Old Games find Young Audience

Kids growing up today play in a different dimension than kids who grew up just a few years ago. Pogo sticks, bean bags, and even laser tag have all moved to the digital realm, where most of the fun comes from staring at a screen for hours.

While todayâ??s graphics may be exceptionally impressive, vintage gaming is still in vogue, and for good reason. Younger audiences are turning to classic arcade machines for their gaming pleasure.

Classics canâ??t be Beat

The young gaming audience is becoming increasingly more difficult to impress. Some of the toughest gaming critics out there are barely into their double digits. Arenâ??t there classics for a reason? Arcade games are not only difficult to critique; they have actually stolen the hearts of many gamers by casting themselves into the light of gaming icons. Kicking off the 1980s, the legendary Pac-Man carved the gold path for arcade and video games to come in the following two decades. Everyone has played Googleâ??s famous time-killer while strenuously avoiding work, but how many people in the era of iPhones can say that they have sent the world-famous yellow spot chomping around on an arcade machine? Nothing quite beats the ethereal satisfaction of playing a pure, vintage, and beloved classic on the console it was originally released on.

Vintage Games are in Vogue

Gamers of all ages can appreciate the classic arcade games of yore. Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Asteroids and Centipede all come out of the frameworks to reinterpret the game-play of this generation. It really was only a few short years ago that Atari and vintage PlayStation games made their heartfelt return into the dedicated gaming sphere. Young audiences are more appreciative of older games now, because they offer an experience far removed from what a Wii, PSP, or Xbox could offer.

A Different Atmosphere

Of course, arcade games provide an entirely different environment from modern popular RPG style video games. Itâ??s not just a game anymore; itâ??s an atmosphere created by an ecstatic mob of bright-eyed youngsters cheering on historyâ??s most beloved digital characters through their classic labyrinths and puzzles. How is it possible to resist the flurry of excitement that builds over classic arcade machines during a heated round of cosmic blasters, pinball, or bleeping pixel monsters? Itâ??s kind of like a return to analog, but without all the glitches. Then again, vintage arcade games do come from a time of legends – a time when Star Wars reigned supreme, Michael Jordan stepped onto the scene, and E.T. made his way home.

Patrick Whalen is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow him @2patwhalen.