Classic games from the 1980s are still fun for today's kids
I've heard many retro gamers wonder if their kids will enjoy old Atari or Nintendo games when faced with all the modern gaming options.
At only age five, it hadn't occurred to me that my son might enjoy video games. I didn't get into video games until I was 12 or 13, so I was unsure what age gaming would be appropriate for him, but I felt we should probably wait a few years. Video games didn't really exist prior to that time in my life. I'm sure my age played a role in not presenting the option to him at age five.
However, it's true what they say about 'best laid plans'. My son discovered video games on his own when he found one of my multi-game joysticks that offers a dozen games and easily connects to the TV with an RCA cable. When I tried to explain what it was, I did a poor job and decided to show him what it was. Honestly, I didn't know what I was starting.
When Dig Dug appeared on the screen, he was interested. Upon realizing we were controlling the on-screen action, he was fascinated and wanted to try. That's where it began - with one of my favorite games from my arcade days. While retro arcade games are still sought after, the gaming industry has grown and offers gaming we couldn't imagine when we were playing Defender and Zaxxon in the arcades of the 80s.
As gamers age and have kids of their own, one has to wonder if those kids will ever have interest in those old games from gaming's origins. I think it's similar to cars. While you may drive a sporty sub-compact to the office each day, many of us would rather be sporting a '69 Camaro. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Old games are beautiful!
I often refer to myself as an "Atari kid" having grown up with the 2600 as my first game console. By that standard, my son is a "Wii kid", but with a retro gaming Dad, it's hard to avoid the classics. Those classic games I still love, because they are so much fun, definitely appeal to my son. When we play video games together he always wants to include a few Atari and NES era games.
My son is a Minecraft addict and loves to play it on everything from the Wii U to an iPad or iPhone. He's also kept pace with modern console gaming from the PS3 to the Wii U. Between retro compilation games for the PS3 and the Wii U's Virtual Console, we have a variety of retro games to play on our latest consoles. Many of our gaming sessions span the decades from Berzerk and Wizard Of Wor to Splatoon and Lego Star Wars.
He knows i adore retro games, but most of the smiles I see come from the retro classics that are lots of fun to play. They lack the deeper commitment one makes to many of the epic titles in modern gaming, but from Defender to Jackal we have a blast playing retro games. So... today's kids, when given the opportunity, do enjoy 8-bit games from the 80s!
