What happens when this generation is finished?

[Elerach]

Oh Lordy.

 

Bad Thoughts.

 

But, they have to be questioned.

 

So, i put this question towards you guys.

 

Whats going to happen to our much-beloved Atari 2600 When the nostalgic generation is done?

 

The kids that grew up with the 2600 are getting older by the day (sorry guys, time to face the truth ) and what happens when there is no more nostalgia? no more people who grew up with it?

will that be the death of it?

 

Give me your thoughts.

 

(sorry if this is a bit incoherant, it's 4:00 in the morning :roll: )

[Shawn]

Atari will be around but I think when we all die so will atari.

[+Random Terrain]

As long as retro hipsters exist, Atari will never die, even if they just wear Atari cartridge necklaces, belt buckles, and replica joystick-shaped butt plugs.

[Rom Hunter]

Although I think there are and will always be VCS fans younger than the first Atari generation, eventually the Atari 2600 will end up in a museum as a pioneering piece of videogame history (which in itself is a relatively new form of art).

 

Edited August 5, 2008 by Rom Hunter

[madhatter667]

Hence the importance of passing the addiction on to another generation of gamers. Though, speak for yourself, as I still have plenty of years left to go!

[+Random Terrain]

Though, speak for yourself, as I still have plenty of years left to go!

You just gave the gods an irony sandwich and a jug of giggle juice.

[carmel_andrews]

Perhaps it would be an idea that while we are all still 'on the right side of life' (i.e alive and in the land of the living), that we do our best efforts to educate and enlighten the next generation (and this one) on all area's of retrogaming and retro 'puting including the part Atari and it's hardware plays in that market

 

That is the only way we will keep the 'Atari Flame' burning brightly (that applies to all the diff. flavours of atari, i.e. from Pong right thru to the Jaggie/St book etc)

 

Or as it used to say on the various comp. sys. atari forums ....Keep the faith and keep Atari hummy

Edited August 5, 2008 by carmel_andrews

[AtariLeaf]

I kind of touched on this in another thread. I don't think retro-gaming is dying per se, but its switching loyalties. A younger generation is grown up, has good jobs with disposable income, but they didn't grow up with Atari, they grew up on the NES. The other Classic gaming site I frequent has almost completely shifted to a group of Nintendo fans with Atari being a shrinking minority. When ebay was really hitting its stride at the turn of the century, everyone with fond memories of atari wanted a system to relive their childhood. However, many of those weren't serious collectors and those machines and games probably ended up back on ebay or in yard sales.

 

I do think as time goes on, Atari will be less of a focal point for classic gaming enthusiasts who will view it as a nice piece of history but ultimately irrelevant from their point of view. They grew up in the post-crash generation and NES is the rebirth of the industry.

 

I don't think Atari will ever die, but it will take its place in video game history as the grand-daddy of a great industry, whether we're here or not.

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

 

I was one to grow up during this era and I thought of this very same question myself. This is coming from someone that WAS around when the Fairchild Channel F was released and most games prior to this were the Telstar TV-Pong games. I had a friend that had the Fairchild machine. He was a lucky kid, his parents bought him everything. But when he got an Atari 2600, that was something I had to have. And Christmas of 1979, I finally got my wish...a new Atari 2600. My whole family enjoyed this unit. We played it so much we wore out three of them.

 

I probably think that Atari 2600 fans will probably hang on into the next generation (from those parents that pass it on), but it will be a 50/50 chance that the next generation would embrace it as much as the generation would that grew up with the machine.

 

Then there is the issue of physical hardware. Eventually all those cartridges that are out there are going to develop bad contacts and will wear out from the 30 to 50 years of plugging and unplugging. Of course there will be those cartridges that will last longer, but with popular games such as Asteroids, Adventure, and Space Invaders...pretty soon they will all wear out.

 

Granted by then someone would come up with an "All-in-one" system that has all the games built in. In fact, you can even have this today through computer emulation with Stella (this is what I have, I no longer have hardware units).

 

So for those interested parties in the future, the Atari 2600 will probably will be more emulation then hardware. MAME (for arcade games) has already gone this route and it is a good thing that it did too as arcade games are also suffering from age and PCB problems.

 

So I would say for at least another generation, there would be interest in the Atari 2600. But as technology changes, it will not be long before one can play emulated PS2 games on a cell phone. So I think as AtariLeaf pointed out, the generation behind the Atari 2600 will be those that played the NES and SNES, the generation after that will probably remember the Playstation. My children are probably going to play my PS-2 and they are going to remember that as their "first" video game.

 

Sure there will be some future enthusiasts that will embrace the old technology and that could be attributed to the fact that because graphics and game controls were so limited, game designers had to come up with really good games. The games of the 80s (both platform or arcade) were SO much more inventive than games of today. Just go into any arcade today and what do you see?

 

Yeah, all the games are based on one of the following:

 

1) Racing

2) Fighting

3) Shooting

4) Sports

 

These genres are hashed and rehashed into high end, high def, extraordinary graphic bases behemoths. But the underlying fact is the games are all the same. This wasn't the case back in the 80's. Sure you had your copy cats too back then and you had viable improvements (i.e. Space Invaders ==> Galaxian ==> Galaga). But games were very different back then. So it is very possible that those in the next generations that are astute to this fact will also be interested in the old games.

 

Now I am NOT saying that I don't play newer games...quite contrary. I have taken a turn to more 'immersive' games. First it was first person shooters such as Doom and Quake and then that lead to Myst type adventure exploration games. Finally I am now into role playing games and have been completely blown away by titles such as: Star Wars-Knights of the Old Republic and Final Fantasy X (& X2).

 

So yeah, I believe there will be interest in the old and new alike. But probably the greatest interest for the Atari is now because of the nostalgic factor invested in it. Most people that grew up with Atari are in their 30's to 50's right now and Atari will hang on still for quite a while. But by the time the Atari reaches 100 years old, the interest in the console would be quite diminished indeed and may be relished by the die hard gamer that has to play everything, or those who keep, play the game for historical significance.

 

Anyway, that is just my 2 cents on the subject.

 

Geo

[Omegamatrix]

Lets face it, most of us old timers that could still be interested in the Atari either collect now or have already collected and sold out. Yeah there is a few more left to join, but we are past the peak. So the Atari torch is being passed to the NES generation.

 

 

There are a few youngsters into Atari now, but not in nearly the numbers we were. If this Atari movie gets made I predict a huge spike in interest followed by the hardest Atari crash yet a year to year and a half after its release. Of course most of us on these forums will still be here.

[TwinChargers]

I imagine that our collections will be passed on to family that will either cherish our Atari possessions or sell our collections. Those who choose to cherish will continue to carry the torch. Those family members that sell will obviously be selling to one who also collects retro-gaming memorabilia. I by no means think all of our collections will sit in a junk heap.

I figure Atari/retro-gaming to eventually be more like baseball cards. In given time they will prove to be more valuable. Sure, this could be still another 20-30 years down the line, but there will always be people that collect antiques, and soon enough our VCS's will fall into that category.

[Lincoln]

My first experience with video games was an Atari 2600 in the early 80's. I just got my Flashback 2 modded so I have something to play carts on with the classic joystick. My 2 year old loves it. It's a lot easier for him to figure out 4 directions and a button than a new console or the computer. I'm surprised how adept he is at Moon Patrol. We'll see if he has fond memories of the Atari in 25 years.

[guyjin]

There will always be people who appreciate old books, old paintings, old plays... and old games. New fans will come along to replace the old.

 

We just need to make sure that the stuff is still there for them when they come around.

Edited August 5, 2008 by guyjin

[godzillajoe]

Emulators will keep it alive, though on life support as everyone runs to play the XBOX 360 emu instead.

[Rik]

The 2nd appearance of Christ!When collectors die off,their collections will go somewhere,either to the thrift shops by uninterested relatives/benefactors,or eventually break,get thrown out in the trash,may takes years but eventually there will be NIL or close to nothing around of Atari as we "KNEW' it.Much like the millions of folks in the cemetaries who are eventually forgotten as each generation passes through.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Rik

[Gregory DG]

Virtually no one uses an abacus or a difference engine thesedays. I imagine the 2600 will be like that in 100 years or so. But the best thing is, in 100 years, no one will be playing Xbox either.

[AtariLeaf]

Virtually no one uses an abacus or a difference engine thesedays. I imagine the 2600 will be like that in 100 years or so. But the best thing is, in 100 years, no one will be playing Xbox either.

 

The way Microsoft builds 'em, you won't be playing them in 5 years, let alone 100.

[Joe Cool]

ouif y

 

believe,

 

in Our Lord and Savioour, Jesus Christ,

 

this is the generatopm that wo;;

 

lice 1000 years.

 

 

 

 

Oh Lordy.

 

Bad Thoughts.

 

But, they have to be questioned.

 

So, i put this question towards you guys.

 

Whats going to happen to our much-beloved Atari 2600 When the nostalgic generation is done?

 

The kids that grew up with the 2600 are getting older by the day (sorry guys, time to face the truth ) and what happens when there is no more nostalgia? no more people who grew up with it?

will that be the death of it?

 

Give me your thoughts.

 

(sorry if this is a bit incoherant, it's 4:00 in the morning :roll: )

[godzillajoe]

More importantly, If I'm dead, who cares.

[+remowilliams]

When we go, so will these giant piles of electronic crap we are collecting. Statistically (or actually) there won't be anybody left who cares.

 

in Our Lord and Savioour, Jesus Christ,

 

this is the generatopm that wo;;

 

lice 1000 years.

 

A thousand years of lice? Now there's a religious promise I can see actually being fulfilled for a change.

 

Edited August 6, 2008 by remowilliams

[keilbaca]

I personally think that there will be a younger generation that will enjoy how difficult and fun these games are.

 

Every once in a while you do see a teenager on AA that finds the gems of the Atari 2600, and enjoys them very much so.

 

Yes, it will eventually die, but there will always be a few that will enjoy this to no end, until every last atari 2600 dies.

 

I plan on passing these great games to my kids, and hopefully when I die, they will continue to play them, and not make some quick cash on epay.

[Yamo]

I was born a year after the VCS (1978). I guess I'm pretty young still. I plan to be around for a while.

[fiddlepaddle]

As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer people who care, or even know about Atari. Think back to previous generations' past-times. What about extremely popular radio programs of the 30's and 40's. Some of those shows are really entertaining (Lum & Abner, Abbott and Costello, Burns & Allen), but I bet hardly anybody under 50 even knows what they are, yet alone has been listening to them on their MP3 player this month.

 

About using original Atari hardware? Only purists, of which there will be very few. How many of us listen to Scott Joplin music (or even Glenn Miller music) on a 78 rpm record?

[dwh]

How about a contest at your funeral.

Set up the 'ol 2600(VCS),and insist that anyone wanting to pay their respects must play a game first.

High scorer wins the collection!

Since my Atari collection will probably be the only thing of value that I ever own,my relatives are going to have to prove they want to inherit it.

Of course, you would have to weed out a lot of relatives by having them play the worst ,most flickery games first.

[doctorclu]

Gonna tell my wife to ebay my collection. Use the money from it to pay for the cat food for for years.