10+ reasons why classic gaming is better than current gaming

With the recent story of EA shutting down 50 game servers starting on June 30th,it really made me think about what a raw deal gamers get these days as compared to the early days of gaming.  In the days of classic gaming, you bought your game, all extras were already included, and if you took care of it, the game would most likely outlive you and your grandchildren.

Here are 10 reasons why classic gaming is better than current gen gaming:

1. You own the physical cartridge and can keep it, sell it, or trade it, even if the game company ceases to exist.  
2. Most games were instant on with no loading. 
3. There weren't any online DRM checks that prevented you from playing your games on a train or plane if you are out of range of an internet connection.
4. There were no extra fees for things such as on disc DLC.  All extras such as hidden characters were unlocked by playing the game or with "secret" codes.
5. Cartridges were damn near indestructible.  Seriously.  Check out this video.
6. Social gaming was arguably better since you all had to be in the same location to play.  They have not invented online pizza and wings to enhance online gaming.
7. Trash talkers could be punched in the face....or... simply told to GTFO.
8. Instead of cut and paste sequels, companies took a chance and released more original titles and genres.
9. Your games, nor your consoles spied on you, nor needed any personal information from you.
10. At this time, vintage games hold their value at a rate that even comic books and baseball cards can't match.
11. You spent more time playing than watching cut scenes. I want to play a game, not watch a movie.

The issue of ownership

When I look at my physical game collection, it makes me happy to see games such as Lunar, Castlevania IV, Secret of Mana, Streets of Rage, Super Mario All Stars, Burning Rangers, etc. These games are in some cases, decades old and short of a catastrophe, will still be playable 50 years from now.

When I look at my collection of games on Google Play and the App store, it makes me wonder, will they still be playable in 10 years? 30 years? 50 years? After the next OS update on the same device?  I don't mean playable via emulation either.  I mean, will the ecosystems and accounts still exist?  Should something happen to me, can I lawfully pass on my accounts and purchases to my nephew, so that he can enjoy some "retro" gaming if he chose to?  Rather than purchasing a physical object, I am purchasing the right to download a title from a company server, and as with the case of EA, it could go down at any time leaving users in the cold.

It has happened before, and will definitely happen again in some way or form.

Let's face it, even though the new systems are far more powerful than the old, games are an art form.  I have yet to hear anything in modern gaming that is as memorable as the music from the 8 and 16 bit eras.  

You can play the Mario theme song any where and in any style of music, and people will recognize it and smile.

In my opinion, the Megaman 2 soundtrack still kicks ass to this day, as Bit Brigade shows. 

This concert video showcasing Final Fantasy 6 music played by an orchestra should blow away any music fan.  It's simply incredible.  One has to admire how much was accomplished with so much less in the days of classic gaming.

So to round it up, classic games are arguably more fun, were built to last, were more imaginative, had less restrictions, didn't nickle and dime you, and had awesome music despite their limitations.

And if anyone should need more proof, just play through FF13 after playing through FF6, or even FF7.  The latter actually have gameplay while FF13 is just a pretty corridor run with level ups.  FF6 had more gameplay in just secrets than FF13 had in its main quest.

I may eventually get around to posting another article about how modern gaming is better than classic gaming, but it shouldn't be necessary.  Overall, classic gaming still kicks modern gaming's ass. 

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