Is Nostalgia Your Friend or Enemy? - Retro Bird

Most retro gamers are aware of the warm fuzzy feelings we can get from nostalgia, but is there a potential downside as well? In this video, I take a look at arguments both for and against nostalgia.
Is Nostalgia Your Friend or Enemy? - Retro Bird / Nostalgic Video Games / Does Nostalgia Blind You? / Rose Tinted Glasses / Retro Gaming Based on Nostalgia / Nostalgia Goggles / Is Nostalgia a Problem / Issue? / Downsides?
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#retrobird

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Games played: Sonic CD (0:00), DuckTales (0:19), The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (0:31) Rayman (0:40), Zombies Ate My Neighbors (0:50), Goldeneye 007 (8:45)

[@biggab8066]

Dude you have a striking resemblance to AL Bundy... married with children...wow

[@michaelcullinane3924]

Retro Bird, please change your shoes in one of your videos. Keep up the good work. Thank you.

[@_jonjo]

Nostalgia is your wallets worst enemy

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

feels weird to see Sonic in the intro with the Bug's Bunny Birthday Blowout music...

[@JoshuaJayMusic]

This guy is literally the Mister Rogers of retro gaming.

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

He is related to Larry byrd

[@MrCFH420]

As a 40 year old I agree, respect, and recommend this gentleman gamer.

[@tonyp9313]

Can we stop comparing him to Mr. Rogers please.

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

@@tonyp9313 yeah I don't really see it

[@mikeall7012]

He is like Mr. Roger's meets a PG version of Tim and Eric

[@robertcrandell4557]

Nostalgia is 90% of my purchases. Great memories you want to recreate. Or things you always wanted you can now acquire. One day i will build a basement mancave into a replica 90s movie video rental/ gamestore.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

The video store could be a good setup. Gotta have some snacks for "purchase" out and available too :)

[@rosetinted64]

Rose tinted vision can often leave a lasting impression, but if a game is genuinely good it will stand the test of time.

[@tonyp9313]

Yeah. Like Super Mario World. I love it even more now then when I was a kid.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I definitely agree with this :) I love the way you articulated that my friend!

[@superbn0va]

Games back than did things that modern games simply don’t

[@RemoWilliams1227]

​@@RetroBirdGamingwell actually.... Just messing around lol

[@megamob5834]

I actually have the opposite problem with goldeneye. I played it and perfect dark so much and am not a huge fan of FPS’s outside of them really. So when I do play a modern FPS it feels foreign to me. Like “how the hell do i strafe!? Why is there no trigger behind this thumb stick!? Why am I old!?”

[@blitheringrando1410]

I dont get a ton of time to game, so I get a big nostalgia hit from watching these videos most days. Your questions, thoughts and stories bring me back to my childhood in a lot of ways. We all knew that kid that had every game and hogged the controller. I remember the old friends I made through gaming. I always look forward to your videos to remember something old or learn something new. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@tonyp9313]

Oh yeah there was that as kids. Them being selfish hogging the controller.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear the videos help you tap into some old memories and thank you for continuing to watch the channel :)

[@Keepskatin]

This channel is Gold entertainment, funny , nostalgic, informative, educational,, inspirational. You should have millions of subs. Glad the algorithm brought me here a few weeks ago.

[@wulver810]

Ahhh good ol' Sierra Mist. I found a vending machine with a few bottles left.

[@CarmenOfSpades]

I'm fortunate that I stopped playing FPS games after Goldeneye/Perfect Dark/Timesplitters, so I can go and still play and enjoy those games as much as I did back when they were new.

[@MattAkiyama1]

That Mega Man X4 case you pulled out is a big nostalgia hit for me. I LOVED that game back then, and I still love it now. One of my fav games of all time.

[@eggsngaming]

And that SOUNDTRACK

[@shadowassassin6106]

I grow up playing 16bit but I'm the opposite where I can only play newer games or retro inspired games. I never go back to replay games after I have finished them.

[@bencox5994]

The bumblebee butt part had me laughing

[@tfee97]

"Nostalgia like talking to that one friend you keep wanting to stop being friends with" Boy even at 25, this rings so trueee

[@magic3383]

There's another component to this for me as a father to three young children. I greatly prefer the world I grew up in to the world they're growing up in. Old shows, old movies, and old games on old crt TV's brings a vibe into our home that simply doesn't exist with the media being produced today.

[@cober5768]

Nostalgia is amazing! … In moderation :) (Trust me, don’t use it in arguments, regardless of which side you’re on)

[@itsgruz]

Nostalgia in retro gaming can be comforting and remind us of past joys, but it can also prevent us from appreciating the present. Striking a balance between the classic games we love and the new opportunities of modern gaming is key to fully enjoying the diverse world of gaming.

[@the_kombinator]

Eh, there's enough retro games on console and PC from 1985-2000 to keep me entertained for life. Now I'm starting to play them with my kid on occasion (just finished Crystalis) which gives them a second life as I'm not playing the games on autopilot - my kid will often intervene and say to do this or pick that option (sometimes makes HOMM II hard to win lol) or ask me why I did that and not this and yeah, I just never thought about it that way. So, I am enjoying the past AND enjoying the present. I just don't do it that often - other aspects of life (hah, going outdoors) deserve their own appreciation. Everything in moderation.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Both. Nostalgia is like coming back to an old friend to re-live old memories together but sometimes nostalgia make you want to live in the past causing you to buy lots of expensive games. I mean, who wouldn't be happy to dance on a toilet? They take our poop away.

[@SoundPixelProductions]

You make some great points in this video. When it comes to nostalgia in video games, it can be lost if used too much, too often. If I played Shenmue on the Dreamcast every afternoon, eating chicken-flavored ramen noodles and looking for sailors, it would remind me less of my childhood and more of yesterday... and I would probably have diabetes. Nostalgia should be used sparingly, looked back on fondly in moments of despair to rejuvenate the present, but should not take away from the future. Not to say there isn't room for nostalgic fun when things are good, but it should not consume your every day. Also, I chuckle when you call someone a "dirty dog". Great stuff, Bird.

[@wulver810]

This is my problem, I want to boot up and listen to Ocarina of Time, but afraid it would erase my memory of hearing it as a kid if you know what I mean.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I see what you're saying. That way the nostalgic feelings can remain novel.

[@SoundPixelProductions]

@@wulver810 Ocarina of Time is a really nostalgic game for me as well. If I want to feel maximum nostalgia, I wait for summer days to play it, just as I did as a kid. I don't think you should be afraid of losing that nostalgia, but it may not be as strong if the time, setting, and mood aren't right.

[@wulver810]

@@SoundPixelProductions That is when I crank out some laps in Wave Race!

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

Nostalgia is like most things in life. Fantastic in moderation, harmful if overindulged. In relation to games, all that really matters is are you having fun, and not at the expense of your responsibilities?

[@Gutsyredcoat]

The hardest most depressing thing to accept is "things will never be the same again" but once you can honestly stomach that, you can healthily indulge in nostalgia to wash it down without expectations of life being like it was

[@erneststackhouse1133]

Nostalgia was my enemy one time. As a kid I was at a moving sale & I had enough money for a mini arcade Donkey Kong. Being a kid I broke it a month later, but it gave me hours of fun. Fast forward to the future & they started to resell them as Vintage Mini Arcade Donkey Kong games. Nostalgia got the better of me & I bought it. Played through all 3 levels & it went back to the 1st level again. Then reality hit me, why am I playing this when I have the Donkey Kong game on the Game Boy with tons of levels? At least I felt like a kid for a brief moment.

[@killingtimeonline]

Over the years I've revisited a lot of older games I remembered playing as a kid, but upon playing them I realised I had a lot of nostalgia for the first level, and I was never really able to get much further than that because of old school difficulty. It happens a lot more than I want to admit

[@wesleywyndam-pryce4081]

yeah you enjoy it for half an hour or so then you wake up and dont want to continue 😂

[@kingedwin]

I remember being excited when I first played Dishonored, because it reminded me of Thief. Then I quickly realized I no longer have the patience for those types of stealth mechanics.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I always thought Dishonored might be a game I'd like. Never tried it though.

[@3dmarth]

@@RetroBirdGaming Someone recommended Dishonored to me as a game that captures some of Goldeneye's appeal and design sensibilities, but without being outdated. And I'd have to say they were onto something there: it has a similar way of giving you not just a corridor to blast your way through, but more of an actual place, a sandbox that lets you approach each mission in different ways. I've played through it a few times, which isn't something I've often done with newer games!

[@MrMarrekkk]

You’ve got a point-playing games and consoles that I’ve only heard of before is probably the most exciting feature of retro gaming, right now Sega Mega Drive(Genesis) is my favourite system and I only bought it in September 2022. Great video as always, thank you!

[@Paul07791]

Retro gaming for me is a lot about playing games/consoles I wanted but DIDN'T have as a kid. It is nostalgia because I imagine being back there whilst playing.

[@OtterloopB]

It's Friday! It's go time with the Bird, boys! 🙌

[@Sly88Frye]

Okay this is quite the introduction to your channel. I've never seen it before until just now and this was really entertaining and you made some incredibly valid points in both directions

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you and welcome to the channel! Glad to have you here :)

[@bnthewilderness]

I think one of the strangest cases of nostalgia comes from when you go to play an old MMORPG. For example, I played a game called Ultima Online back in the late 90s and it’s still online as of today, however, it is a completely different game now. It’s weird because the locations and the art looked the same but the core game and the way you interact with people is vastly different than when the game first released.

[@retroisamoneypit4061]

This video is one of my favorites you've done. It just hits different and resonates with me. I've been a fan since covid and this one just cuts to the underlying root of why many people enter and enjoy the hobby. Thanks for keeping up the awesome content.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you! I appreciate hearing that :)

[@tommythrowback]

Nostalgia is a powerful thing! Sometimes I have to leave my wallet at home when I’m close to a retro game store 😂

[@tonyp9313]

Yeah it is hard not to buy anything when you are at those stores.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Not a bad strategy if you're looking to set yourself up for success :)

[@tommythrowback]

@@RetroBirdGaming the best path to success is to sub to Retro Bird!

[@matthewleblanc2451]

Chocolate 🍫 analogy hahahahh 👌👏 hit me in the feels

[@Roger-fs5yo]

My nostalgia is bankrupting me🥺

[@matthewheupel8960]

I know the feeling...

[@charliehustle2591]

Great episode. I have nostalgia for the games I played, the games I missed, and also one of the best times in my life.

[@williamburrows6215]

These discussion videos are so meaningful to me. I often feel the need to rewatch the video with my wife so she can understand where I am coming from.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

That's really cool to hear!

[@goon5544]

I still like retro but really scratched that deep itch where now I am actually kinda excited for new games coming out this year and buying games day one. I still play retro and indie retro games but having good times with new games too which is cool because I'm having a good time and that's all that matters.

[@johnsgamingandmore1237]

Every once in a while...about once a month or so...I'll bust out my original base set, fossil, and jungle Pokémon cards and look through them. Those were great times of my childhood. I'm 38 and still collect the cards and play the older games

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Funny enough, I only learned how to play the actual card game as an adult. Turns out I think it's actually pretty fun. Naturally, I have nobody to play it with now :)

[@johnsgamingandmore1237]

@RetroBirdGaming I've been playing since it first released in America lol there's a few changes to the rules since it first came out but not major changes. I had a deck that had 182W - 2L...it was pretty good

[@josephbradshaw6985]

I don't get into 3D games. So it's not just nostalgia why I like retro, it's also a preference for that style of game.

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

You got my nastagia with that PSOne with the screen and Rayman with the long box. That’s frickin’ sick.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear you're a fan. I think it's a pretty sweet combo as well :)

[@metaldiceman]

2:22 I feel targeted. 10pm - 12am is the exact block of time I have allocated for gaming / free time.

[@mattb6522]

It is quite fun to experience games from your childhood era that you never got to play. Goldeneye is definitely a good example of nostalgia fuel. For me, many early 3D games on the Saturn, PSX and N64 haven't aged the best and might be difficult to get back into as an adult. I mean, I played Donkey Kong 64 to death as a kid, but I tried replaying it years ago and it just wasn't the same. It just felt more tedious than I had remembered. Game companies also realize the power of nostalgia, too. Heck, Nintendo's business model has banked on nostalgia for decades! Life changes, but it is nice to revisit old memories that give you a sense of comfort and joy. The same goes with older games you played when you were younger. I enjoy nostalgia in moderation as I balance out classic and modern (both have value). I am a sucker of remastered games of my childhood such as games like Crash N Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited, and the Link's Awakening remake on Switch.

[@daakrolb]

Dude I love it.... but I am realizing it hampers progress & truly growing up. Nostalgia should be used VERY sparingly...

[@andrewdowell6474]

I've had to fight off the nostalgia trap when I realized I only replayed the same games for years. Now I force myself to clear my backlog, doing a mix of older and newer, just so long as it's new to me. I made an exception for Breath of the Wild, however. I just replayed that to get ready for Tears of the Kingdom.

[@Jack-nj9pi]

Older games are so good that new ones dont always hit like them so its easy to go back and replay them like tis nothing lol

[@danborggren6608]

I am reliving my past through video games with my kids😊 I love seeing them enjoying the classics from NES, SNES and Genesis.

[@curtislinden9297]

I still watch a ton of retro gaming content but stopped collecting years ago, and sold off everything that didn’t have personal meaning to me. I’ve taken up riding a bicycle among other hobbies, and in 20 years I’ll have nostalgia for them too. I still enjoy retro games either playing or consuming content, without taking myself out of the present moment and creating new memories for future nostalgia

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear you've managed to keep retro gaming around in a way that works for you. A lot of times people are compelled to just go cold turkey and cut it out entirely.

[@princessnodak]

I don't really do the nostalgia thing as much as wanting to play stuff I didn't have growing up, cuz I only had a handful of games, so there's a whole world of other games to play....I use the games I DID have to test emulators and such, cuz I know how things are supposed to work in those games, so they make good test subjects

[@danielordonez412]

you're awesome. live the present with all its posibilities. not just hunt for mediocre mainstream. music is a great example of this. some oldies may be nostalgic, others are just always good.

[@Ty-douken]

I find I'm a very Nostalgic person in general, but not because I dislike my life now (outside of a few things like most people) rather because I enjoy so much! Specifically relating to games I wish I had more time to enjoy them than I do now, but I find lately I'm nostalgic for how pick up & play games used to be. Recently beating DKC: Tropical Freeze helped me understand that as it was fun being able to turn a game on & just play. I've found myself excited for more Souls-ish games for the same reason as they tend to be more gameplay focused even if they have a story. With that said, I think we'll be waddling around as old folks with our Super Soakers together!

[@deltasyn7434]

I'd like to see a commentary on Remakes of older titles and how nostalgia effects our perspective on them. I remember getting Super Matio All Stars as a kid and being really excited for it. But the novelty wore off and once that happened, I went back to the original NES versions. I'm not even sure if I understood what nostalgia was at the time. A more similar and more recent experience was Sonic 4. There is nothing wrong with the game, but it's just not the same. That said, I have a lot of disdain for remakes/remasters. Except for the 'remake with a twist' like FFVII Remake. I was very cynical about this game until I warmed up to it. I didn't think the updated graphics and the bravado would do anything for me. But once I realized that the story had a new twist I had become intrigued. That intrigue brought back memories from when I played the original FFVII. That feeling I had when I was a kid. That is ultimately what I seek in nostalgia, but very rarely find. If FFVII had stayed true to the original story, I would have lost interest very fast. That said, the only other time I experienced anything similar was when I discovered Rondo of Blood on the TG16. It was old, but new to me. And it was that new experience from something old that put me back in that mind space. Which I suppose is like what you were saying about the old/new games you collect.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I had a similar experience with Rondo of Blood the first time I played it (which was as an adult).

[@deltasyn7434]

@@RetroBirdGaming Something I'd like to add is how I had that same 'empty feeling' from the PSP remaster of Rondo of Blood. They did a great job and the gameplay 'feels' just like the original. But I always feel like something is lost in these graphical updates. In a way, you one can look at the graphics and music of a game are intrinsic to it's 'artistic identify' if you will. LIke if someone tried to update a classic painting to something photorealistic. It would be in bad taste as effectively destroys the original. I guess that is getting into the whole 'are video games art?" debate. That said, art is in the eye of the beholder and people are treating something like an artform, then it is art.

[@vintagecrazyjay4970]

Ah Nostalgia, how I love thee - let me count the ways: 1. Playing Zelda, Super Mario Bros and Contra with friends 2. Riding bikes around the neighborhood and looking for the house with all the bikes out front so I could find where all my friends were located 3. Going to Toys "R" Us and it feeling like Disneyland! 4. Saturday morning cartoons 5. Arcades 6. Video Game/Movie Rental stores! Absolutely loved growing up in the 80's and wouldn't trade it for anything. When my son was born, I did go down the rabbit hole and started buying all the video games/toys I had as a kid and that punched me right in the wallet! All good now, kept only what I plan on keeping and only the things that mean something to me. Nostalgia is great, but keep your wallet in check! Enjoy the memories!

[@Fanatical_Empathy]

I love Mario kart 64, but it doesn't have just shy of 100 tracks. The only thing holding Mario kart 8 deluxe back is a track editor. I love how little they have changed the formula from snes to mk8. I have gone back to goldeneye right after I beat Halo in 2001-2002. I didn't have a great time due to the controls (back when I was a kid) now as an adult, I see older games with non "traditional layouts" as a fun change of pace. I dislike every game feeling the same from movement to aiming to fail states. Keep it up Retro! Love it man, be yourself and I am firmly on your lawn.

[@FTChomp9980]

Best way I can describe it for Nostalgia: It's like a 2 sided coin basically well like Nostalgia can be used for good by going back remembering the good ol days. The Other side is destroying the franchise you grew up with basically using Nostalgia for evil.

[@SoundPixelProductions]

When you say "evil", I assume you mean political signaling.

[@FTChomp9980]

@SoundPixel Production when I mean evil in other words bad stories with weak characters using Nostalgia for bad.

[@danbauer3669]

It's like music. Sometimes your favorite songs have nothing to do with the meaning of those songs but more to do with a person or place or time that that song brings you back to. And as time goes on, maybe you learn that song is actually about something horrible or it wasn't actually a good as you remember but you stick with it anyway because, "I just like it, dammit!" Nothing wrong with that, I say.

[@13Carrey1]

I wonder how a SEGA Fan of the 90's feel when they only had SEGA Consoles and no Nintendo one's and now maybe playing the Nintendo Stuff. Same for Nintendo lovers i mean on the switch are the Genesis games so I personally have a great Time with Shining Force :)

[@mikeall7012]

I love the nostalgic feeling, however I feel it makes me hyperfocus on my classic favorites, as opposed ro branching our and trying new, old games. The classic mini systems helped me break that a bit. I have played so many of the sega 1/2, th16, nes and snes classic mini games and loved it. The ps1 mini was an odd bird because I already owned most of the games anyway. As an aside... me and my buds still love playing golden eye and perfect dark. It's a pure way to have some genuine fun. Fighting Golf for the NES is another one that passes the test of time for us as well.

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

I have seen injuries sustained from porcelain toilet seat kid was standing on... Almost cut the girl in half... No joke that happens and can cause some rather gruesome lacerations

[@RetroRivals]

Nostalgia doesn’t influence me very much because I got into gaming only a few years ago but for Scott, the nostalgia bug is a big deal, from video games to toys, comic books, vhs and vinyl. It’s gotten a bit crazy but thankfully not overboard….yet

[@riversart2030]

I admit that nostalgia is a factor but I still love playing Goldeneye and Perfect Dark to this day. The controls might take some getting used to for someone who has never played them but I think the gameplay still holds up very well. The only bad part for me is that the N64 controller's hard joystick painfully digs into my old man thumb. I had to buy some rubber joystick covers just so that I am still able to play N64 games.

[@anthonyseck3782]

Sonic CD in the background matches with the past nostalgia theme lol

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I was hoping some people would catch that :)

[@va8157]

I was born in 99 so I never really have any nostalgia for anything older than the ps2. I play retrogames because I think they're just as fun as modern games and looks just as beautiful. It's a lot of fun discovering old games that really fits my taste!

[@realguitarthur]

Was helping move stuff out of my parents' storage to a new unit, and happened to find Spy vs. Spy for the Sega Master System--a game that I have been missing since sometime in the early 90's, but not one of my favorites. At any rate, I took it home and played it, and all negative nostalgia that I had for that game playing with family came rushing back because I absolutely suck at playing that game...LOL! But I do have plenty of great nostalgia playing other games I grew up with and still have. Great video as always! :)

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thanks!

[@Okazu84]

Retrogaming nostalgia usually comes in two distinct phases for most of us (correct me if I'm wrong but that's the vastly dominant feedback I get from other folks queried on the same). First phase was quite basically the very definition of nostalgia, as quite aptly put already by RetroBird and I have nothing intelligent to add. Be able to recreate a past context we feel attached to in the best feasible way possible. To achieve that you usually delve into completely casual gaming of the very first moment of every game in your collection, without feeling the need to keep focus and seriously try to beat any given title in particular. You're not after gaming at that point just yet, but rather enjoy the access to those old gems of your glorious past and that's sufficient for a time as you jump from one Rom to the other in random order as your gut decides. Second phase usually kicks in when you are done retrieving at least a part of the feel you were looking for. You know have a clearer recollection of exactly what you were doing back in the days, get a major refresher on your past performance (or lack of) and in my personal case found it fascinating to see how my psychovisual reflexes actually evolved, for the better and the worse. Indeed, strangely, there are some thing I managed to pull way easier than in my childhood years and at the contrary some moves proves harder to deal with than initally. So my experience was somehwat different overall playing over most games and the unintended result was an extremely pleasant and seemingly almost new journey through most of them. I beat games that I had given up on, developed new techniques and way to beat a certain platforming area or boss etc... all in all, the idea is that, past the initial phase where access matter, then comes the need to perform , re-beat or beat a game you let go when you didn't have the skills, patience or opportunity to complete when in your childhood years, often because things were moving so fast and out attention then was so ephemeral we didn't stick so long with an incomplete game when another greater one came around a corner. Besides, video games being by essence first and foremost active and quite vivid, interactive representations of the world they tell, there is everything in it to light up exactly the part of your brain that need to be cajoled at a given time to plunge in sparks of your emotionnal past anew years,even decades after, and quite rapidly one can go from vague recollection of something cool to just exactly how great the whole thing was to us when it first lit up in front of our mesmerized eyes, albeit with some surprises as we tended to idealize graphics as our then kid's eyes found it so marvellous and they often were the best technology had to offer back then so it makes sense. To me there also was a "new renaissance" phase when next-generaiton emulator gradually moved into the shader realm. That step of extremely accuratly recreating high-fidelity attributes of CRTs of the time on which graphic designer based their sprite design and color , was simply put, a revolution. All of a sudden all of the usual, inevitable and actually accepted shortcoming of traditionnal , pixel/aspect correct rendering that did the job in proportion and size , went the extra mile of respecting scanlines and shadow masking to near-perfection and give back all of our 2D games their original look, or something very close to, to the point that it sometimes became outright wierd to replay them, as you could almost "touch the non-existing curved glass of your LED screen as if it was your parents' old CRT. But all of this is only true if you don't go down the retrogaming rabbit hole as a very , dangerously efficient way of forgetting about your actual, present day , daily life for whatever sad reasons and dysfonction. From that point on, the author again does a better job than me at explaining it in detail. But that is true that one passionate gamer often inadvertently walks a fine line between enjoying old stuff in a new , contemporary way (mods are a great helper in that regard) with a pinch of "childhood reverie", and completely rolling back your emotionnal system and withdraw to the spectacle of older, easier times they provide as a perfect , believable, tempting illusion. Past that point, one can very easily let him/herself slowly drown into a very personal world that will sadly distance them from the day to day connection to life. It started to happen to me a few years back, and it wasn"t until my life didn't get better overall that I realized my attachment to oldies had become a toxic workaround to deeper issues. And not quite so oddly, while I kept my love for 2D, especially 8/16 bit era of console and arcades, overtime I moved from replaying my favorites to discorvering and trying to beat "new" ones from the past I missed or didn"t hear about. In the end it has become, to this day, an appreciation of a concept, read two-dimensionnal experiences, rather than it specifically being old. 2D/2,5D indies are reminiscent to that, I get every single one I stumble upon and absolutely love it. Thank you for that video, people need to remain aware of the possible downsides of an otherwise eternally marvellous way of keeping our memories alive. Namely the potential for ending as an involuntary "gaming conservative" who ends up keeping his emotions closed to newer games because they are newer or belong to the less-than-ideal era, I also went there for a time. I actually went through all the milestones before I fortunately landed on my two feet, become aware that for some time, games had become not games, but a vector for rolling back ravages of time, which is never a healthy way to enjoy things as they become akin to taking meds or drugs aka unhealthy addiction, that in the case of gaming connects to outright ruinous fetichism as well, as is also mentionned in the video.

[@tonyp9313]

Oh wow. I love this video. You touched on a lot of things here with Nostalgia. You bring up life as a kid being better than the now because you can do anything & played more games with friends at said houses. I'm guessing you are referring to kids in the 80's & 90's who grew up in gaming before the internet. Then you said as adults we work & you finish at 5pm so you hardly have time to play said games compared to when you were a kid. So I will comment on Present vs Past or Adult vs Kid. As a kid yeah that feeling of going to someone's said house just going there by either walking, biking or taking the bus & metro is an awesome feeling. You would meet your said friend with other friends & play games. Yeah that's an awesome feeling that I don't get now as an Adult because it's just a hassle for me to go & meet my friends at their said houses. I don't get that same joy when I go over my friends houses. 1 main reason is because as an Adult you have more responsibilities to worry about things you would never worry about as a kid like work, paying bills, go grocery shopping etc. Mainly driving places too is very stressful. That's also another reason why I don't like going to my friends houses. Like as a kid you don't have this knowledge of things you do as an adult. To say the past is better than the current present just because we felt a warm fuzzy feeling as kids, I will disagree with that. I love my life a lot better now then when I was a kid. Basically technology is a lot better, with cars, tons of options to video games & how you can play them to watching tv. Also things like direct deposit & online banking. Digital Cameras, Iphones or smart phones. Just so much you can do now that you couldn't in the 80's or 90's. I'll stick to gaming though. Gaming is a lot better now especially if you want to play retro games. You have tons of options, tons of games & you can play them with save states now. Something you couldn't do as a kid growing up in the 80's or 90's because you only had a hand full of games. Online gaming is a huge thing. So if I want to play with my friends after work, I can. Sure it's not couch coop. I rather not have the hassle to drive to my friends houses & just play them online because it's quicker & a lot more convenient. For single player games whether it's modern or retro, I rather play that alone & not with friends. Cuz even though friends are great they can be an annoyance too if they keep saying things like "man you suck, oh you couldn't beat an easy level etc" Trust me the negative things were there along with the positives. I grew up in the 80's. For the most part my life then wasn't great. Sure at the time I was really happy as a kid because that was the standard & you couldn't compare it to the now. Since we are talking about Nostalgia you have to compare things now. Little to no technology existed. I grew up with a rotary phone, a black & white tv with like 6 channels, 3 of them snowy, Beta tapes until VHS tapes were invented & when I had the Sega Master system, there was no magazines yet to buy to make playing games easier & when they did come out with Nintendo power that was only for nes. No internet, none of that. Mom & pop shops. Things were really expensive for Electronics. I remember mostly that compared to the now when I think back when I was a kid.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad you liked it!

[@supersmallchibiwolf872]

I think nostalgia can be good to remember the good times from the past especially from your childhood. Because even though you might not have had so much what you did have you appreciated and enjoyed. Cool video. ^_^

[@superbn0va]

I have good reasons to love retro games. They did action, puzzle’s, exploration, platforming, secrets unlockables, replay value and creative freedom.. modern games seem to lack the total package.

[@microwolverine]

I can certainly relate to owning multiple versions of a game because of nostalgia. I’ve bought multiple copies of some resident evil games, just because I thought, “well I don’t own resident evil 2 on ps1, I need it!” Absolutely not necessary but nostalgia will certainly get you sometimes.

[@NiGhtPiSH]

For gaming nostalgia I keep a 19" CRT on my desk next to my modern 27" 165Hz IPS LCD monitor. Those two complement each other and each has it's purpose. The CRT gets it's fair use in DOSBox, console emulators and late 90s to mid 00s PC games that don't support higher resolutions or have scaling issues. And maybe it's not nostalgia that's making me do this, but the desire to experience things the way they were meant to.

[@chris4087]

Dave Mirra freestyle BMX on ps1 is a huge nostalgia game for me I knew it was a little janky even back then but kinda didn't realise just thought I'll get better at it because it was new. Im playing it now 20 years later obviously still janky but still a great game still love it. The 2nd PS2 one was great too. Great soundtracks.

[@ChampionOfSkyrim]

I feel like, with retro games, I tend to collect anything i saw in magazines or KB Toys as a kid, in addition to genres I gravitate to like racing games and RPGs. However, I also find myself collecting weird games in every generation - Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ, Raidou Kazunoa, Gitaroo Man, Choro Q, etc. But now as an adult with more income and space, I find myself seeking out systems I never had growing up and cherry picking only titles I find interesting or noteworthy (which is easy in instances like the Japanese Saturn library)

[@leeartlee915]

I really agree with you Bird. Part of the reason off been really put off of a lot of the retro community is hearing the same hackneyed statement over and over again. It goes something like this “Man, video games were just better back in the day”. Or when someone labels a generation the “best”. “Yeah, the Gamecube is the best system ever”. When I hear those kind of statements, it reminds me of the same folks who HAVE to label one of their friends their “best friend”. Why does someone need to be your best friend? Can’t they all just be good friends. Same deal with video games. I grew up in the late 80s, early 90s so by default I should say “SNES is the best console of all time”. It’s silly. Every console has good games, even the modern ones.

[@rotallyPumpered]

I think nostalgia frequently plays a bigger part in my experience of sequels and remakes than when I'm trying something I played 20 years ago. Getting emotional from hearing familiar melodies in a new Zelda game is far more tied to fond memories of my past than when I try some N64 games I'd never played. It's okay to recognise that you feel affection for something, and not necessarily view it as a challenge to your growth as a person.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

That's a good point! Your nostalgia can be triggered from those callbacks in newer things.

[@mikuneverdies6288]

I love all my Games even if they are newer ones... also I'll take those Old Sammiches too~ *nom noms :P

[@estebangarciahenao435]

Nice use of past with Sonic 3

[@shredbraahh8606]

Let's gooooo!

[@TimewornUncle]

Megaman 9 and 10 did it RIGHT! Nostalgia and something new rolled into 1. Errr... 2. And... related but unrelated-- Cobra Kai absolutely floored me with nostalgia. I was in a shmacked into a different mind zone when that web series started.

[@p.donohueindustries3514]

Thanks bro. This and your video on selling games is helping me clean my act up. I've got everdrives and modded cd/DVD consoles. Time to flog out my physical games. HOWEVER... my wrestling figures are staying with me till I die.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Hope it all works out well for you my friend :)

[@p.donohueindustries3514]

@@RetroBirdGaming :)

[@mathilda12789]

When I was very young, I used to use Linux with GNOME 2 and OpenOffice for all my schoolwork, and social media and web browsing online during my free time. I often feel nostalgia associated with the hardware, software, and even UI from the time. So, I tried using the modern versions of it again, and I don't enjoy it now as I used to. My work today is so much different from the past and requires good hardware running a commercial operating system and robust set of software, although I understand this might be different for each person. I was also reminded of the times my older setup wasn't working properly and I had to fix it, but I could because I had more free time, which made me realise I was mostly romanticising the past. So, that is my experience with nostalgia. As for video games, I've only been playing my Switch since last month and have thoroughly enjoyed it, so not much to comment I'm afraid.

[@MrAxelStone]

I usually hate cut aways trying to be funny but yours always make me laugh lol. Nostalgia can be expensive fo sho.

[@troymack8205]

I see why they call retro a gaming Mr Roger's. He whole style and cadence gives off a calming almost distressing like tone. Like I can come home after a not so stellar work day and put on Retro birds vids and just forget the day ever happened and ride the nostalgia wave of yesteryears games.

[@no-way80s]

Very good video, enjoyed the topic. Certainly need to keep an eye out for going nostalgia blind. Still happens to me from time to time about various things.

[@RTPJu]

Master of Orion II, FALCON 4.0 and Richard Burns Rally are (way) more than 20yo games that still were not matched. It's not because nostalgia... I can do pretty objective reviews about it, specially because I never stopped to play these genres. But I can't go back into an old Winning Eleven or X-COM, because these genres evolved too much. And there is no old game that rivals Rimworld (maybe Dwarf Fortress, but not in this 20yo version). When dealing with old stuff, just praise what still shine, stay away from what is too much rusty and never forget to appreciate new things that evolve old ideas or bring new good ones. Thanx 4 the video. Cheers!

[@hitotsufutatsu2203]

who needs to let go, when we can all hang on indefinitely? papa needs his retro dopamine fix.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

haha :)

[@zforce4399]

I certainly get a reality check when it comes to the difficulty of a lot of NES and SNES games I go back to play. I mean dexterity is perishable after all. But man when I'm really getting into it a lot of times it just takes some getting warmed up and then it's like getting behind the wheel of an old car.

[@michaelcullinane3924]

I'm guessing this will be one of your most watched videos in due time. I watched a lot of videos on nostalgia and learned a few interesting facts. 1. Nostalgia warms the body up, and people tend to be more nostalgic in the winter. 2. Nostalgia has some anti-depressant qualities to it. 3. The term nostalgia was originally a basic description for PTSD hundreds of years ago. It's too complex to explain here, but some good videos are on KZbin that can elaborate far better. Keep up the good work.

[@danielespeziari5545]

I very rarely play games from my childhood, but I may be nostalgic in a broader sense, I mean, nostalgia for an older style of gaming and for a time period in general. I also have nostalgia for periods I didn't even experience, since lately I've been playing Atari 2600 all the time, even though I was a Super Nintendo kid. It's just the charm of simple yet addictive games that don't require much of you (no complex controls to learn, no puzzles to solve and so on), which is perfect for someone who has a busy life and not enough energy to spend on games. So yeah, I think older games are my way to go, because they satisfy my needs and because they really are games, and not interactive movies. Maybe I'm a bit unfair, but I don't feel guilty for not giving modern gaming a chance

[@bencox5994]

Very good video. I find myself playing the games I grew up with trying so hard to recapture that feeling. Most the games I don't even think I genuinely enjoy anymore.

[@the_kombinator]

Play it with someone younger. My 4 year old makes NES 110% enjoyable, vs the 70% enjoyability I had playing the games alone. He even gets me into the games I haven't touched in... since I got my NES a decade or so ago (Looking at you, Bases Loaded and Mappy Land - actually pretty fun games!) A fresh eye keeps the games fresh.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I would try to choose some games you'll actually enjoy (even if you didn't play them when you were younger). I think you'll still get some of those same nostalgic feelings.

[@the_kombinator]

@@RetroBirdGaming Played Snake Rattle n' Roll as well as Karnov today with the tike, he loved it.

[@kenspeedbicycle]

I began collecting Sega Genesis because when I was a kid, we would watch Toy Story on VHs and there was a promo for the video game (I think on PC) but it looked so cool! 25 years later and I finally got the game and a new passion for probably my favorite console ( which could have been SNES if I didn't getting the Genesis version of Toy Story)

[@lilg8017]

The social element of nostalgia. That's primarily why Goldeneye is remembered so well. The multi-player memories of the N64.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

My semi-nostalgia was dreaming of owning some games after playing them at friend's or cousin's place. BUT some games were nightmares when replayed older : Bombjack, Bug's Bunny Birthday Blowout...noooooooo! BAD nostalgia! BAD, BAD nostalgia!!!!

[@cjeelde]

I still remember that moment when we sold our NES with all the games to buy SNES plus Zelda 3. At that moment I felt "done" with all these NES games and SNES was the future and way better. So back then, I never regretted that trade. But now, many many years later, I miss those NES games a lot! I wish I could remember exactly which games we sold. I remember a few of the games but I can't remember them all. Wish so bad that I could have written down everything we sold! That would have made it possible to "get those games back". Some of the games were: Ice Climber Mario Bros SMB1 SMB2 SMB3 Zelda 1 Zelda 2 Kid Icarus But there were maybe 10-15 more games. I remember some of the games that I played back in the days but not 100% sure if that was my games or friends' games. Games I remember that I played: Goonies 2 Track & Field 2 Mega Man 1 Mega Man 2 Mega Man 3 (maybe 4 also) Shadowgate Punch Out Metroid Bubble Bobble Tennis Gradius Castlevania Batman There were of course even more games than these. Anyways this nostalgia about the NES games I actually had is kind of on enemy sometimes. It kind of controls me to try to remember the games I had and try to get them back. That's why I'm so happy that Nintendo released NES Classic Mini in late 2016 and re-released it at summer of 2018. Many of the games that I had are included on NES Classic Mini. Maybe more than half of the games that I had are included and I would say that most of the best games that I had are included. And then NES popped up on Switch Online. That was also a great thing! So is it over? NO!!! Haha! I also had Gameboy and some games. That Gameboy was great to have on trips. I remember some of the games that I had. I cannot remember how I got rid of that Gameboy and the games. But I remember that I had Tetris, Super Mario Land 1 and a few more games. But not Metroid 2, not Link's Awakening, not the Mega Man games... Anyways now we just got Gameboy on Switch Online and more games to come so I will get some of the games back. What about that SNES I bought from the money from selling NES and the games? Also hard to remember everything. I had Zelda 3, that's 100% sure. I'm almost 100% sure that I had F Zero. Pretty sure that I had Super Mario World. Also had a few more games. I'm so happy that I got almost all my SNES games back thanks to SNES Classic Mini in late 2017. But the nostalgia is always there: which games did I actually have for NES, SNES and Gameboy? That's essential to know so I can bring the games back. Do I really have to bring these games back? No. Do I - want - to bring these games back? Yes! It's probably all about the mindset. Of course I can be happy with the games that I've brought back thanks to the Classic Mini consoles but I can't stop being curious about the games that I had and the games that I played as a kid. I want them ALL back 🥺 and this is a thing that's going on at the same time as I wanna collect for Switch. So now I've pre-ordered Metroid Prime Remastered and Zelda TotK (Collector's Edition). The nostalgia also made me buy these collections for Switch: Mega Man Legacy Collection Mega Man X Legacy Collection (never played any Mega Man X before but I love Mega Man so I bought this) Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (same thing, I wanted this!!) Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Limited Run Games physical plus I bought the digital download on sale) When I was a kid I never had that nostalgia. I always looked forward to the coming games and consoles. So it was easy to focus on the games that I wanted for Xmas, bdays and so on. But now the nostalgia is like an enemy so I cannot focus only on the games for the current gen Nintendo console, I also have to focus so much on retro games. Some years ago I let a friend borrow these 3 gamecube games: Super Mario Sunshine Metroid Prime 1 Zelda Wind Waker Guess what happend? Never got them back! Got no longer contact with that person. I should never have let that friend borrow these 3 games!! So I'm hoping to get these games back in some way. And thanks to remasters from Nintendo I got Super Mario 3D All Stars and soon also Metroid Prime Remastered. 2 of 3 games back. Wind Waker should come to Switch in a few years. So that's good news! But I really want the "vanilla versions" back. Used copies are not that fun and perfect conditions or still sealed copies are so expensive. This was a LONG story. The conclusion is that nostalgia is kind of a "monster" that "forces" me to collect some retro games because I sold some games and let a friend borrow and never got the games back. But I honestly appreciate this "monster" because it's a good challenge to have this "long-term goal" to re-collect these games.

[@kingstarscream3807]

Nostalgia is a natural and good thing on the whole but it is a huge pet peeve when I hear people say, "I like this better because that's how it was when I was a kid"

[@elodvezer1790]

MAN did u hit the nail on the head at 3:40. Well at least for my guests! cause it seems when I go to some ppls homes I have to suplex dust bunnies out of my way just to open a washroom door to use the toilet. 😅 Has anyone else come across a completely white toilet thats 100% black on the inside from nvr being washed (my neighbours toilet when i was watching his cat while he was on vacay!)

[@arenschultz]

Coupled with nostalgia it’s been nice revisiting the games from my past with a different mindset and conquer old hurdles that stopped me when I was younger and thought differently

[@KGMDMusic]

Great video. Personally I didn't have a favourable childhood and gaming as a kid became my mental escape. Playing old games now reminds me of the good times as a kid which were sitting in front of my ZX Spectrum. Gaming got me through. 🙂

[@ApexRed2023]

Nostalgia keeps making me buy games for my original Xbox

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Don't let it boss you around my friend!

[@rickeydupert5881]

I never really had an issue with nostalgia. Probably because I only seem to have nostalgia for the games I played growing up. And back then I couldn’t get very many. I have just enjoyed exploring the stuff I didn’t have. I’m kind of glad I don’t get that for older games in general. cause I would be afraid of what this hobby would do to me. It makes it easy to walk away from the pricier games I don’t feel I need them that bad.

[@64-Bit-Gamer]

Very good video! I'm enjoying playing the N64 back-catalogue of games I didn't get 20+ years ago. Feels like finding the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

[@oohweeman713]

I don’t why I love this channel so much.. ❤

[@3dmarth]

I very much agree that liking the past, or things of the past, isn't just blind nostalgia. There are plenty of older things- especially games- which I've discovered as an adult, but still enjoyed. Including games that supposedly didn't age well! A lot of things in the past were better, but not everything. Nor is the latest thing guaranteed to be good (or bad!). I can't claim to be fully unbiased, but I believe in credit where credit is due.

[@ShonenJump121]

I always think it's interesting when people have nostalgia for like, old not so good games. Like it's awesome if your nostalgia happens to be for good games, but many of the games I have nostalgia for aren't exactly good. Can average - below average games be elevated just because of nostalgia. I mean, probably so!

[@4dchessplayer516]

Been watching you for a while and you have the "IT" factor. I said the same about RGT85 when he had 200 subs and been watching you since a couple k. Just wanted to say Hi before you blew up

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thanks! I appreciate it :)

[@TwistedIdentity]

One thing to consider about modern vs retro games. I like both, but most modern games today, especially the triple a stuff I just plain do not have the attention span for. Even stuff that I'm really interested in. Either I'm impatient, or I get bored of it quickly and want to go do something else. This isn't the case with most of the retro stuff. I've not even considering playing something like Elden Ring because..welp. Attention span. This is definitely just a "me" issue though.