USA TODAY

[rexreed]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-06-...etrogames_x.htm

 

Did any of you hear about this? Some people like to play old games instead of the new ones! WoW!

 

I like the pic- even has an old 800 on the bottom shelf. I hope this doesn't raise the price of cartriges.

[Zeus]

It's hard to say really if the prices will go up much more than they are now. It will likely inspire a short term increase in demand for consoles, but on the long run I don't think this single article will change things much. I think we are already at the peak of game collecting fever, over time I believe demand will drop off, but not to the point where games will practically be worthless, but more of an equilibrium. That's my two cents.

[NovaXpress]

I think there's too much complaining about all the publicity this hobby is getting. I thought that we wanted more people to be playing Atari, not less.

 

Yes, this may drive the prices up, but that's the way the wind is blowing anyway. There is a finite amount of original games available and we all knew that the well would run dry and the prices would go up eventually.

 

Th future of the hobby is in reproductions and homebrews. And the more classic gamers there are, the more games we'll get.

[Spirantho]

I think we are already at the peak of game collecting fever, over time I believe demand will drop off, but not to the point where games will practically be worthless, but more of an equilibrium.

 

I'd love to know how many people said that about stamp collecting at the beginning of the century when that started taking off...

 

Now what's the going rate for the rarest stamp? I know it's measured in millions....

[AtariLeaf]

I think we are already at the peak of game collecting fever, over time I believe demand will drop off, but not to the point where games will practically be worthless, but more of an equilibrium.

 

I'd love to know how many people said that about stamp collecting at the beginning of the century when that started taking off...

 

Now what's the going rate for the rarest stamp? I know it's measured in millions....

 

I think thats apples and oranges though. Stamps are quite a different beast. Its more like art and has a much much deeper history then video games that date back to the 70's

[Voch]

Hmm. Retrogaming. I'll have to look into that someday. In fact, I'm skipping out of work for lunch early to hit a yard sale or two (first time in a while)...

 

Voch

[Dolt]

I was mildly ticked off Steven Kent's comment (below) but I have to admit it's pretty funny. If nothing else, I like his book, which my wife gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

"Many who go back and play the older games are often surprised, however, at the crudeness of the graphics, said Steven L. Kent, author of The Ultimate History of Video Games.

 

The 1982 game River Raid is a good example, he said. Players fly a fighter jet over a river filled with ships and barges but "when you go back, you see that the river was a blue rectangle with lots of gray rectangles for boats."

 

"A lot of people look back on old games like a kind of Camelot. Only when you do, you see that the castle smelled, the food was rancid and the maidens were bloated."

[NovaXpress]

MegaManFan and I were talking about that statement last night. We concluded that anyone who would say such a thing about River Raid of all games is not a true classic gaming fan.

 

If it had been ET on the other hand . . .

[tillenterprises]

I was mildly ticked off Steven Kent's comment (below) but I have to admit it's pretty funny. If nothing else, I like his book, which my wife gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

<blockquote>

"Many who go back and play the older games are often surprised, however, at the crudeness of the graphics, said Steven L. Kent, author of The Ultimate History of Video Games.

 

The 1982 game River Raid is a good example, he said. Players fly a fighter jet over a river filled with ships and barges but "when you go back, you see that the river was a blue rectangle with lots of gray rectangles for boats."

 

"A lot of people look back on old games like a kind of Camelot. Only when you do, you see that the castle smelled, the food was rancid and the maidens were bloated." </blockquote>

 

I agree. What a stupid comment from somebody that wrote such a good book on classic games. I have new consoles, too, but give me the "blocky graphics and the bloated maidens" anyday- I don't hit the reset button over and over again on today's games like I still do with the old stuff. Today's games may be pretty, but they sure don't have the addictive quality of the old stuff.

[Cassidy Nolen]

That is so funny,

 

I was forwarded this article in a Delaware newspaper yesterday:

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/...gamesareal.html

 

Bizarre, I guess there is nothing bad to say, so they had to share something good

 

 

Cassidy

[rolenta]

MegaManFan and I were talking about that statement last night.  We concluded that anyone who would say such a thing about River Raid of all games is not a true classic gaming fan.

 

I spoke to Steve on the phone yesterday and he went back and took a look at the game while we were talking. He said that the river looks more realistic than what he remembered but he stands by his comments about the boats.

[Gregory DG]

I think thats apples and oranges though. Stamps are quite a different beast. Its more like art and has a much much deeper history then video games that date back to the 70's

I've always considered video games to be an art form. Especially the older ones.

[privateers69]

excerpt from '2203 The Very Ultimate History of Video Games'

The '2003 game XBox Halo' is a good example, he said. Players traverse a fighter over a simple 3D looking field filled with enemys and buildings but "when you go back, you see that the field was a flat image with lots of flat images for buildings."  

 

"A lot of people look back on old games like a kind of McDonalds. Only when you do, you see that the restaurant smelled, the food was rancid and the customers were bloated.

 

 

 

Just saying that I played 'River Raid' and I thought it was the greatest thing ever at its time just imagine what people will be saying about todays systems in the future w/ their VR hologram systems

[AtariDude]

MegaManFan and I were talking about that statement last night.  We concluded that anyone who would say such a thing about River Raid of all games is not a true classic gaming fan.

 

I spoke to Steve on the phone yesterday and he went back and took a look at the game while we were talking. He said that the river looks more realistic than what he remembered but he stands by his comments about the boats.

 

I think my respect for him has gone down a notch. Given the fact that he writes a really good book about classic gaming, I would not have said that aloud. I would have just kept that to myself. I hope that his comments does not hurt his book sales.

[FireTiger]

We just got it today (sat) in our paper...geez word for word.

[mos6507]

I was mildly ticked off Steven Kent's comment (below) but I have to admit it's pretty funny. If nothing else, I like his book, which my wife gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

<blockquote>

"Many who go back and play the older games are often surprised, however, at the crudeness of the graphics, said Steven L. Kent, author of The Ultimate History of Video Games.

 

The 1982 game River Raid is a good example, he said. Players fly a fighter jet over a river filled with ships and barges but "when you go back, you see that the river was a blue rectangle with lots of gray rectangles for boats."

 

"A lot of people look back on old games like a kind of Camelot. Only when you do, you see that the castle smelled, the food was rancid and the maidens were bloated." </blockquote>

 

He picked an aweful example for that kind of comment.

 

River Raid is one of the greatest scrolling shooters of all time, rectangles or no rectangles.

 

He's also not being completely accurate describing River Raid's graphics. The ships are all multicolored and none of them are solid grey.

[mos6507]

MegaManFan and I were talking about that statement last night.  We concluded that anyone who would say such a thing about River Raid of all games is not a true classic gaming fan.

 

I spoke to Steve on the phone yesterday and he went back and took a look at the game while we were talking. He said that the river looks more realistic than what he remembered but he stands by his comments about the boats.

 

 

 

I think Kent should get his eyes checked. I don't see solid grey rectangular ships. Do you?

[ninjarabbit]

You shouldn't be trying to retire of collecting video games. Considering that that games were $50 or so new and the systems were $100-300 new and factoring in inflation, that make collecting games a bad investment stricting from a money POV.

 

I think the best comparable hobby is car collecting. If you look at car prices, you'll notice that car prices go sharply down 1-15 years after the car is made but after that, some 'collectable cars' will start to go up in price, but rarely to a level what the car originally went for factoring in inflation.