appearances at CGE.
There are other classic gaming events around the world as well. Domestically they include: Too Many Games, Oklahoma Gaming Exhibit, The Midwest Classic, Classic & Computer Gaming Show, Columbus Ohio Retro Gamers Society, The Video Game Summit Game Expo, Mid-Atlantic Game Festival, Southern California Classic Collectors SC3, and more. On the international classic gaming scene, they include the Replay Expo in Manchester, England; AdamCon in Quebec City, Canada, and the Vancouver Gaming Expo in New Westminster, British Columbia.
The resurrection of old platforms and the many classic gaming trade shows proves that, over time, retrogaming has become part of popular culture. Popular television shows such as Seinfeld (1989–1998) and Family Guy (1999–2002, 2005–present) make references to games such as Pac-Man (Namco, 1980) and Frogger (SEGA/Gremlin, 1981), games that are now more than three decades old. Disney themselves released a movie entitled Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore, 2012), which takes place in a vintage arcade named Litwak’s Family Fun Center and Arcade. The film tells the story of a game villain who gets tired of playing the bad guy in the coin-op game Fix-It Felix Jr. for 30 years, and features cameos by classic video game characters such as Q*bert (Gottlieb, 1982) and Zangief of Street Fighter II (Capcom, 1991).
Similar to how movie stars, rock bands, and athletes create a fan base, many classic gamers pursue games created by a particular game designer such as Eugene Jarvis, Shigeru Miyamoto, Yu Suzuki, or Tim Schafer, to name a few. For instance, a retro gamer who enjoys the early 1980s games Missile Command (Atari, 1980) and Tempest (Atari, 1981) in the arcades may pursue other titles designed by their creator, Dave Theurer.
Video game development or game publishing companies may also encourage a following if they become known for quality software. Companies such as SEGA, Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, and Namco all have brand recognition that appeals positively to the retrogaming community. Controlling a popular intellectual property spurs sequels that encourage a player to continue playing a game in a series such as Prince of Persia, which has spawned over a dozen titles since 1989. Furthermore, the video game launched a full-length theatrical film (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, directed by Mike Newell in 2010), an action figure toy line by McFarlane Toys (2010), and other licensed products.
Historical groups have emerged to archive, preserve, and display all aspects of retro games. Videotopia is a travelling exhibition that displays portions of its 15,000 video game memorabilia pieces in numerous science museums such as Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. The International Center for the History of Electronic Games, part of Rochester’s Strong Museum of Play, houses and displays well over 37,000 video game related artifacts. The University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive (www.lib.umich.edu/computer-video-game-archive) has approximately 3,000 games and since it is a library, it allows the games to be checked out and played among a series of gaming stations within its walls. Digital Press, a popular website with classic gamers (www.digitpress.com/), is currently in the process of expanding its Classic Gaming Expo Museum into a full-fledged Video Game History Museum.
With retrogaming going mainstream, long-running black-and-white photocopied fanzines such as the one that Digital Press has been circulating for over 25 years, have encouraged new full-color magazines such as Video Game Trader to appear. In the United Kingdom, the more established RetroGamer Magazine, which recently celebrated its 100th issue (March 2012), continues to grow its subscription base. Furthermore, classic gaming content has expanded past the traditional print medium of its day and now appears heavily on the Internet. From countless websites to video streaming resources such as YouTube and even social media outlets such as Facebook, retrogaming is everywhere.
Many individuals who play retro games also collect them. The act of retrogaming begs the question, “Why is there interest in such old technology?” Of course, there are many reasons for playing and collecting classic video games. But first and foremost, it is simply a pastime. This is how most enter the hobby. There are, however, many factors as to why individuals continue with the endeavor.
The simplest explanation, which is often overlooked, is simply because one can. Retro video game hardware and software was very durable. Solid state electronics usually have no moving parts so they are more resistant to damage. A classic but sturdy Intellivision will survive longer than a modern console’s moveable parts, such as CD-ROM drives, motorized doors, and liquid coolant. Cartridge games from the early 1980s will certainly outlive their modern day CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and Blu-ray counterparts, which can be easily scratched.
Many collectors play classic games for their simple mechanics. Gameplay is easy to learn, since many retro games require only basic joystick maneuvering and a button or two to press. Many modern gamers who have grown up with video games now use classic games to introduce their offspring to the hobby, often with the very same games that they themselves played at their age.
Flexibility of challenge offers much encouragement to players. Adjustable skill levels and hundreds of game playing options (for example, Combat (Atari, 1977)), allow the user to customize his or her playing experience. Virtually anyone of any age can participate in the hobby of retrogaming. Many players and collectors enjoy classic games for the technical merit. Due to technological restraints of the time, early game designers could not depend on tools such as full-motion video, expanded color palettes, transparency, rotation, zooming effects, complex lighting, physics engines, or even threedimensional graphics to distract the player. As a result, classic games concentrate on solid gameplay.
An advantage to collecting games is the necessity of few resources, particularly the minimal expenditure needed to start the hobby. While it’s true that obtaining some rare games can require some hefty trading or cash resources, overall there is great fun to be found rather inexpensively. Many classic games are now available for fractions of their original consumer retail price. Atari, Intellivision, and many other games are easily found for a mere dollar each. The games that have risen in value over the years are usually the titles that originally were not in demand. Their lack of popularity and inferior sales resulted in low production runs. This means, in most cases, that the games that are most enjoyable to play are the least expensive to purchase. Collecting console games allows for various levels of interaction. Baseball cards show an image of the player and a few statistics to read and learn about and comic books tell a story and the artwork within may be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but few hobbies allow for such interaction as do video games. A single video game can be played for hours, and role-playing games for months, with little or no duplication of events. Even classic games, with few boards and levels, are never the same game twice. The challenge of collecting is also alluring. Trying to locate all the Atari 2600 cartridge variations is a quest that could last a lifetime, while a Magnavox Odyssey collection could be obtained in a single summer. Oh, the thrill of the hunt! Of course, since we are dealing with “classic” games, there is the admirable factor of antiquity. Aside from being collectables in themselves, there is a lot to be said for nostalgia. For many of us, retrogaming is a part of our past. With the entertainment form covering decades, many of us simply remember fond times with our family and friends in the safety of our living rooms. We know that beside each of those identical boxes, with its wires running into the back of our television set glowing blue in the sinking twilight, that there were people with stories.