Not many sadly but I did see that there were some that had gaming channels on youtube but that place is different. I wish there was more people in general that enjoyed retro gaming that wasn't 30+ already. To many lame FPS and MMO games these days.

Not many sadly but I did see that there were some that had gaming channels on youtube but that place is different. I wish there was more people in general that enjoyed retro gaming that wasn't 30+ already. To many lame FPS and MMO games these days.

Sociological factors. 15 yos face huge peer pressure to do whatever is currently cool, so even if they liked retro gaming, they're not gonna admit to it and certainly not among their friends. It's a bit different when you get old enough that you no longer have to concern yourself with impressing angsty teenagers, so you can do whatever you want without giving a you-know-what.

For example, my mother has always been into antique collecting, especially stuff from the late 1800s-early 1900s. When was the last time you met a high school kid who was into that stuff? Never. It's always middle aged and up.

In other words, get back to me when these kids are 30.

I'd like to sign up. I love playing video games be it old or new. I'm also interested in hardware and its history, how far we've come in just a couple of decades.
I don't go shouting it in public because I don't really care 😜. It's just a hobby like anything else. I've always felt a thing for late 90's Windows games, like some people do for the Playstation games. Me and one of my best pals love to talk about old PC games that we used to play or watch or older brothers play. He's more into strategy games so Lords of Magic, Warcraft II, Heroes of Might & Magic II/III come up way too often!

I'm 19, but most of my peers are around 16-18. A few of them are into older pc games, but not quite with the same enthusiasm I have. Interestingly enough though, Starcraft: Brood War and Diablo II: LoD are fairly popular even among the more modern-gaming oriented members of my group, despite the fact that they've both been superseded by sequels. I think it owes to the fact that they work well for LAN gaming, and they both have "timeless" gameplay.

Frankly I think most of the interest a person has in anything from a specific time period is nostalgia-related. Usually the person lived through it and connects it with social experiences.

I think most of today's kids will be nostalgic for today's toys in 10 years instead of our '80s-'90s junk.

swaaye wrote:

Frankly I think most of the interest a person has in anything from a specific time period is nostalgia-related. Usually the person lived through it and connects it with social experiences.

I think most of today's kids will be nostalgic for today's toys in 10 years instead of our '80s-'90s junk.

Totally. It's like some people who grew up with the C64 or Amiga. I can never connect to those, despite my interest on them. It just isn't the same!

Frankly I think most of the interest a person has in anything from a specific time period is nostalgia-related. Usually the person lived through it and connects it with social experiences.

There are two kinds of people who collect antiques. One kind is the social collector. These guys are casuals that don't really like X thing (a car or video game or whatever) in of itself. They simply like the social experience they had around it when they were a kid.

Example: Some guy restores a car that he used to have in high school. He doesn't actually like cars, he just likes the memory he has of picking up girls in it.

The other kind are the nerd types who happen to love a certain thing. That would be, like, Jay Leno riding around in his Model A Fords at whatnot. In that case, it's not nostalgia, but fascination with cars in general.

As for me, I have a rather low opinion of nostalgia-based collectors. I believe it came from how my mother (as I mentioned above) has always been a big antique collector and loves dolls from the turn of the 20th century especially, but doesn't care for the 1960s ones from her childhood because she says they're plastic and have no artistic value.

Thus, thanks in large part to her, I learned that it's ok to not necessarily like things from your childhood.

I think most of today's kids will be nostalgic for today's toys in 10 years instead of our '80s-'90s junk.

Some perhaps, but those kind (social collectors) will always be untermensch. And that's just how it is.

Totally. It's like some people who grew up with the C64 or Amiga. I can never connect to those, despite my interest on them. It just isn't the same!

I'm rather odd in that regard. I can get into almost any 8/16 bit stuff (C64, TRS-80s, PCs, Apple IIs, Ataris) although I've never even seen many of those running except in pictures, but the Amiga doesn't captivate me for some reason and I don't know why that is.

kao wrote:

Sociological factors. 15 yos face huge peer pressure to do whatever is currently cool, so even if they liked retro gaming, they' […]
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Not many sadly but I did see that there were some that had gaming channels on youtube but that place is different. I wish there was more people in general that enjoyed retro gaming that wasn't 30+ already. To many lame FPS and MMO games these days.

Sociological factors. 15 yos face huge peer pressure to do whatever is currently cool, so even if they liked retro gaming, they're not gonna admit to it and certainly not among their friends. It's a bit different when you get old enough that you no longer have to concern yourself with impressing angsty teenagers, so you can do whatever you want without giving a you-know-what.

For example, my mother has always been into antique collecting, especially stuff from the late 1800s-early 1900s. When was the last time you met a high school kid who was into that stuff? Never. It's always middle aged and up.

In other words, get back to me when these kids are 30.

When I was in those years I didn't subscribe much to what society demanded but then again I wasn't in the race to the top to become popular. In fact I was at the bottom and preferred to go my own way which I still do. Some only envied while others despised such individuality and succumbing to society when it brings no benefit is a sign of weakness. I loathe anyone who becomes a cheap manufactured robot just to fit in. I see such hobbies as being constructive as well building character that many these days lack.

When I was in those years I didn't subscribe much to what society demanded but then again I wasn't in the race to the top to become popular. In fact I was at the bottom and preferred to go my own way which I still do. Some only envied while others despised such individuality and succumbing to society when it brings no benefit is a sign of weakness.

People who collect things based on nostalgia were usually the socially popular types in HS and it simply reminds them of a time when they were cool and had tons of friends and girls hanging off their arms, especially since a lot of them peaked in their HS years and became boring losers afterwards.

Some of us were never popular or part of the social scene in school, so we did whatever we wanted and weren't fixated on impressing others.

Now my mom...she knows (or used to know anyway) one antique dealer who said she was into Victorian fashion whatever stuff as a kid. Almost too predictably, she got...well, beaten up.

Visit websites dedicated to collecting antique tube radios. Many of these guys are 50-60 yos who inherited their dad's radio or whatever and they worry quite a bit as to whether younger guys will be into that stuff. And you do see some on there, even the occasional teenage kid, who I imagine are the nerd types I mentioned who aren't part of the social scene.

I loathe anyone who becomes a cheap manufactured robot just to fit in

That's what your HS years are like. Trying to conform with the herd. It always has been and always will be that way.

Sometimes it's hard for a younger guy to break into a collecting scene as well. On one of the radio forums I mentioned, this guy mentioned how back in the 80s, you'd have these radio collector clubs populated by old guys who were around in the 40s when the things were new (most of them have died by now). He said (paraphrasing) "If you were 30 and you brought your radios into a club or swap meet, a lot of the old dudes would snub you no matter how nice your collection was. They'd be like 'Pfft. Get out of here, kid. What do _you_ know about our radios?'" because apparently they viewed the real purpose of these clubs as a social networking thing for guys their age (radios were an excuse for them to get together and swap WWII stories or whatever) and they didn't welcome outsiders.

F2bnp wrote:

I'd like to sign up. I love playing video games be it old or new. I'm also interested in hardware and its history, how far we've come in just a couple of decades.
I don't go shouting it in public because I don't really care 😜. It's just a hobby like anything else. I've always felt a thing for late 90's Windows games, like some people do for the Playstation games. Me and one of my best pals love to talk about old PC games that we used to play or watch or older brothers play. He's more into strategy games so Lords of Magic, Warcraft II, Heroes of Might & Magic II/III come up way too often!

I'm definitely with you on all points. Back when I was like 3-6 years old I used to watch my dad play all sorts of awesome PC games, and as a result I developed an appreciation for them. As well, as far back as I can remember I've had an affinity for electronics and technology, and I've always found older technology to be interesting in a way newer stuff can't match. Naturally, because of these factors I became a dyed-in-the-wool retro gamer. 😁

kao wrote:

People who collect things based on nostalgia were usually the socially popular types in HS and it simply reminds them of a time […]
Show full quote

When I was in those years I didn't subscribe much to what society demanded but then again I wasn't in the race to the top to become popular. In fact I was at the bottom and preferred to go my own way which I still do. Some only envied while others despised such individuality and succumbing to society when it brings no benefit is a sign of weakness.

People who collect things based on nostalgia were usually the socially popular types in HS and it simply reminds them of a time when they were cool and had tons of friends and girls hanging off their arms, especially since a lot of them peaked in their HS years and became boring losers afterwards.

Some of us were never popular or part of the social scene in school, so we did whatever we wanted and weren't fixated on impressing others.

Now my mom...she knows (or used to know anyway) one antique dealer who said she was into Victorian fashion whatever stuff as a kid. Almost too predictably, she got...well, beaten up.

Visit websites dedicated to collecting antique tube radios. Many of these guys are 50-60 yos who inherited their dad's radio or whatever and they worry quite a bit as to whether younger guys will be into that stuff. And you do see some on there, even the occasional teenage kid, who I imagine are the nerd types I mentioned who aren't part of the social scene.

I loathe anyone who becomes a cheap manufactured robot just to fit in

That's what your HS years are like. Trying to conform with the herd. It always has been and always will be that way.

Sometimes it's hard for a younger guy to break into a collecting scene as well. On one of the radio forums I mentioned, this guy mentioned how back in the 80s, you'd have these radio collector clubs populated by old guys who were around in the 40s when the things were new (most of them have died by now). He said (paraphrasing) "If you were 30 and you brought your radios into a club or swap meet, a lot of the old dudes would snub you no matter how nice your collection was. They'd be like 'Pfft. Get out of here, kid. What do _you_ know about our radios?'" because apparently they viewed the real purpose of these clubs as a social networking thing for guys their age (radios were an excuse for them to get together and swap WWII stories or whatever) and they didn't welcome outsiders.

I am only 23 so I am a long way from being an "old fart" but I do look to older things due to taste and character. Time to time at yard sales I always spot those 80s and 90s bazooka sized "boom boxes" with the thought in the back in my head I "want this". Same for the tube type amps ect. To put it short and simple I am an odd type. Maybe the idea will catch on that the future shouldn't be all plastic and see through acrylic.

Sometimes it's hard for a younger guy to break into a collecting scene as well. On one of the radio forums I mentioned, this guy mentioned how back in the 80s, you'd have these radio collector clubs populated by old guys who were around in the 40s when the things were new (most of them have died by now). He said (paraphrasing) "If you were 30 and you brought your radios into a club or swap meet, a lot of the old dudes would snub you no matter how nice your collection was. They'd be like 'Pfft. Get out of here, kid. What do _you_ know about our radios?'" because apparently they viewed the real purpose of these clubs as a social networking thing for guys their age (radios were an excuse for them to get together and swap WWII stories or whatever) and they didn't welcome outsiders.

Continued...

I saw this same thing happen on old 90s posts on rec.games.video.classic. These guys would talk about Atari 2600 games or whatever and then veer off into random chitchat about 80s cartoon shows or other childhood stuff. Same thing. They really just were trying to have some kind of social bonding with guys their age and it was never really about retrogaming.

One of the more comical things I ever read was on a car forum where some 50 yo dude was in a full-bore sweating rant about how "You kids could collect 60s muscle cars, but they can never mean the same thing to you they did to us you didn't lose your virginity in the back of a 67 Chevelle" and all that. It was hysterical reading because this guy clearly didn't want 20 and 30 yos to be interested in 60s muscle cars or even like them. "This stuff is for mah generashun only gtfo stupid kids."

Maybe we should develop some old dude snobbery here at VOGONS 🤣

Seriously though I think it's great that we have such a wide range of ages and interests here and that everyone seems to get along quite well (most of the time!)

kao wrote:

15 yos face huge peer pressure to do whatever is currently cool, so even if they liked retro gaming, they're not gonna admit to it and certainly not among their friends.

Is retro gaming really this terminally uncool these days? My impression was that there's a large segment of beardo hipster douchebags in skinny jeans who eat up anything "8-bit" (pixellated visuals, chiptune music, tight-fitting t-shirts with prints of tape cassettes and belt buckles shaped like NES controllers). No idea how much this has permeated into the "teen" age-group, but what do I know.

Then again, hipsterism is all about aesthetics and flashing the right mix of social cues... really the polar opposite of being "into" something with any kind of serious interest. Won't hold my breath on any of those types developing a genuine appreciation of anything at all beyond its aesthetics.

The retro-gaming "lifestyle" thing is something that does seem to be out there. Other than the aesthetic features on things like t-shirts and in music, there are the indie retro-gaming recreations that have come in the past few years. There must be a crowd that eats this stuff up. Actually it reminds me of kids who are into '70s clothes and such and maybe it is connected directly to that.

VileRancour wrote:

kao wrote:

15 yos face huge peer pressure to do whatever is currently cool, so even if they liked retro gaming, they're not gonna admit to it and certainly not among their friends.

Is retro gaming really this terminally uncool these days? My impression was that there's a large segment of beardo hipster douchebags in skinny jeans who eat up anything "8-bit" (pixellated visuals, chiptune music, tight-fitting t-shirts with prints of tape cassettes and belt buckles shaped like NES controllers). No idea how much this has permeated into the "teen" age-group, but what do I know.

Then again, hipsterism is all about aesthetics and flashing the right mix of social cues... really the polar opposite of being "into" something with any kind of serious interest. Won't hold my breath on any of those types developing a genuine appreciation of anything at all beyond its aesthetics.

You summed up humanity in some ways in that post but boil it down it is vanity.

swaaye wrote:

Seriously though I think it's great that we have such a wide range of ages and interests here and that everyone seems to get along quite well (most of the time!)

Exactly 🤣

Personally I don't know of any teenagers that like old hardware (or old games), but that may be because I know very little people right now who are around 20 years old now.
And seeing people aged 20 and younger having an interest in a 486, I just like it that way 😀

Why would I not want people aged 20 have an interest in computers their age or older for the reason "they never experienced them when they were new", as I myself only experienced my first own computer when I finally got my Pentium 2. Does that mean I'm somehow not allowed to have a liking in something that's older then a Pentium 2?
That just sounds silly to me 😜

So far I've noticed this site is about retro computing, in a lot of different aspects. We're totally different, but also have a lot in common.

Btw, I collect partially because of nostalgia, but also for other reasons.
And why I am typing this, I don't know. I'm tired, it's time for bed for me 😜

Im on retro console forums too and there are some 18 years old fascinated by 8 bit and 16 bit consoles, who actually know their games and innards. So yes, the young retro gamers are out there but they definitely are not common.

For my part the nostalgia factor plays a role for my love of DOS and 16 bit consoles, but at this point i am simply fascinated by the hardware and games of the past, I spend more time researching stuff and modding consoles, refurbishing computers than i actually spend playing with them :p

Is retro gaming really this terminally uncool these days? My impression was that there's a large segment of beardo hipster douchebags in skinny jeans who eat up anything "8-bit" (pixellated visuals, chiptune music, tight-fitting t-shirts with prints of tape cassettes and belt buckles shaped like NES controllers). No idea how much this has permeated into the "teen" age group, but what do I know.

True...although in most cases they're talking about console gaming as opposed to computer gaming, which is a much different and more nerd-like field because it requires technical skills. There's a large difference between popping a cartridge in an Atari 2600 and playing Ultima on an Apple II. Computer gaming requires at least minimal knowledge of how the hardware works while console gaming does not.

Seriously though I think it's great that we have such a wide range of ages and interests here and that everyone seems to get along quite well (most of the time!)

This site and Lemon 64 and Vintage-Computer.com are all very good communities which have a lot of technical knowledge, but then as I said, all of them center on computers rather than consoles. Console forums have always attracted the worst imaginable cancer. Even the old days of 90s Usenet was pretty bad.

Does that mean I'm somehow not allowed to have a liking in something that's older then a Pentium 2?

It's like I said. Social pressure. Many people feel like their age group is only allowed to like certain things and they want to conform with the herd so they don't become outcasts. Or when you run into sweatbags like that guy on the muscle car forum I mentioned.

but at this point i am simply fascinated by the hardware and games of the past, I spend more time researching stuff and modding consoles, refurbishing computers than i actually spend playing with them

I often find the technical aspects of a game more interesting than actually playing it. Like X game is pretty boring stuff from a gameplay standpoint, but it does Y cool graphics trick.

The worst possible thing a game can do is to not only be boring to play, but have nothing technically interesting. One of my favorite examples is the old Sharedata Wheel of Fortune game for the PC, C64, and Apple II. Aside from being shovelware of the worst kind, the audiovisuals are so elementary that it looks almost like it was written in BASIC.

Personally I don't know of any teenagers that like old hardware (or old games), but that may be because I know very little people right now who are around 20 years old now.

I don't either aside from family.