We live in a fantastic day and age when it comes to video games. New games are being launched constantly and are packed with the most brilliant graphics and realistic innovations. Thanks to incredible advances in gaming technology such as facial recognition and gesture control, the possibilities in video games are endless.
And yet, more and more people seem to be falling in love all over again with the old-school games from the 1970s and 1980s. Many gamers prefer playing games from ‘’back in the day’’ and some are even willing to spend big money on getting their hands on rare editions of classic video games. In 2020, a sealed copy of a rare Super Mario Bros game version was sold in an auction for $114,000. It broke the world record for most expensive video game ever.
Are we yearning for nostalgia? Or are the old-school games just better than all the latest technical innovations? Perhaps it’s a combination of both – all the new and flashy features from modern-day games cannot replace the wistful nostalgia we feel when playing retro video games. Great games don’t need lots of tech features to be fun. These are the vintage games that bewitched people all over the world and that are increasing in popularity some 40+ years later:
Atari games
If you grew up in the 70s, you undoubtedly know about the Atari games. Founded in North America in 1972, Atari games are responsible for the first footsteps of video games. Atari 2600 is thé home video game console the whole gaming industry is built upon. They have published hundreds of popular and influential games over the years and some are still in high demand today.
Pong (1972)
Pong was one of the earliest video games and Atari’s first game. Although its game design was extremely simple, it astonished millions of people. They were finally able to play against each other through an electronic game. Originally, Pong was released as an arcade game. Once it was released as a home console in 1975, it increased in popularity massively as more people could access it whenever they wanted to.
In Pong, two players combat each other by each controlling a paddle to hit a ball to each other across a screen – playing the first version of virtual table tennis. A simple concept that laid the groundwork for a wide range of more games to come. Pong was remade several times following its release.
Here is the gameplay of the very first edition of Pong from 1972:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiShX2pTz9A
Casino (1978)
Casino is a compilation of card games, released in 1978. You can play blackjack, poker solitaire and five card stud poker. One year before, a 1977 Blackjack was released but it received some complaints. There was no possibility of splitting the cards for instance. This was rectified in the 1978 Casino by offering two variations of Blackjack, where you have a variation with the option to split and one that doesn’t include that option. You can play alone or up to 3 friends against the dealer with paddle controllers.
Of course, the 1978 Casino is still pretty basic with limited options but it does bring back great memories from yesteryear. If you’re curious to see how it was like to play casino games …….
Source: https://thegamehaus.com/gaming/retro-video-games-that-are-trending-again/2021/12/21/