Requiem for the Atari Generation....

[lord_mike]

I was reading an article that was posted in Digg.com titled, The 10 Most Irritatingly Impossible Old-School Video Games, and found the article rather shocking...

 

Not one Atari 2600 game listed...

 

This is not an isolated phenomenon. Time and time again, classic gaming articles fail to mention or acknowledge the granddaddy of all video gaming, our good friend Stella. The same year that we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Atari 2600 seems to be the same year that everyone has forgotten the Atari 2600... and everything else that came from that time in history... OUR time in history...

 

In short, we, the Atari Generation are becoming increasingly irrelevant outside of our own community...

 

For years, whenever people talked about "Old School" video games, they meant the Atari... or Space Invaders, or Pong... now they mean the NES or rarely the Commodore 64... Even as recently as last year, the store shelves were filled with Mattel and Coleco handheld game recreations, Flashback II's, Jakks Pacific paddle games... no more... The shelves are empty now, save a few plug 'n play TV games based on the NES chip.... But all the great classic game options are history.... No more Mattel Classic Football... No more Flashback II's... No more Coleco Head To Head football....

 

Whether we like it or not, the torch has been passed... The NES generation is taking over, and our influence is disappearing... The last 5 years or so were great... a resurgence of retro-enthusiasm., where the late 70's and early 80's were king! But, now, we've gotten too old.... most of us are over the age of 35, and invisible to the world of business marketing... Those that were born in the 80's are now the coveted market.... We are just old geezers...

 

From now on, when someone mentions classic gaming, they won't be talking about Combat, but of Super Mario. It's sad, really... I really enjoyed the cool "Old School" stuff that had come out the past 5 years or so... It was really fun reliving my childhood... But, I guess it's time to grow up and let the next generation relive theirs...

 

Regardless, I'll still continue reliving mine! I hope that in a few years, our era will once again experience a renaissance... but, until then, I will fight the passing of the Atari Generation... The greatest video game generation that ever lived!

 

Never forget! And remember to spread the word! Don't let the rest of the world forget us, either! Atari matters!! The 80's matter!! Long live Atari! Have you played your Atari today?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

Edited December 4, 2007 by lord_mike

[ApolloBoy]

Well, at least we can take solace in knowing that demand has gone down considerably for 2600 stuff, which obviously means lower prices...

[+Random Terrain]

Remember when classic rock didn't mean music from the 1980s or 1990s?

[BassGuitari]

From now on, when someone mentions classic gaming, they won't be talking about Combat, but of Super Mario.

 

Can't it be both? Why should it only be one or the other (figuratively speaking)?

 

Classic gaming will always be epitomised by Atari, for me personally. I am of the NES generation, but I think the term "classic gaming" at this point should encompass everything from Odyssey up to at least Super NES...N64, Playstation, Dreamcast, et al are still too new, in my opinion. But what does it matter anyway? It's just a label, and is only relevant in the gaming media, which is a joke anyway. It doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks about the term "classic gaming." Just play the games you like. If you have fun with them, it doesn't matter how old or new they are. And it's certainly not worth getting depressed about!

 

And eventually, when someone mentions classic gaming, they won't be talking about Super Mario, but Crash Bandicoot or Jak and Daxter. Time marches on, and the world keeps on turning.

 

In the meantime, enjoy the falling prices of pre-NES systems and software!

[Atari-Jess]

at least Super NES

 

I'd never include the SNES as "classic" video gaming. "silver age" If you must

Anything from the 90s on is by no means "classic"

 

And this comes from someone who's first system was an NES.

 

I frankly have enjoyed the revival of the Atari. It allowed me collect a lot of interesting items, meet a lot of interesting people, and play a lot of really good games.

 

The problem with the "NES revival" is that Nintendo is still very alive and well and will command premium prices on everything.

 

The Nintendo generation fears the Playstation generation perhaps more than the Atari generation would ever have to about Super Mario.

 

The reality is that the preteens and teens of today are growing up on systems that use 2D as a novelty. Are they going to want to play anything with sprites in 10 years?

[+DamonicFury]

To be fair, games on the NES were a lot more "irritatingly impossible" then 2600 games. Sure the 2600 has a few, like those cursed Swordquest games, but they tend to be so bad that very few people would want to beat them. I had a real problem with the NES back in the day... you had to have insanely good reflexes AND play the games a million times in order to do well at it. I was happy to stick to the 2600 and Atari computers during that period! SNES and Sega games had the same problem. It was a massive relief for me when the PlayStation came along and games other than insanely hard platformers became popular again.

[Mirage]

Sure, the rash of golden age retro products in the stores may have passed, but I don't think that means anything. What, are you going to let the marketing people at the big companies tell you what is popular and what isn't? Why do you think everyone is going to stop caring, or enjoying things that have inherent fun to them? I kinda see what you're saying, but I think this is being a bit apocalyptical. I can remember several times over the past 10 years that I've had similar thoughts (no one cares about Atari anymore...) and every time, I've been wrong. And, the large corporations are usually out-of-touch, so don't watch what they're doing to know what people are interested in. Sure, the extra exposure to the public-at-large was nice, but I certainly don't think the Atari generation is dead.

 

And, I also haven't seen a decline in prices on Atari stuff. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I haven't seen it. And if it does happen... so what... cheaper stuff for those of us who do care.

[Cassidy Nolen]

Its a throw-away society now and they do the same thing to gaming. My students think the first system ever was the NES. They can't make sense of the primitive games and therefore dismiss them. So does mainstream gaming. Its annoying that classic gaming is a catch-all phrase but I think we all know better.

 

The more obscure the 2600 gets again, the better for prices. That way the Antiques Roadshow Quadrun episode doesn't pollute all sellers into thinking they have a goldmine when they find a dusty box of games. Imagine how the Vectrex folks feel, they are really left out.

 

For me, classic gaming will ALWAYS be Frogger on Christmas morning, Kaboom! and Jungle Hunt with friends and an arcade with blacklights and little else on to light the rows of games.

 

C

[jboypacman]

"Old-School" is Nintendo while Atari is "Classic" thats how i look at it.

[Sayton]

First off, you should take "Top Ten" lists with a grain of salt. C'mon, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out? How many games has this person played? I beat that game as a child so it's NOT that hard. I knew other children (when I was a child) who beat some of the other games, so whatever.

 

Second, I see where you're coming from, however...how do you think the PRE-Atari 2600 feel? Sure, the 2600 is classic, but there are systems older than the VCS and THOSE are "classic", yet they get ignored more than the VCS.

 

You also need to look at the generation we're in now. With each generation there will be a new set of "classics"...alot of teens look at Final Fantasy 7 that way. Why? It's not classic or old to me whatsoever, however, you have to look at it from THEIR point of view sorta speak. While something is classic to you, it may not be so with someone else who has never played it.

 

Just enjoy what YOU enjoy and don't worry about what someone else thinks is "classic". As I always say, each person has their own thing they enjoy, and what's good for you or me, won't be for someone else. If you're worrying too much about whether or not people think the VCS is classic or they're putting a game from the VCS in a "Top Ten" list...then you're really not doing the VCS any justice.

 

Games are meant to be played and enjoyed...not argued over, or worrying about. No matter what you feel or what you say, the VCS and systems older than that will ALWAYS be remembered, maybe just not as mainstream as you hope for. Classics never die, always remember that.

[kroogur]

The thing i notice even among folks my age (36) is that if it happened before they were in high school it never happened, it's like history is a closed book to them and if it didn't happen in the last week it ain't worth knowing about.

 

Some examples i belong to other boards mostly general interest and such and if we start a topic about something like music and i bring up bands like Alice Cooper,Black Sabbath,Pink Floyd, or even the Beatles they act like i'm in a time warp they (age range 25-40's) are more into current bands it just amazes me that they shun older music like it's irrelevant ,the rock section of my music collection has everyone from Bill Haley and the Comets to Cake because there is alot of good music out there not just what has come out in the last few years.

 

On the flip side i was playing Adventure on my lunchbreak and the bosses 11 year old who has only known PS2, PSP, and Xbox was enthralled by the game and he had a blast playing it so maybe there is hope after all

[ZylonBane]

The 10 Most Irritatingly Impossible Old-School Video Games, and found the article rather shocking...

 

Not one Atari 2600 game listed...

And neither should there have been. "Irritatingly impossible" is an alien concept to most 2600 games. The 2600 library was dominated by arcade ports, arcade clones, and generally arcadey gameplay. In arcade-style gameplay, it's understood that the game will never end, but rather just keep getting harder and harder until you lose all your lives. The impossibility isn't irritating, it's expected.

 

Only in the NES generation did gamers begin to view games as something to beat, not to be beaten by.

 

Move along folks, nothing to see here.

[philowar]

Personally, I could care less that the 70s/early 80s retro trend is dying out. The 2600 and early 80s arcade games have always had a place in my heart and always will. Public recognition? Who wants it? Just because the Atari isn't "cool" anymore doesn't mean I'm going to stop playing Atari games. If anything, seeing that prices on old games and hardware will now drop, the opportunities and motivation to get some things I didn't want to pay a premium for before is now there.

 

I constantly see the younger generation dismiss 2600 games as trash, and I think they're idiots, like people who have no apprecation for silent or black and white films. You also have to keep in mind that most video game journalists seem to be 20-somethings who grew up with the NES, the Atari being nothing more to them than a primitive footnote in video game history.

[Mirage]

Again, I'm going to repeat, that I have seen no solid proof of anything '80s dying out. Trends, interests in the media come and go... I don't think anything is dying. You'll have some people (of all ages) who will be interested, some who will not. Some will be hostile, some receptive, still others apathetic. So what...? Why does this matter? You could say the same about any subject under the sun. Nothing is dying. Nothing is losing significant value in terms of money or nostalgia. As someone above said, move along folks, nothing to see here. I see this as being a moot point no matter how you look at it.

[philowar]

Well, I think it's folly to need outside validation for something that you love. Having a fear that the beloved Atari console is dead or dying because the general public doesn't remember it, fretting that the 2600 doesn't get the respect it deserves? Why concern oneself with all that?

[lord_mike]

Thank you for all the responses...

 

Quite honestly, my angst has been born mostly from frustration... I was hoping to get my nephews some of those handheld Mattel games that they've had for the past five years, and now they are gone... everything like it is gone... I remember last year going to the toy store and they had a whole wall filled with 80's game stuff, and now all that stuff is gone... and then I see these articles one after the other talking about the crappy NES and how it basically was the first gaming system ever, and I'm like... huh? What just happened?

 

It's like suddenly a chunk of your personal history has been ripped from the consciousness of the world... and it leaves me stunned, sad, and very frustrated, 'cos I know that it will be almost impossible to get more "flashback" type stuff in the future... and that is extremely disappointing... I always liked looking forward to the future of the past, and that, sadly, has ended...

 

A lot of people are mourning the loss of the "greatest generation"... the people that fought in world war two and came back home to fuel the greatest period of economic growth in our nation's history... While we certainly can't compare with them, I thought that the passing of the Atari generation should get some mention in the annals of social history as well... after all, we don't want to be forgotten either.... we have our place in history, too... hence, the post!

 

Oh well... gotta keep moving on... fortunately the wife still loves the Atari, and I've got to get cracking on that Christmas gift homebrew I've been meaning to program for her! I've got my Krok cartridge... I have no excuse now!

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[rockman_x_2002]

First off, you should take "Top Ten" lists with a grain of salt. C'mon, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out? How many games has this person played? I beat that game as a child so it's NOT that hard. I knew other children (when I was a child) who beat some of the other games, so whatever.

 

Second, I see where you're coming from, however...how do you think the PRE-Atari 2600 feel? Sure, the 2600 is classic, but there are systems older than the VCS and THOSE are "classic", yet they get ignored more than the VCS.

 

Yes, I noticed some other fallacies about the list myself. For example, he doesn't seem to realize that you actually can switch between your choice of turtle in TMNT, when he clearly says you can't. So that didn't inspire much confidence in the list, although I do share some sentiments and it was a good read for a few chuckles.

 

The NES 8-bit generation (and to a lesser extent, even the 16-bit generation) are old-school gaming these days. But as was stated earlier, the Atari 2600 and other pre-NES 8-bit systems are classic, and as I see it, Atari is eternal king.

[Mirage]

I still think you may be overreacting... you're still saying "this is dead, past, forgotten..." and so on. I don't think it is. Just because you don't see those '80s repros right at this time? Remember, it's the Christmas shopping season, and retailers clear everything out and only put out the big sellers (or new stuff) right now. Sure, the big rash of it may be over -- so what? That doesn't mean anything has "died" or that our "Atari generation" is forgotten. C'mon! You're being quite depressing and apocalyptic!

 

Also, these articles you've supposedly seen saying that the NES is the first console... do you have any links? Or at least can you give an idea where you saw them? Out of context, that's not saying much. Say there's an NES site that says that, who cares? From their perspective, it may very well be. And even if it's some mainstream magazine (Time, Newsweek), it's just one article, and they messed up. A good opportunity to correct them.

 

I have seen nothing whatsoever to say that anything is "dead, past, forgotten...". Fads come and go... doesn't mean that people don't remember or that a lot of people don't still care. I watch and read about everything I can on the subject, and still, other than the normal slight ups and downs, I haven't seen any major trends pointing to anything being dead. If anything, compared to 5 years ago, the Atari is more alive in consciousness than ever, even outside our community.

 

Again, not that it matters. Just saying that I don't really see much support for your premise at all.

[sandmountainslim]

The torch has been passed to a new generation of gamers.........Wait a minute!! HELL NO!

Gimme back my torch you punks!!

We shall continue to fight for our generation AND our Atari's.

Were we not trained by the Six Million Dollar Man and Incredible Hulk?

Did we not learn lessons from the Superfriends?

We ain't givin' in without a fight! Full speed ahead into middle age! We are not afraid.

WP

[Atari-Jess]

We ain't givin' in without a fight! Full speed ahead into middle age! We are not afraid.

 

"what? We have to go outside? in the winter? ohhh... my arthritis... ohhh my back..."

 

/kidding

[Mirage]

The Activision Remixed collection for the PSP (article link below) is just one reason why I think this whole "requiem" thing is a huge over-reaction. Products come, products go, and people say crazy and incorrect things in articles sometimes. No one is forgotten, nothing is dead.

 

http://kotaku.com/gaming/gun/atari-2600-co...-psp-195572.php

[Mirage]

Here's another new one, Atari Classics Evolved:

 

http://psp.ign.com/articles/838/838347p1.h...mp;RSSid=838347

 

Buck up! Everything is fine!

[jgegner]

Give me a break! Simply because the 2600 is 30 years old doesn't mean it's dead. As a child of the '80s, I can remember coming home from school one day in 1982 and jumping with excitement at having my very own 2600 system. As other posters have noted, trends come and go, and those who believe that the NES was the first video game system need to take a course in Video Game History 101.

 

Mike, your post sounds rather apocalyptic. I must disagree with the premise of your post.

 

jgegner

[A Sprite]

Do what I do.

 

Hook the kids by giving them lots of classic games at once, even the bad ones. Laugh at the games that deserve it with them.

 

Be surprised when they start recommending a few.

 

I learned to respect Adventure from someone who wasn't even born when the crash happened after he called me a shallow graphics whore. ( How was I supposed to know the ducks and the cracker in the game moved faster than Defender? )

 

He believes ( as I do ) the limitations of a machine bring out the best in a programmer. The games programmers play to make a game in an old school machine is often just as exciting as the game itself.

 

But very few people know these limitations.

 

Even here.

[Rom Hunter]

I truly hope that kids are willing to respect the King of Consoles by just playing its games at an age that blocky graphics and silly sounds still don't matter to them.

 

If not, the VCS will end up in a museum.

 

This whole eighties revival chapter is eventually going to fade away.