I'm not much into games. I like the hardware and the nostalgia it brings with setting up these dated systems. For games, I never much played beyond the original Nintendo, the one from the ads that would say, "now you're playing with power". I had only used computers for more academic necessities after I grew out of Nintendo and gaming, so there is no nostalgia with me and computer gaming. I use PC games in the present day mostly for benchmarking and for confirming that systems are functioning properly. In the past few years, I've played a little GLQuake and Outlaws because my hyper 486 would play them with decent frame rates. If I am going to force myself to play a game, I don't want to do a whole lot of learning how to play the game, so GLQuake and Outlaws suited my criterion. Actually, now that I think about it, there were two games I played in the 90's on the PC - Subspace and Acrophobia. Both are online-only games and there isn't much following these days.

Even folks who grew up playing 90's games, it seems like they are more interested in hardware and collection these days. We are getting old and time is disappearing. In the 80's, I used Nintendo games as a means to hasten the passage of time. This void of time does not exist in my life today as it once did. I try to fit in about an hour of hardware tinkering at the end of the day, but that hour is hardly enough to get much done.

I do have a list of early 3D games that I am slowly trying to get setup on my systems. I'm about 1/3 the way there. I'm hoping one day my wife will be OK with me letting the kids play the games because everyday all I hear is "I'm bored" out of them. When they are bored, they eventually start beating up on each other (I have 3 kids), and then screaming. This takes more of my time to entertain them, so I can see why many parents have been tempted to throw a console on the floor. I've got 'em started with PacMan and Tetris already, but the novelty doesn't last long.

I'm not into games at all even though I used to play a lot. I just love learning about old hardware, buying and collecting them, building computers and tinkering with software. I also collect damaged and non-working components because repairing electronics is fun. I quit gaming because a new rig costs a fortune and I didn't want to spend all my money on constant upgrades. Recent games are just not worth it to me.

I'm not much for gaming either regardless of what it may seem at first, but I prefer to have older PC's around to make music with.

Hell, I still find it amazing a CMI8738 can work in a modern Linux kernel. OPL3 and everything.

Programming is the primary use of my retro PCs. I do have many fond memories of playing DOS games and such during the 90's, but even at that age, when it came time to play games I was also mostly a console gamer. During the 90's the majority of my computer time was spent with QBasic/QuickBASIC (and then later, DJGPP, VB4, etc. ...). Today, I do use my retro PCs to play games, but that is definitely more of a "once in a while" thing.

I do keep a collection of games now and refuse to play anything I don't physically own (this is in stark contrast to younger-me who didn't legitimately own any of the PC games I played, 🤣). I do the same for applications and OS's too. I've been able to get most of the development tools I care about including a bunch of manuals (not pictured) as well as other published books. Perhaps this is silly in 2019, but I like the idea of having a library of programming books and other printed reference materials that I would not need to do a Google search for almost anything (to kind of replicate how it would have been in the mid-90's where I did not have access to the internet).

Anyway, yeah, there are definitely some of us non-gaming retro PC enthusiasts out there. 😀

I would not describe myself as a retro gamer anymore, instead I am more fascinated by the old hardware, getting things to work and making it look like new (I own a small collection that I don't sell). I don't do programming, because I don't see any purpose in it (so much old software free to download everywhere). Most of all I am trader in classic computer stuff, which is nice work, among others because I get to enjoy a lot of old computer stuff for a while and then get the opportunity to sell it for a small profit.

I got into PCs for gaming. However, I've always been interested in the non-gaming aspects, although for classic hardware, it wasn't PCs. Rather, other architectures such as exotic graphics workstations which were technologically more advanced than PCs. And also esoteric OSes on said workstations. Acorn, Commodore, Atari, SGI, HP, DEC, NeXT and to a lesser degree Apple, all made nicer hardware, including non-PC IBM stuff like their UNIX variants.

Besides games, I'm planning on using vintage PCs and sequencers to muck around making music. As a side project to games, I'm building a mini studio and production workflow to do this when I get around finishing some builds.

I use my old computers for playing old music CDROM’s too. Sound good with a good sound cards and good speaker setup.

How is writing games "non-gaming"?

I'm an enigma even to myself. I do play games, just not nearly as much as you would assume if you were to look at the MASSIVE library of games I own. Of which I've played a fraction of a percent. 😉 I enjoy games, and I think if I had things set up to where it was convenient to do so, I would play them more... so I'm trying to make that happen.

But, there is a bit of a paradox with retro hardware.

I don't get any excitement over using Word 95 vs. Word 2016. Maybe it's amusing for ten minutes, but I wouldn't really use it for serious work. Similarly, if I were to compare the state of Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software from ~2000 to now... no thank you, I'll take my Studio One with my library of VSTs and CPU power for days over the ... uh... "thrill" of pre-rendering tracks with so-so digital effects, and bouncing sub-groups to disk so the poor thing can keep up. Old PCs can't handle the modern web, and why would I want to force an old (but not THAT old) PC to struggle with video when I can use an ARM device small enough to swallow to do so, effortlessly, instead?

That really leaves games. And development... which is interesting to me. The hardware and software are simple enough that one person can comprehend it and develop useful things for it. Is it really useful? Maybe to others like me, who are also looking for an excuse to play with old hardware. It's all a bit self-justifying, sure, but it all comes down to one thing that trumps any argument to the contrary -- at least for me:

I like this old stuff. It comes from a time I remember fondly, and it feels good to use it again. I smile when I see the Windows flag on a cloudy background, or hear an MT-32. It might be silly, but it brings me joy, and it's still (at least a little) cheaper than a drug addiction, so... sure why not?

Games are what got me into this, but now I would say its 50% hardware 30% games, 20% Server software.
Over half my retro rigs are duel CPU with some old server based OS and apps to mess around with, not that they are used for anything productive, just my own entertainment.

I've never been much interested in games and mostly use my rigs for music production, writing, programming and various DIY activities 😀

I enjoy using retro computers where they actually still can do the job without sacrificing usability for fun and (mainly) to use old peripherals that are not supported by modern computers / operating systems any more:

Mainly electronics related stuff like controlling measurement equipment via GP-IB / HP-IB (IEEE-488 bus), using old parallel-port EPROM-programmers.

The oldest systems still in "productive" use:
- IBM PS/2 9595 (Pentium 60 microchannel system) running Windows NT4
- Dual PII-400 running NT4/Linux.

Older systems (down to 286 systems and HP a 9515) are just collectibles though - they can only be used to getting any job done more challenging as a hobby. Or to look nice on a shelf.

This will sound "weird" but I enjoy putting systems together and just see if I can get the games to run, don't actually play them
through. It's the trouble-shooting/puzzle solving stuff I like and believe me there's no shortage of puzzles messing with retro pc's.