The gaming world is growing, and it’s only getting bigger. The industry has gotten complex and quite successful. Professional gamers can make a living nowadays, and there’s even a subculture of folks who like watching professional gamers play these games. What are some of the benefits of playing retro games?
Not surprisingly, many people are turning to retro games. The good thing is that there are some benefits of returning to old games.
A Nostalgic Perk
One reason people love to play retro games is that it’s nostalgic. Something about reliving those old games helps a person reconnect to the past.
Games, especially the older and classic ones, have been around for more than 20 years, and most gamers are in their 30s, so they have some experience with retro games.
When you play a game, something strange happens to the brain. Since you’re controlling the character or movements, you feel connected to the game. This makes it easier to identify yourself with that game. It almost becomes an extension of who you were at the time. Playing this retro game makes you feel nostalgic because of this.
The bittersweet emotion you experience when you feel nostalgia is a good thing for you. It triggers all sorts of memories that you might have locked away, and it helps you experience them again. On top of that, nostalgia is known to help prevent loneliness because it reminds you of being at home with friends and family.
Sense of Happiness
One thing all games were designed to do is make us happy. Yes, of course, modern games are there to make you happy but so are older, classic games.
In addition to helping you feel good, older games add that extra touch of nostalgia mentioned earlier. This means when you play something like solitaire, you’ll be feeling an extra bit of happiness because you remember playing this game when you were younger. Most folks remember playing solitaire as they waited for a file to download.
A game like solitaire goes beyond making you feel good; the game challenges you, and that’s part of what makes it so great for your mood. A fun challenge helps your mood because you confront an obstacle.
The brain loves to confront challenges and figure out ways to overcome them. When you win, you’ll feel a boost of happiness. The same thing goes for any other type of game you decide to play.
Go ahead and dive into those benefits of retro games that used to bring you so much joy and keep playing because they aren’t done with you yet.
The Joy of Family
Face it, many of today’s games are not family-friendly. Some of the most popular games today are about war or automobile thievery. These aren’t the kind of games you want to play with your kids, but the good thing is that retro games are fine.
Sure, a few older games are a bit violent, but you can filter those out. Truth be told, some of the most iconic games from the past are very family-friendly.
One perk of playing older games is that you can enjoy them with your kids. You can talk to them about what kind of kid you were when you were younger while you play. This way, your kids get to see a side of you that they might not have seen if it wasn’t for this retro game.
Sharing something that means that much to you with your family is special. It helps create stronger family bonds, and that’s a good thing for everyone.
These older games might not be what your kids are used to, but most of them are so well designed that the chances of your kids falling in love with them is high. As a side note, most retro games and consoles are pretty inexpensive, so going back to see the benefits of retro games with your kids is going to be affordable, which is a major perk.
Sense of Community
Going back to these older games helps you join a growing community of people who are going back. With today’s technology, you can join forums where you get to talk to other people who are playing the same games.
Maybe you get to discover cheat codes you didn’t know about when you were younger, or you might make friends with people who share similar interests. Finding a community that you share a lot in common with is a good thing for anyone.
It makes you feel like you belong, and that’s something all human beings need. Those who don’t want to use older consoles can play retro games directly on their computer. Some sites offer these games free of charge.
You get to play while you chat with other players live. That’s something you could never do before. Of course, you can always host game days where you invite your friends to come and play with you for a bit.
Even wearing a shirt with your favorite retro games could help bring some positive feelings inside you, especially if you get some recognition from a fellow retro gamer that you might meet while you’re out and about.
These are just some perks of going back to your old games, but there are many more, like being able to fight stress since the feel-good hormones you’ll be producing help reduce stress hormones. You know how pervasive stress is, so having a few retro games can help give you some peace is only right.
