What I Miss About Old School Gaming

First of all, let me be completely honest.

I love gaming…

Being able to get home to relax to a great video game is a beautiful thing.

But…

It isn’t what it used to be.

For me, anyway.

And there are a few reasons I feel that way.

I want to share them with you and let me know if you feel the same.

So, these are a few things I miss about retro games or as I call it, old school gaming.

1) Instruction Manuals

I miss the instruction manuals and guides that used to come in the package of a game.

I know that there are tutorials online for most games.

I also know that games have onboarding during beginning game play now.

But there is nothing like a guide that can help you long after you begin a game.

2) Instant Game Start Up

This is one thing that sticks out to me.

You used to press that power button on your console of choice and…

You’re right in the title screen of your game!..

Unless there is a story to set up the gameplay…

Now, it is loading screens, crowded menus, and online connectivity.

I know it is a great benefit to connect and have better technology to game with.

It is a necessary sacrifice.

But I do miss the simplicity of entering right into a game.

3) Mystery And Intrigue Behind A Game

I know that is a mouthful but let me explain.

Back in my day…(LOL)

We only had Nintendo Power and commercials to go by.

So, when a new game was released, there was a lot of mystery around it.

Now, everyone online has a review of some kind on a game.

With social media and other outlets, we know TOO much about a game even before release.

I’m not complaining…

But it is a bit much when you haven’t played a game and you see ALL KINDS of content around it.

4) LOCAL MULTIPLAYER

It really was the best of times…

My cousins and I were treated to a NES rental at our local video store.

And it was a weekend of fun, switching the controls from hand to hand.

There was nothing like my cousin backing all the way into the end zone only to throw a touchdown against me in a football game.

Or the look on our faces when we couldn’t figure out Legend of Zelda.

I know that online gameplay is a big thing but there was nothing like having friends over to play Double Dribble one on one.

5) Video Game Magazines And Hot-Lines

Again, I know we have so many strategy guides, tutorials, and everything else online to help get through a game.

But there was NOTHING like Nintendo Power magazine in your hand.

You can say it is cheesy..

Yes, it is…

Crazy

Yes….

HEAVENLY AND NECESSARY?

YES, YES, AND YES

I enjoyed having a guide whether it was to see secrets in a game, look through artwork, and to see previews of upcoming games.

And it was cool to be able to call the hotline to see how to get through challenging sections of a video game.

CONCLUSION

Well, let me close it like this.

I am very nostalgic.

I won’t be ashamed about longing for some of the things in my past.

And that old school gaming feel is one of them.

Let me be clear in saying that I LOVE GAMING…

I hope to always have a love for video games.

And when it comes to a good video gaming session, I AM ALL FOR IT!

But, there is something messing, that kind of personal touch.

Let me quickly try to explain.

I love the convenience of online shopping, but I do enjoy going in the store and touching items before I purchase them.

I really love streaming movies from my Vudu, Hulu, Tubi, and Netflix accounts.

But there is a great experience in going to a movie theater. With the surround sound, reactions of the audience, and the big screen.

I’m not trying to make the argument that original NES games are better than PS5 games.

I’m not bashing the gaming and gamers of today.

But, for me personally, something is missing.

Thank you for reading this post.