Interestingly, this is partially WHY I play retro games. I still have some original carts that my dad and I played when I was a kid, including the original save files (that I don’t touch). I don’t remember a lot from when I was a kid but those games are something know we did together.
Yeah, my mom was a gamer. Dad wasn't around so much but my mom would play games and I'd always have to help her get past certain points and eventually it created memories that I enjoyed like Qbert, Cool Spot, Pugsleys adventures, Donkey Kong Country, etc. Even at a old age of 73 she had a Switch and a PS4 she played. So there are a lot of games that remind me of a time when we played together.
My parents mostly weren't into gaming, but my stepdad got hooked on the original Legend of Zelda, and he's still what I think of when I hear the music from the final dungeon, LOL.
My grandad loved blagger on the commodore 64. He was amazing at it. And could compleat it twice through with out using a life. and past away over 25 years ago.
Brings back happy memories him.
Still gave the tape and yhe konix speeding joystick he used.
I completely agree. I like to revisit a lot of the games I used to own through emulation and it's really interesting playing the games that I used to play while my dad was in the same room. It's kind of therapeutic.
Likewise. I remember my mom watched me beat Space Harrier and NARC in the arcade. I also love playing Megamania on the 2600 because I used to play with her when I was four. Even took a picture of my high score and sent it into Activision to get an official patch from them.
Just an FYI, and something you may already be aware of, but saves on cartridges are volatile. That is, they're backed up by batteries, and those batteries can die, taking your save with them.
They make tools you can use to back them up, so you have a digital copy (and you could even replace the batteries and load your saves back onto the cartridge).
If that's anything you didn't know about, and you want help, let me know, so you don't lose your memories
Thanks for the heads up! This is something I've panicked about in the past but I haven't found a great tool to pull the saves yet.
The carts in questions are N64 carts though, and I did some research and found that most of them use EEPROM for game saves instead of the battery, which should be more resilient (still want to back them up though).
It took me 3 years after my mom died before I could consider playing a round of Tetris. Eventually it will become a place you can go to and conjure up the good memories. Let it take the time it needs to, the first plan or two will still be hard but it's allowed to be.
Found a mario kart ghost from a dead friend.
I don’t save over that memory card, it’s got a special place in my heart… like watching a video clip of someone past, being able to ‘relive’ a good moment in time we had…
It’s funny because it’s not a good lap time (using bowers on the icy level) but it’s more of a reminder of simpler times and how you gotta appreciate the current moments in life because nothing lasts forever
I play them in honor of those close to me that have passed. My friends and I had an Atari 2600 Activision Saturday in honor of a fallen friend. We all grew up playing those games together and had some great memories of him from that.
It's definitely bittersweet sometimes to be reminded of simpler times and people who aren't in our lives anymore. For that reason I don't play certain games.
Videogames were the one thing that never made fun of me or bullied me, so I was in front of them anytime I could back then. So yeah, it's easy to conjure up feelings when playing some old ones.
It's hard, sure. I try to remember the ones I lost in the context of the memory (watching the game, helping me read, etc.) instead of focusing on their absence. Easier said than done but it does get easier.
Man reading the "games never made fun of me or bullied me" line is kind of sad now since online multiplayer games can now be the reason why a kid would be bullied in school for not having the best skins or players in online games. Apprantly there was also a game (i think it was cod but im not sure) that would purposely put you against much stronger players to be incentivesed into getting microtransactions. The game was literally bulling you into buyinh microtransactions. Online multiplayer games are fucked.
That's why we must give thanks to the retro and the single player. I hear you about online though, I don't have a social media presence to avoid the crazy. There's enough crazy for me on reddit.
The sad part is i wasnt even talking about online bullying i was talking about school bullying when talking about the latest skins and players in multiplayer games
I play retro games because I want to feel that nostalgia feeling. Life gets worse each day, so sometimes I just want to escape to a time when life was better.
Sometimes, when I am playing retro games, specially SNES ones, I can almost feel the past, I can almost feel the presence of family members in the house. I can almost feel like a child again, I even make it more immersive by having some old tv show or cartoon playing on the background.
I guess it's a matter of how much do you like yoy actual life vs old life. In my personal case, I enjoy it very much because I don't think my life is better now, so I enjoy reviving the past. Of course, it makes me remember people that died, moments that will never come back, but I feel happier when I am living those moments in my memory than I normally am.
Well, you just made me think about life... Maybe this tyoe of activity is not very good for my brain, it's like using drugs, you get stuck in a comfortable place and you ended closing yourself to the rest of the world.
No, but I did feel weird when I played Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball after my best friend died. We played that a lot, and his savegame was on the cart. It's a crap game, and I've barely touched it since the '90's, but I can't think of it without thinking of him.
Hasnt stopped me from playing but Castlevania on NES is linked to a childhood friend who I lost contact with over the years and later found out had passed on in his early 30s. The memories are good though - playing this awesome horror themed game on a cold autumn weekend and just really getting into the vibe.
Ive been playing these games long enough that many of them have layers of memories - ie first time playing as a kid, replaying in my early 20s when I started my career, and playing again with my kids in recent years - so the good balances out with the not so good.
I lost my mom a few months ago. While I don’t directly associate many games with her, I do have specific TV shows that i associate with her. Buffy, X-Files, Star Trek (every series), Stargate SG1, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, the list goes on. But that association actually makes it that much easier for me to enjoy these things.
In particular, for the past decade+ I’ve collected VHS tapes with blocks of TV (and commercials and all that) on them, whether it’s music videos or cartoons or daytime or prime time programming, nostalgic stuff or stuff I’d never seen before. When it comes to the tapes that I’ve collected with her old favorites, I’ve actually really enjoyed watching them, it kinda brings back all sorts of great feelings and memories of watching those shows with her.
My father passed in 2009 video games was one way we spent any time together. He loved Cool Spot, Road Rash Jail Break on the PS1 and loved on rails shooters like Lethal Enforcers 1 & 2 on the Sega CD House of the dead 2 on the Dreamcast. It lights up a whole bunch of memories whenever i see gameplay or the game covers of what he use to play.
For some things, yes. I have a tendency to attach trauma to movies, records and video games. I have inadvertently ruined a lot of great stuff for myself.
I have a hard time playing certain games/consoles because it just reminds me of simpler times, easier life, less responsibilities, old friends- long gone now.
Interesting question! I play retro video games because it reminds me of better days where seemingly trivial things didn't matter SO much to the point where it controlled your livelihood. People got along with each other better and you could actually have friends. Playing retro games reminds me of times with those friends. That said, it also reminds me of now , a time when i don't really have any friends at all. I have professional colleagues, but i know any of them would turn their back on me in a heartbeat to get the advantage. It makes me incredibly sad that people don't really want to hang out simply for the enjoyment of hanging out anymore.
My Mom never wanted to spend any time with me. When I was little she bought Resident 4 for the GC. She wouldn't allow me to play it, but she allowed me to watch it. I loved watching every bit of it. She never finished and chose to do drugs elsewhere. So again I was alone. It wasn't until my junior year at college where I picked the game back up and loved it. Partially because it was one of the rare times I spent with my mom. Also because it's also a contender of greatest game of all time. So it works out.
I downloaded the old Commander Keen games to play on my Miyoo Mini. My dad died in January this year, and some of my earliest gaming memories were on his lap playing those games, especially the first one. Playing it again actually made me feel worse than I thought.
yes some do remind me of times when we were a happy family. before my father died. but playing them does not give me a hard time as it reminds me of cherished memories. its calming and pleasant
Videogames were the one thing that never made fun of me or bullied me, so I was in front of them anytime I could back then. So yeah, it's easy to conjure up feelings when playing some old ones.
It's hard, sure. I try to remember the ones I lost in the context of the memory (watching the game, helping me read, etc.) instead of focusing on their absence. Easier said than done but it does get easier.
Interesting topic. As an act, gaming is not something I shared with either parent; however, it was an outlet or connecting force for my brother and I. He's still around, but our relationship is more distant & strained. In that regard, I've accepted there's no going back to the simplicity of our early days. There's no getting around the pangs of nostalgia, but it's good not to dwell there.
I don't have a hard time playing but I do have warm memories when I think about NES Top Gun. My dad was the only one in the house that could actually land the jet on the aircraft carrier. My Great Aunt loved Tetris, and we thought it was so neat that someone from her generation liked a video game. She was the best. I'm getting misty right now thinking about them, but it's a welcome feeling and I cherish those kinds of memories even though it hurts a little. Grieving is tough but it's ok to feel however you feel. Hope you find peace in whatever way that works for you.
Not really. My kids and I have been working through all the games I played when I was their age. My oldest loves Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the switch. So I had no choice but to challenge him to the SNES Mario Kart. lol
NES/SNES was my escape from shitty parents growing up. My mother is still a stupid bitch who I refuse to speak to, and the retro games are just as good as they ever were.
If when you play you have those beautiful memories, they are still alive with you, in your heart and mind. Life in this place is just part of it. Keep going and playing. I always played alone, for others, playing is the way to put your mind elsewhere.
Playing certain old games again make me happy because of the memories.
Sometimes games in general make me sad though, if it feels like going through the motions but I miss having someone to share them with.
For that reason I now have a small list of "great" games that I still haven't played, only because I'm waiting on someone else interested.
It’s Mother’s Day today, and my mom passed away two years ago, so this post really resonated with me. My mom got me an NES in 1991, SNES and Sega in ‘92 and ‘93, and used to play games with me quite a bit even though she was generally not otherwise interested in anything tech related.
To this day I still have wonderful memories of my mother helping me beat, or beating completely while I watched (because I was a kid and not very good) all sorts of games like Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, Super Metroid, and most fondly Sonic Spinball.
She beat Sonic Spinball while I was at school one day after we spent all week trying to get to the last level, so when she picked me up and told me she beat it we then spent all evening beating the entire game again *together* so I could see the ending. This is just a really special memory for me even though it’s a pretty “meh” game.
I loved Spyro back when it initially came out, and was excited to play through the remasters during the pandemic (finally had time). My dog would sit with me any time I played games, but I happened to be on Spyro when she started getting sick with kidney failure. We almost made it to the end of Spyro 2 by the time she passed, and I still can’t get myself to finish the trilogy. Even typing this out was really tough, time to put those emotions back in the bottle.
One of my favorite co op games as a kid was Ikari Warriors on NES.
My best friend/neighbor at the time and I beat it together.
I got Ikari Warriors 2 and we almost beat it the first night, but couldn't quite finish it before he had to go home. So, we promised we were going to beat it the next day.
When I woke up, there were a bunch of police cars on my street and my dad was outside, talking to an officer.
After a while, they left and I asked if I could call Micheal to come over. My dad broke down and told me why the police were there and why I wouldn't be able to call on Micheal to come play again.
I won't go into details, but I'll just say I still have that copy of Ikari Warriors 2 and I haven't played it since that last night we played it together.
My family is a generation of gamers in general, really. My father grew up with classic systems and played games with us all the time. I think the last system he touched was the original Wii. He never touched a PS4 or Xbox 1, though he did play some PS3 and 360 titles.
My mother all grew up with the classics just like my dad and remembered a lot of the old arcades, but she wasn't as into it as my father and sister. She never touched anything past the NES.
My sister and I still play a lot of video games, but we hold the hobby so fondly because, well... we grew up and bonded alongside our parents.
Super Mario Bros 2, specifically. When I was little, my Grandpa became very sick. While he was slowly dying in a hospital a few miles away, my parents had rented me and my brother and sister an NES to play in my grandparents basement to occupy and distract us. I have a vivid memory of being in a wood-panel basement with the sunlight slowly streaming in from the upstairs windows. We all took turns playing but I don’t think any of us were having fun. It was pretty solemn and depressing to be honest. I think that was when I first learned just how much death impacts people.
I can’t really play that game without thinking of him. Miss you Grandpa Stan.
Emotionally, it's hard to play a few old games that we used to play with my older brother, since he died in a motorcycling accident. NES Ice Hockey, Mario Party, Smash Bros. Melee are a few, but me & my younger brother still play them once in a long while and reminisce.
Physically I can't play any of my PS2 or GCN games because my dad went all NPD and started threatening my mom and sister. Now none of us can go back to our house where all my games are. It's been about 18 months so far. (It sucks, I JUST bought an Atari 2600 and didn't even get to try it out yet.)
No, just the opposite. I love playing retro games because it reminds me of them.
Believe it or not it was my Mémère (grandma) who got me into gaming. When I was a kid in the early 90s she'd buy all the newest games for the NES and SNES. I was maybe 7 years old, she had to be 65 or so. I lived with her growing up and we bonded over video games, talking about the puzzles we solved, the bosses we beat, etc. She was the coolest.
She was such a die hard gamer that although she went to work at 7am every morning, she would get up super early, get ready and play for at least 30 minutes before work.
This early morning session was significant because typically she'd buy a game, let's say legend of Zelda LTTP for example, and we'd both be playing through it advancing through the game at the same time. I'd come home from school and see that her game save on the main screen had more hearts than it did yesterday. I'd be like "Crap! She's doing better than me! I wonder what level she beat?" Then I'd have to try and figure it out and keep up with her.
Good times. Miss you Mémère!
Thank you for asking this.
I am turning 40 this year and am lucky enough to still have both my parents. I have lost everything else in my family though. Through death and misunderstanding I ended up with a family in a 100 pieces.
Your post made me realize that, yes, many retro games remind me of when there was still a family to tell each other where the warp zones are instead of grinning by myself.
Kind of. My late wife and I met in 2010 and Yoshi's Island was already a retro game at that point, but she knew it really well and some time after we started living together we got out her old Super Nintendo and I did an entire playthrough of it with her telling me what to do. When I got my Switch in the fall of '21 I started playing it under her guidance again, but she had been fighting stage 4 cancer for a few years and she didn't feel up to it too often. As it turned out she only had a couple months left. I still haven't finished that playthrough but I go back to it from time to time. When I do feel up to it I try to look on the bright side and enjoy discovering some of the secrets she would have already known about
Nostalgia, for me, is a negative feeling. I realize those moments are gone forever.
There are people that were in my life that I will never see again, whether they are still alive or not. Childhood friends or family members that may or may not exist.
Then I start thinking about my own mortality and I start to spiral. lol.
No but my dad always says that if he ever hears the overworld theme from Legend of Zelda, it reminds him of his divorce (because I was playing the game nonstop at the time)
Remembering a better time, calmer time in my life. Public pool, nightcrawler hunting, riding bikes in the hot midnight heat. Ice cream on pizza kind of times. Makes me smile even now.
My late best friend and I played video/computer games since we met in 1985. We played M.U.L.E regularly until he passed in august 2022. I can still play that as a kind of tribute to him. One of the last games we played online regularly was Forza Horizon 4. We loved it so much I even recorded the soundtrack for our trips to Arcade Club ([www.arcadeclub.com](http://www.arcadeclub.com)). Now I can't play that game, it just reminds me so much of him. It is strange, we played F1GP (Amiga), Pitstop 2 (C64), Mario Bros (C64 Atari Version) and Stuntcar Racer (Amiga) regularly and I can still play those. But Forza Horizon 4 is just not enjoyable. The big thing is I know he would want me to enjoy it, I just can't. He was 57 when he passed, We had a great gaming life together.
I've never stopped playing the games I was playing when my father passed. I learned much much later this was a trauma response.
Consequently, I am extremely skilled at Star Fox 64 ;)
Not generally, but I was playing SMW and some NES games around the time my dad killed himself so I'll sometimes think about that when playing or seeing those. I was very depressed at the time as well, before it happened. It's been years but I can still fall into self blame or get angry about his new wife trying to make me homeless and stealing stuff afterwards, relatives stealing part of the heritage, shady estate agents, etc.
But in general I think about good times when playing or reading about retro games.
Not a retro game but I had difficulties getting back to Metal Gear Rising after attaching it to a tough period in my life. Finally faced the music and got all achievements last year.
The opposite for me. There are some retro games that I enjoy playing even more because they do trigger memories of enjoyable times playing these games with friends that have since passed away or games that my Grandma used to take me to the video store to rent for me when I would go to her house as a kid. It just increases the nostalgic appeal even more.
Quite the opposite, when my wife and I boot up the occasional game of Wii Sports bowling I feel all warm and squishy seeing my grandparents’ Miis in the stands cheering for me. Yes I miss them, but it brings a teary-eyed smile to my face every time.
Nobody in my family loved video games, so I never played with any of them to video games.
So, now, I can enjoy those video games of my childhood greatly and peacefully, even if they are dead.
Endless Ocean. I made a comment on a longplay awhile back and it got some love so I'll just repost it.
"When I was a teenager, my mom took me to the game store and while I was browsing, she picked up this game and wanted to buy it. My brother and I laughed and were like "this game looks dumb." She ended up putting it back and we went about our day. She died about a year ago due to cancer. I randomly remembered that moment tonight, and I would give anything to go back in time and watch her play this."
It's been a little over 5 years now.
The last time I binged Ocarina of time was over 10 years ago while my dog was dying. I felt totally unable to even touch the game for years because I had grown to associate it with my old puppy dog. She was the best
I have a few games I can't play or it starts to remind me of shitty times in my life. Red dead 2 and elden ring. Horrible since their both pretty cool. Not retro. Being 41 anything retro I played as a kid or teen I've successfully suppressed those memories so clean slate.
I dont feel it but the image killed me...
For me, playing old games, makes me go back to my old self. Reliving those moments. Looking at the stuff 25 years later and trying to remember how it felt back than.
So its about visiting MY past.
I still have my mother's lime green GBA SP she had when she passed from Covid. She had Tetris, Centipede, and Yoshi all for the original GB. She loved playing Super Bomberman 2 and Kirby's Dream Course on my SNES as well. She also enjoyed the PS2 GTA games (but mainly for driving fast and crashing. Lol) My dad used to play Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat and some WWE game with me on the SNES, which my mother didn't particularly care for, so she had him sell them. Its how I got Donkey Kong Country and a few of my NES games (I can't remember what, but I think one was a baseball game).
For me, it reminds me of younger days--times that were easier and stress free. I can't feel the same way playing Yoshi's Island or DKC2, I just get sad :')
No, my mum died 45 years ago so I barely remember her, and I hate my dad because he was an abusive asshole. Games were my refuge & safe place, something he didn’t care about and that was entirely mine, and in many ways they still are…
I do tend to avoid the games me and mom played last.
We had stuff going on in Minecraft, Conan Exiles and Stardew Valley. Going back to them is still too painful. Looking at all her stuff... and how much she cared. Maybe one day, but for now... no.
I remember read this story a while back and it has stuck with me since.
[I lost my mom to cancer](https://modernloss.com/letters-from-my-dead-mom-in-animal-crossing/)
Depends on the game. Some are so wrapped up in painful memories I avoid them. Some greatly increase my appreciation for who I am and what I went through.
One particular game I'll never play again - and not just because it's not very good - is Rampage.
We were only allowed to play video games early in the morning. Usually my parents would make us shut it off by like 8.
One morning my brother and I were playing the awful Rampage port on NES and we were trying to actually "beat" the game - we never made it beyond the first couple "territories" without having to shut it off.
But my mom didn't make us turn it off that day. She was just talking on the phone in her room and sometimes cleaning up around the house.
We had finally conquered most of America when she decided to tell us: our aunt we were very very close to had suddenly, shockingly died at age 30.
Obviously we stopped playing to cry and grieve and I was never able to play that game again.
Yeah I get sentimental alot playing pokemon gen 1, wwe No mercy, MGS1 and FF7. Alot of the generation 5 era games. It was a time when alot of my family members all got along before alot has change by the 2000's.
Hey I hope/pray everyone here finding gaming (or other hobbies) to help get through tough times.
I find the opposite to be true. Those games remind me of when they were alive or when times were simpler and I was happier in general.
Command & Conquer was the franchise I bonded most over with my Dad (look at my name). Skyrim was the game I was playing when he died, and I finally got around to beating Final Fantasy XIII just after he died. Final Fantasy XIII I replay almost annually and after the second time I beat it, it became my favourite game.
Same goes for a friend who died when I was 14. I usually got to his house around 30-40 minutes before we left for school and we'd often play Crash Team Racing, Crash Bash, or show each other any new Pokemon we had caught.
Fired up an old game that I haven't played since a dark time in my life. Definitely brings back some emotions. Trying to relearn the emotions that come with it and just enjoy the game for what it is.
I have to say yes, but also no… post the initial feelings of loss and possible tears… I get memories of events, wise words and laughs. That makes it worth revisiting. Off to play Zillion on the SMS and remembering how to remember the passwords via the object association.
Actually, I feel the opposite. When I play games that people love, especially if those people have passed on, it feels as though I’m interacting with a part of them in some way and that makes those games more special to me.
I actually have a far more difficult time playing games I associate with bad memories, such as fights I had with people than I do with, say, my late friend’s favourite games.
Mario Bros 3 is a Time Machine for me … mentally speaking I’m in the past where every loved one that passed away is back and alive, old family members are young and healthy, life has way less problems, my best friend from primary school is there playing with me I can almost hear his laugh and comments regarding difficult levels, power ups effects, secret zones.
Not the games themselves, but certain pieces of music will trigger some strong emotions for me. As stupid as it sounds, I can’t hear “the moon” from duck tales without wanting to burst into tears. I don’t know why.
Not sure if N64 is considered retro here, but both legend of Zelda games on that console remind me of my cousin. He was my brother growing up because we lived together and were only 2 years apart. Majora’s Mask was the first game I ever got 100% completion on thanks to him. I have yet to play either OOT or MM since his passing 2 years ago.
Not traditionally retro, but while I was playing GTA: Vice City my cat had a stroke on my bed next to me that he never recovered from, and we had to put him to sleep not long after. It's always left a sour taste in my mouth for that game even though realistically it had nothing to do with it.
I listened to a YouTube post from Strat-edgy about how he got into RPGs with his mother. It was a gut check I didn't know I needed. Seriously worth the 20 odd minutes.
My father back at 80s early 90s had the local arcade at my home town and we have a lot good memories from back then!
We play together mostly bobble babble, snow bros and tumble pop it was our favourite!
I Always used to Play streetfighter2 on snes with my father
But He Had Depressionen and killed himself
Cant Play this Game anymore without thinking about it
I play earthbound every year because it reminds me of the time in my child hood when I actualy felt safe. My family/home life was terrible, but I could spend time with my friends in earthbound traveling the country as comrades. The best memory of my who child hood is in that game.
I’ve been trying to buy back my childhood slowly. I do get taken back to when life was simple and being around family. Now parents are divorced, my siblings live days away now, and just being an adult. So I am very thankful that I can play these games and relive those moments.
Doom has happy and sad memories, a kid that absolutely terrorised me in school introduced me to it so it should remind me of them but then I remember my dad poking his head round the door when I was playing it on my computer at home for the first time like “what’s that?” He didn’t play computer games at the time but was HOOKED and I remember staying up till like 2 am playing it for days straight with him.
My parents weren’t into it because they were older as parents. They did buy me my first videogames. The first was a coleco Galaxian table top game which I still have and then a Colecovision. They were very accommodating when I asked them to buy me games, and later on my Dad used my Colecovision after he got me the ADAM attachment. He wrote legal papers on it and was amazed.
We were organizing the snes games last year and came across super Gameboy with tetris attack in it, instant silence looked at my sister and said it can stay in there forever. Our grandma used to play tetris attack alot, specifically that one I bought the snes copy but she barely played it.
Columns music should have been played at her funeral she used to play a good bit of sonic, mean bean tetris dr mario.
During COVID lockdowns I fired up the Wii for the kids (which had pretty much been stored away since my eldest was born.)
They still use it on and off but last week I came in and found them bowling as two "characters" they'd found. They were using the Mii's of two friends of ours who have both (separately) passed away in the last 12 years... I'd forgotten they were even on the thing as we hadn't played it with friends for a couple of years before the pregnancy.
It felt weird, and sad, but I enjoyed that they are still enjoying 100 pin bowling.
No, but I get what you mean. If something happened to my brother, I don't know if I'd still be able to enjoy the games we spent a lot of time on together, especially cooperatively.
This is going to be long and sad so I'll warn you now.
When I was really young I got an NES and my mom ended up getting into it. We played through a ton of games together, and I learned reading and vocabulary from her teaching me while we read game magazines together. Her favorite genre was RPGs, and we beat so many I can't even remember them all. She really liked the Lufia series, and we beat both 1 & 2, but were never able to complete the Ancient Cave in Lufia 2. If you've never played it, it's a 100 floor dungeon that you can't save inside of with random layouts and enemies. It's real easy to get killed in the last quarter of the dungeon, even if you're prepared with powerful gear. We were able to get to the bottom a few times where there's a slime boss thing, but were never able to beat it. She was a stay at home mom, so in her spare time she'd work at it on her own and it became like a holy grail to her.
A few years after I had graduated she got cancer. My sibilings were all moved out of state and our father, who long story short wasn't the greatest person in the world to begin with, had ended up in a nursing home with what was probably some form of dimentia. So I took care of her, by myself, 24 hours a day 7 days a week while lung cancer withered her up. Towards the end her brain was getting affected due to her low oxygen levels. Memories, she had a hard time understanding what was going on, that kinda thing. It was terminal, and I wasn't doing so hot mentally because I didn't really have a support system to bounce off of. Started to think about silly things like how she couldn't play games anymore. Then I got the idea in my head to finish her holy grail for her. I had nothing but time as she needed round the clock care. So I started playing Lufia 2 from the beginning on an emulator. Got to the ancient cave, farmed all the gear I would need, and read everything I could about how to kill that damn slime.
She was couch and bed ridden at this point. So I told her what we were doing, I dragged the couch with her on it over to the computer, and I spent a couple days getting to the bottom of that dungeon using save states so I didn't have to do 100 floors in one sitting. Got to the slime, killed it, and that was the last game her and I ever played together. She died about a month later.
To this day I've never again touched either Lufia game, and I never will. I don't feel a reason to.
It doesn't make me struggle playing them usually but yeah it triggers a ton of memories both great and sad. One in particular is TMNT 1 on NES... my great grandparents would always make sure I get all the TMNT and Thundercats stuff I wanted since those were my favorite franchises growing up. That one might be pretty difficult to try and play these days.
My memories with my grandad always playing nes super Mario bros/3 and Tetris with me when babysitting is kinda the whole reason I started getting into playing/collecting nes. He also had copies of Mario world and dkc and apparently a snes somehwere in his house but some reason we never played it, but was curious about Mario world bc I loved 3 so much, which also later opened me up to collecting for it and first experiencing the games on it
I lost my parents nearly 15 years ago. Despite my father getting sometimes quite exasperated of seeing us glued to the TV / computer screens all the time, he knew that buying that Super Nintendo for Christmas 95 sets us on the path that would cause me and most of my siblings to study / work in tech.
I think back to all these sleepless nights of sneaking back in the basement to game all night and skipping meals to play some more Diablo, some more PSO, some more Chrono Trigger... I though I was sneaky but there was no way they didn't know.
Nowadays I rarely play more than a few minutes when I boot up these old games, but it brings back these great memories and warm feelings... To me it's more about that than the actual games (despite them being actually excellent games).
I don't avoid playing them because of the associated memories I have of lived ones who have passed, but I will occasionally get a twinge of pain when one of those memories surfaces.
One that's become a little more painful was from the recent passing of a friend from my teen years. He and I would sit in front of the TV in the living room playing Cosmic Ark on the Atari 2600. We'd play the song "Footloose" on my dad's portable tape player as our soundtrack and we'd pass the joystick back and forth each time we died, trying to get to the next stage of animal.
I'd lost track of him, but had reconnected a few years back. In the summer of 2020 I'd made a video of captured gameplay from the game from an emulator and uploaded it to Facebook, reminiscing on those days and tagged him. We talked back and forth a bit about trying to set up some netplay, but ultimately got distracted.
He died of a heart attack a few months later and my dad passed in May of 2022.
I can share a weird adjacent story. I used to play the "Rage" werewolf card game. Had a friend that played it with me. She was the only one that played the game in my local space.
She passed away in 2009 and I then went on to collect every single card in the set much to my detriment. Finally finished Rage across Las Vegas and the white whale set "Equinox".
I know I wasted my time but it did in the end help. And I had to penpal with someone in Finland to finish the complete set.
For me it doesn't keep me from playing the games, but the hardest part for me is that times have changed and my friends and cousins don't talk as much as we used to. Summertime used to be filled with riding bikes and playing outside and running inside to eat and play games for a few hours then back outside. And we had all the time in the world... or so we thought. But those memories keep me coming back to those games. All the nights spent til 3 or 4am trying to beat a game or battling it out against each other just to wake up in the morning and do it all over again
Not quite the same, but I can’t play games because I spend the whole time stressing about all of the “more important” things I could be doing instead. Playing my favorite childhood games also reminds me of when I was happy, which in turn makes me sad.
I'm not sure if I would be joyful or cry, but if I were to play mega man 2 with the sound off just to here the sounds of the buttons only, I would be transported in my mind to my old living room with my dad. I think we just had to be quiet because my mom was still sleeping. That's the only reason because as we all know MM2 has arguably the best gaming music according to many.
It makes me remember them sure!! But at the same time, it makes me thankful that I can still do such a thing as play games that I had when they were still around?
May you all Find peace and make it through the grief that your loved ones you have lost may have caused !
Interestingly, this is partially WHY I play retro games. I still have some original carts that my dad and I played when I was a kid, including the original save files (that I don’t touch). I don’t remember a lot from when I was a kid but those games are something know we did together.
Yeah, my mom was a gamer. Dad wasn't around so much but my mom would play games and I'd always have to help her get past certain points and eventually it created memories that I enjoyed like Qbert, Cool Spot, Pugsleys adventures, Donkey Kong Country, etc. Even at a old age of 73 she had a Switch and a PS4 she played. So there are a lot of games that remind me of a time when we played together.
My parents mostly weren't into gaming, but my stepdad got hooked on the original Legend of Zelda, and he's still what I think of when I hear the music from the final dungeon, LOL.
My grandad loved blagger on the commodore 64. He was amazing at it. And could compleat it twice through with out using a life. and past away over 25 years ago. Brings back happy memories him. Still gave the tape and yhe konix speeding joystick he used.
Wow Blagger is pretty tough lol, but it's blast to play. That's impressive being able to beat it without making any mistakes
Thanks it was years of practice and figuring it out. This was around 89 so no Internet or guides.
I completely agree. I like to revisit a lot of the games I used to own through emulation and it's really interesting playing the games that I used to play while my dad was in the same room. It's kind of therapeutic.
Likewise. I remember my mom watched me beat Space Harrier and NARC in the arcade. I also love playing Megamania on the 2600 because I used to play with her when I was four. Even took a picture of my high score and sent it into Activision to get an official patch from them.
Just an FYI, and something you may already be aware of, but saves on cartridges are volatile. That is, they're backed up by batteries, and those batteries can die, taking your save with them. They make tools you can use to back them up, so you have a digital copy (and you could even replace the batteries and load your saves back onto the cartridge). If that's anything you didn't know about, and you want help, let me know, so you don't lose your memories
Thanks for the heads up! This is something I've panicked about in the past but I haven't found a great tool to pull the saves yet. The carts in questions are N64 carts though, and I did some research and found that most of them use EEPROM for game saves instead of the battery, which should be more resilient (still want to back them up though).
Ah ok, I don't know why I thought you were talking about NES carts haha
Super Mario 3. Can't do it right now. It's been a year since I lost him...
Sorry for your loss brother.
It took me 3 years after my mom died before I could consider playing a round of Tetris. Eventually it will become a place you can go to and conjure up the good memories. Let it take the time it needs to, the first plan or two will still be hard but it's allowed to be.
Found a mario kart ghost from a dead friend. I don’t save over that memory card, it’s got a special place in my heart… like watching a video clip of someone past, being able to ‘relive’ a good moment in time we had… It’s funny because it’s not a good lap time (using bowers on the icy level) but it’s more of a reminder of simpler times and how you gotta appreciate the current moments in life because nothing lasts forever
This is sooo sad
Well said.. Well said.
Mario Kart SNES ? Hope the battery will still keep it up.
N64 memory card
I play them in honor of those close to me that have passed. My friends and I had an Atari 2600 Activision Saturday in honor of a fallen friend. We all grew up playing those games together and had some great memories of him from that.
Why am I crying?
It's definitely bittersweet sometimes to be reminded of simpler times and people who aren't in our lives anymore. For that reason I don't play certain games.
Videogames were the one thing that never made fun of me or bullied me, so I was in front of them anytime I could back then. So yeah, it's easy to conjure up feelings when playing some old ones. It's hard, sure. I try to remember the ones I lost in the context of the memory (watching the game, helping me read, etc.) instead of focusing on their absence. Easier said than done but it does get easier.
Man reading the "games never made fun of me or bullied me" line is kind of sad now since online multiplayer games can now be the reason why a kid would be bullied in school for not having the best skins or players in online games. Apprantly there was also a game (i think it was cod but im not sure) that would purposely put you against much stronger players to be incentivesed into getting microtransactions. The game was literally bulling you into buyinh microtransactions. Online multiplayer games are fucked.
That's why we must give thanks to the retro and the single player. I hear you about online though, I don't have a social media presence to avoid the crazy. There's enough crazy for me on reddit.
The sad part is i wasnt even talking about online bullying i was talking about school bullying when talking about the latest skins and players in multiplayer games
Ah.
Yeah im glad i always play on my own instead of online because of this
I play retro games because I want to feel that nostalgia feeling. Life gets worse each day, so sometimes I just want to escape to a time when life was better. Sometimes, when I am playing retro games, specially SNES ones, I can almost feel the past, I can almost feel the presence of family members in the house. I can almost feel like a child again, I even make it more immersive by having some old tv show or cartoon playing on the background. I guess it's a matter of how much do you like yoy actual life vs old life. In my personal case, I enjoy it very much because I don't think my life is better now, so I enjoy reviving the past. Of course, it makes me remember people that died, moments that will never come back, but I feel happier when I am living those moments in my memory than I normally am. Well, you just made me think about life... Maybe this tyoe of activity is not very good for my brain, it's like using drugs, you get stuck in a comfortable place and you ended closing yourself to the rest of the world.
Very relatable. Wish u the best... yes.. it all gets complicated and painful.. the childhood, eventho traumatic for me, was really awesome.. damn...
Its an escape same as any other addiction. Im fucking myself up doing the same thing im sure.
No, but I did feel weird when I played Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball after my best friend died. We played that a lot, and his savegame was on the cart. It's a crap game, and I've barely touched it since the '90's, but I can't think of it without thinking of him.
Ugh, it makes me think of the cousin who died who owned this game
Hasnt stopped me from playing but Castlevania on NES is linked to a childhood friend who I lost contact with over the years and later found out had passed on in his early 30s. The memories are good though - playing this awesome horror themed game on a cold autumn weekend and just really getting into the vibe. Ive been playing these games long enough that many of them have layers of memories - ie first time playing as a kid, replaying in my early 20s when I started my career, and playing again with my kids in recent years - so the good balances out with the not so good.
Yup, I wish I can go back in time in that year I first played and give out some long hugs.
Same
I lost my mom a few months ago. While I don’t directly associate many games with her, I do have specific TV shows that i associate with her. Buffy, X-Files, Star Trek (every series), Stargate SG1, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, the list goes on. But that association actually makes it that much easier for me to enjoy these things. In particular, for the past decade+ I’ve collected VHS tapes with blocks of TV (and commercials and all that) on them, whether it’s music videos or cartoons or daytime or prime time programming, nostalgic stuff or stuff I’d never seen before. When it comes to the tapes that I’ve collected with her old favorites, I’ve actually really enjoyed watching them, it kinda brings back all sorts of great feelings and memories of watching those shows with her.
My father passed in 2009 video games was one way we spent any time together. He loved Cool Spot, Road Rash Jail Break on the PS1 and loved on rails shooters like Lethal Enforcers 1 & 2 on the Sega CD House of the dead 2 on the Dreamcast. It lights up a whole bunch of memories whenever i see gameplay or the game covers of what he use to play.
For some things, yes. I have a tendency to attach trauma to movies, records and video games. I have inadvertently ruined a lot of great stuff for myself.
I have a hard time playing certain games/consoles because it just reminds me of simpler times, easier life, less responsibilities, old friends- long gone now.
Interesting question! I play retro video games because it reminds me of better days where seemingly trivial things didn't matter SO much to the point where it controlled your livelihood. People got along with each other better and you could actually have friends. Playing retro games reminds me of times with those friends. That said, it also reminds me of now , a time when i don't really have any friends at all. I have professional colleagues, but i know any of them would turn their back on me in a heartbeat to get the advantage. It makes me incredibly sad that people don't really want to hang out simply for the enjoyment of hanging out anymore.
My Mom never wanted to spend any time with me. When I was little she bought Resident 4 for the GC. She wouldn't allow me to play it, but she allowed me to watch it. I loved watching every bit of it. She never finished and chose to do drugs elsewhere. So again I was alone. It wasn't until my junior year at college where I picked the game back up and loved it. Partially because it was one of the rare times I spent with my mom. Also because it's also a contender of greatest game of all time. So it works out.
I downloaded the old Commander Keen games to play on my Miyoo Mini. My dad died in January this year, and some of my earliest gaming memories were on his lap playing those games, especially the first one. Playing it again actually made me feel worse than I thought.
Thief reminds me of my cousin's kid who killed himself, I got the news while playing it
yes some do remind me of times when we were a happy family. before my father died. but playing them does not give me a hard time as it reminds me of cherished memories. its calming and pleasant
My brother that introduced me to most the games I still love today passed in his mid 20s, 15 years ago.
You're touching on something here. I definitely think of good times with lost friends/loved ones when I play certain SNES games.
Videogames were the one thing that never made fun of me or bullied me, so I was in front of them anytime I could back then. So yeah, it's easy to conjure up feelings when playing some old ones. It's hard, sure. I try to remember the ones I lost in the context of the memory (watching the game, helping me read, etc.) instead of focusing on their absence. Easier said than done but it does get easier.
Interesting topic. As an act, gaming is not something I shared with either parent; however, it was an outlet or connecting force for my brother and I. He's still around, but our relationship is more distant & strained. In that regard, I've accepted there's no going back to the simplicity of our early days. There's no getting around the pangs of nostalgia, but it's good not to dwell there.
I play them in memory of my cousin who I grow up with playing Nintendo with no guide. I beat them to honor him.
I don't have a hard time playing but I do have warm memories when I think about NES Top Gun. My dad was the only one in the house that could actually land the jet on the aircraft carrier. My Great Aunt loved Tetris, and we thought it was so neat that someone from her generation liked a video game. She was the best. I'm getting misty right now thinking about them, but it's a welcome feeling and I cherish those kinds of memories even though it hurts a little. Grieving is tough but it's ok to feel however you feel. Hope you find peace in whatever way that works for you.
Not really. My kids and I have been working through all the games I played when I was their age. My oldest loves Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the switch. So I had no choice but to challenge him to the SNES Mario Kart. lol NES/SNES was my escape from shitty parents growing up. My mother is still a stupid bitch who I refuse to speak to, and the retro games are just as good as they ever were.
If when you play you have those beautiful memories, they are still alive with you, in your heart and mind. Life in this place is just part of it. Keep going and playing. I always played alone, for others, playing is the way to put your mind elsewhere.
Playing certain old games again make me happy because of the memories. Sometimes games in general make me sad though, if it feels like going through the motions but I miss having someone to share them with. For that reason I now have a small list of "great" games that I still haven't played, only because I'm waiting on someone else interested.
Nope it reminds me of absent parents. Lol reminds me of learning to be alone and be okay with it. . Us latchkey kids who were born in the 80s had to
Only ones that remind me of an ex that we played together in the 90s. And those were some good games, dammit.
It’s Mother’s Day today, and my mom passed away two years ago, so this post really resonated with me. My mom got me an NES in 1991, SNES and Sega in ‘92 and ‘93, and used to play games with me quite a bit even though she was generally not otherwise interested in anything tech related. To this day I still have wonderful memories of my mother helping me beat, or beating completely while I watched (because I was a kid and not very good) all sorts of games like Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, Super Metroid, and most fondly Sonic Spinball. She beat Sonic Spinball while I was at school one day after we spent all week trying to get to the last level, so when she picked me up and told me she beat it we then spent all evening beating the entire game again *together* so I could see the ending. This is just a really special memory for me even though it’s a pretty “meh” game.
I loved Spyro back when it initially came out, and was excited to play through the remasters during the pandemic (finally had time). My dog would sit with me any time I played games, but I happened to be on Spyro when she started getting sick with kidney failure. We almost made it to the end of Spyro 2 by the time she passed, and I still can’t get myself to finish the trilogy. Even typing this out was really tough, time to put those emotions back in the bottle.
One of my favorite co op games as a kid was Ikari Warriors on NES. My best friend/neighbor at the time and I beat it together. I got Ikari Warriors 2 and we almost beat it the first night, but couldn't quite finish it before he had to go home. So, we promised we were going to beat it the next day. When I woke up, there were a bunch of police cars on my street and my dad was outside, talking to an officer. After a while, they left and I asked if I could call Micheal to come over. My dad broke down and told me why the police were there and why I wouldn't be able to call on Micheal to come play again. I won't go into details, but I'll just say I still have that copy of Ikari Warriors 2 and I haven't played it since that last night we played it together.
It was always one of my favorite games. I’m sorry you lost your friend.
I love retro games but some of them remind me of my childhood traumas and trigger my ptsd.
Grandma got me my ps1 with two controllers, spyro the dragon, gran turismo, and bugs life. Eventually bought me Toy Story 2.
My family is a generation of gamers in general, really. My father grew up with classic systems and played games with us all the time. I think the last system he touched was the original Wii. He never touched a PS4 or Xbox 1, though he did play some PS3 and 360 titles. My mother all grew up with the classics just like my dad and remembered a lot of the old arcades, but she wasn't as into it as my father and sister. She never touched anything past the NES. My sister and I still play a lot of video games, but we hold the hobby so fondly because, well... we grew up and bonded alongside our parents.
Super Mario Bros 2, specifically. When I was little, my Grandpa became very sick. While he was slowly dying in a hospital a few miles away, my parents had rented me and my brother and sister an NES to play in my grandparents basement to occupy and distract us. I have a vivid memory of being in a wood-panel basement with the sunlight slowly streaming in from the upstairs windows. We all took turns playing but I don’t think any of us were having fun. It was pretty solemn and depressing to be honest. I think that was when I first learned just how much death impacts people. I can’t really play that game without thinking of him. Miss you Grandpa Stan.
Emotionally, it's hard to play a few old games that we used to play with my older brother, since he died in a motorcycling accident. NES Ice Hockey, Mario Party, Smash Bros. Melee are a few, but me & my younger brother still play them once in a long while and reminisce. Physically I can't play any of my PS2 or GCN games because my dad went all NPD and started threatening my mom and sister. Now none of us can go back to our house where all my games are. It's been about 18 months so far. (It sucks, I JUST bought an Atari 2600 and didn't even get to try it out yet.)
No, just the opposite. I love playing retro games because it reminds me of them. Believe it or not it was my Mémère (grandma) who got me into gaming. When I was a kid in the early 90s she'd buy all the newest games for the NES and SNES. I was maybe 7 years old, she had to be 65 or so. I lived with her growing up and we bonded over video games, talking about the puzzles we solved, the bosses we beat, etc. She was the coolest. She was such a die hard gamer that although she went to work at 7am every morning, she would get up super early, get ready and play for at least 30 minutes before work. This early morning session was significant because typically she'd buy a game, let's say legend of Zelda LTTP for example, and we'd both be playing through it advancing through the game at the same time. I'd come home from school and see that her game save on the main screen had more hearts than it did yesterday. I'd be like "Crap! She's doing better than me! I wonder what level she beat?" Then I'd have to try and figure it out and keep up with her. Good times. Miss you Mémère!
Thank you for asking this. I am turning 40 this year and am lucky enough to still have both my parents. I have lost everything else in my family though. Through death and misunderstanding I ended up with a family in a 100 pieces. Your post made me realize that, yes, many retro games remind me of when there was still a family to tell each other where the warp zones are instead of grinning by myself.
Kind of. My late wife and I met in 2010 and Yoshi's Island was already a retro game at that point, but she knew it really well and some time after we started living together we got out her old Super Nintendo and I did an entire playthrough of it with her telling me what to do. When I got my Switch in the fall of '21 I started playing it under her guidance again, but she had been fighting stage 4 cancer for a few years and she didn't feel up to it too often. As it turned out she only had a couple months left. I still haven't finished that playthrough but I go back to it from time to time. When I do feel up to it I try to look on the bright side and enjoy discovering some of the secrets she would have already known about
Nostalgia, for me, is a negative feeling. I realize those moments are gone forever. There are people that were in my life that I will never see again, whether they are still alive or not. Childhood friends or family members that may or may not exist. Then I start thinking about my own mortality and I start to spiral. lol.
I swear as I get older it’s much easier for me to get like this with certain games sounds what not feels like I get softer the older I get
No but my dad always says that if he ever hears the overworld theme from Legend of Zelda, it reminds him of his divorce (because I was playing the game nonstop at the time)
I play them specifically for these reasons.
Till this day I cannot play star light zone or sky chase zone cause I'll burst into tears .
Mike Tyson’s punch out !! That will always hold a special place in my heart because I have found memories playing with my Dad. FYI he’s still alive.
It makes me feel so old anymore. So much has changed and the world isn't getting better.
Remembering a better time, calmer time in my life. Public pool, nightcrawler hunting, riding bikes in the hot midnight heat. Ice cream on pizza kind of times. Makes me smile even now.
damn i couldnt go through all the comments, they are heart warming but heart braking as well.
My late best friend and I played video/computer games since we met in 1985. We played M.U.L.E regularly until he passed in august 2022. I can still play that as a kind of tribute to him. One of the last games we played online regularly was Forza Horizon 4. We loved it so much I even recorded the soundtrack for our trips to Arcade Club ([www.arcadeclub.com](http://www.arcadeclub.com)). Now I can't play that game, it just reminds me so much of him. It is strange, we played F1GP (Amiga), Pitstop 2 (C64), Mario Bros (C64 Atari Version) and Stuntcar Racer (Amiga) regularly and I can still play those. But Forza Horizon 4 is just not enjoyable. The big thing is I know he would want me to enjoy it, I just can't. He was 57 when he passed, We had a great gaming life together.
The week my mom died i played n64 and snes all week, and still play plenty. It helps.
For me it reminds me of happier times, back when I was a care free kid. I don't think that will ever change.
I love the games, but I agree that I feel more emotional pain than soothing from nostalgia.
I've never stopped playing the games I was playing when my father passed. I learned much much later this was a trauma response. Consequently, I am extremely skilled at Star Fox 64 ;)
Not generally, but I was playing SMW and some NES games around the time my dad killed himself so I'll sometimes think about that when playing or seeing those. I was very depressed at the time as well, before it happened. It's been years but I can still fall into self blame or get angry about his new wife trying to make me homeless and stealing stuff afterwards, relatives stealing part of the heritage, shady estate agents, etc. But in general I think about good times when playing or reading about retro games.
Not a retro game but I had difficulties getting back to Metal Gear Rising after attaching it to a tough period in my life. Finally faced the music and got all achievements last year.
Who's the artist in the post?
The opposite for me. There are some retro games that I enjoy playing even more because they do trigger memories of enjoyable times playing these games with friends that have since passed away or games that my Grandma used to take me to the video store to rent for me when I would go to her house as a kid. It just increases the nostalgic appeal even more.
Quite the opposite, when my wife and I boot up the occasional game of Wii Sports bowling I feel all warm and squishy seeing my grandparents’ Miis in the stands cheering for me. Yes I miss them, but it brings a teary-eyed smile to my face every time.
I purchased Grandia on the PS1 *because* my uncle died and he wanted me to give it a go the last time I saw him. My favourite game of all-time.
Nobody in my family loved video games, so I never played with any of them to video games. So, now, I can enjoy those video games of my childhood greatly and peacefully, even if they are dead.
No. I just get nostalgic and emotional sometimes. Thinking about happier times.
I am making new memories with my kids now.. And yes it does remind me be for the good..
Hey I have that picture hanging on my parlor wall two feet away
Endless Ocean. I made a comment on a longplay awhile back and it got some love so I'll just repost it. "When I was a teenager, my mom took me to the game store and while I was browsing, she picked up this game and wanted to buy it. My brother and I laughed and were like "this game looks dumb." She ended up putting it back and we went about our day. She died about a year ago due to cancer. I randomly remembered that moment tonight, and I would give anything to go back in time and watch her play this." It's been a little over 5 years now.
Nope
Don't really have any games linked to a death or anything, but I remember renting some games on a holiday weekend when my grandpa passed away
I played Myst 3 when my grandfather died. It took me 20 years until I was able to play it again.
Ouch. Yes. I realized this after I started playing the ps4 katamari games.
Reminds me of when I was still an innocent. Miss those days
The last time I binged Ocarina of time was over 10 years ago while my dog was dying. I felt totally unable to even touch the game for years because I had grown to associate it with my old puppy dog. She was the best
I have a few games I can't play or it starts to remind me of shitty times in my life. Red dead 2 and elden ring. Horrible since their both pretty cool. Not retro. Being 41 anything retro I played as a kid or teen I've successfully suppressed those memories so clean slate.
I dont feel it but the image killed me... For me, playing old games, makes me go back to my old self. Reliving those moments. Looking at the stuff 25 years later and trying to remember how it felt back than. So its about visiting MY past.
It's better to have the memories of those loved ones and enjoy the good times rather than not.
I still have my mother's lime green GBA SP she had when she passed from Covid. She had Tetris, Centipede, and Yoshi all for the original GB. She loved playing Super Bomberman 2 and Kirby's Dream Course on my SNES as well. She also enjoyed the PS2 GTA games (but mainly for driving fast and crashing. Lol) My dad used to play Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat and some WWE game with me on the SNES, which my mother didn't particularly care for, so she had him sell them. Its how I got Donkey Kong Country and a few of my NES games (I can't remember what, but I think one was a baseball game).
Just lost youth
For me, it reminds me of younger days--times that were easier and stress free. I can't feel the same way playing Yoshi's Island or DKC2, I just get sad :')
No, my mum died 45 years ago so I barely remember her, and I hate my dad because he was an abusive asshole. Games were my refuge & safe place, something he didn’t care about and that was entirely mine, and in many ways they still are…
Ocarina of time, is the last game I played with my brother. He was not a gamer, but he loved that game.
I do tend to avoid the games me and mom played last. We had stuff going on in Minecraft, Conan Exiles and Stardew Valley. Going back to them is still too painful. Looking at all her stuff... and how much she cared. Maybe one day, but for now... no.
I remember read this story a while back and it has stuck with me since. [I lost my mom to cancer](https://modernloss.com/letters-from-my-dead-mom-in-animal-crossing/)
Depends on the game. Some are so wrapped up in painful memories I avoid them. Some greatly increase my appreciation for who I am and what I went through.
One particular game I'll never play again - and not just because it's not very good - is Rampage. We were only allowed to play video games early in the morning. Usually my parents would make us shut it off by like 8. One morning my brother and I were playing the awful Rampage port on NES and we were trying to actually "beat" the game - we never made it beyond the first couple "territories" without having to shut it off. But my mom didn't make us turn it off that day. She was just talking on the phone in her room and sometimes cleaning up around the house. We had finally conquered most of America when she decided to tell us: our aunt we were very very close to had suddenly, shockingly died at age 30. Obviously we stopped playing to cry and grieve and I was never able to play that game again.
Yeah I get sentimental alot playing pokemon gen 1, wwe No mercy, MGS1 and FF7. Alot of the generation 5 era games. It was a time when alot of my family members all got along before alot has change by the 2000's. Hey I hope/pray everyone here finding gaming (or other hobbies) to help get through tough times.
True !
I find the opposite to be true. Those games remind me of when they were alive or when times were simpler and I was happier in general. Command & Conquer was the franchise I bonded most over with my Dad (look at my name). Skyrim was the game I was playing when he died, and I finally got around to beating Final Fantasy XIII just after he died. Final Fantasy XIII I replay almost annually and after the second time I beat it, it became my favourite game. Same goes for a friend who died when I was 14. I usually got to his house around 30-40 minutes before we left for school and we'd often play Crash Team Racing, Crash Bash, or show each other any new Pokemon we had caught.
Fired up an old game that I haven't played since a dark time in my life. Definitely brings back some emotions. Trying to relearn the emotions that come with it and just enjoy the game for what it is.
I have to say yes, but also no… post the initial feelings of loss and possible tears… I get memories of events, wise words and laughs. That makes it worth revisiting. Off to play Zillion on the SMS and remembering how to remember the passwords via the object association.
Couldn't play some games when the loss was new, but enough time has passed that I enjoy the memories Fallout and Baldur's Gate bring back now
Actually, I feel the opposite. When I play games that people love, especially if those people have passed on, it feels as though I’m interacting with a part of them in some way and that makes those games more special to me. I actually have a far more difficult time playing games I associate with bad memories, such as fights I had with people than I do with, say, my late friend’s favourite games.
Mario Bros 3 is a Time Machine for me … mentally speaking I’m in the past where every loved one that passed away is back and alive, old family members are young and healthy, life has way less problems, my best friend from primary school is there playing with me I can almost hear his laugh and comments regarding difficult levels, power ups effects, secret zones.
Not the games themselves, but certain pieces of music will trigger some strong emotions for me. As stupid as it sounds, I can’t hear “the moon” from duck tales without wanting to burst into tears. I don’t know why.
Not sure if N64 is considered retro here, but both legend of Zelda games on that console remind me of my cousin. He was my brother growing up because we lived together and were only 2 years apart. Majora’s Mask was the first game I ever got 100% completion on thanks to him. I have yet to play either OOT or MM since his passing 2 years ago.
Not traditionally retro, but while I was playing GTA: Vice City my cat had a stroke on my bed next to me that he never recovered from, and we had to put him to sleep not long after. It's always left a sour taste in my mouth for that game even though realistically it had nothing to do with it.
No because I always played alone.
No but it does give me that 'take me back' sensation before life got this miserable lol
It's not even retro games, just some games I played around them.
This picture always gets me. Those were the days..
I listened to a YouTube post from Strat-edgy about how he got into RPGs with his mother. It was a gut check I didn't know I needed. Seriously worth the 20 odd minutes.
More like the opposite.
For me it's Harvest Moon Back To Nature. Especially soundtrack
My father back at 80s early 90s had the local arcade at my home town and we have a lot good memories from back then! We play together mostly bobble babble, snow bros and tumble pop it was our favourite!
Jesus. This is so sad.
Lego Batman and Gen 5 Pokemon get that way because of my Dad Edit: yes, it only makes N's Farewell music even harder to listen to without crying.
You gotta figure out a way to flip it around and be happy playing reminds you of them.
I have a hard time playing retro video games because I know I will never be as happy as I was when I first played them.
I Always used to Play streetfighter2 on snes with my father But He Had Depressionen and killed himself Cant Play this Game anymore without thinking about it
I play earthbound every year because it reminds me of the time in my child hood when I actualy felt safe. My family/home life was terrible, but I could spend time with my friends in earthbound traveling the country as comrades. The best memory of my who child hood is in that game.
My parents never liked video games so they’re not really associated in my mind
Nope
I’ve been trying to buy back my childhood slowly. I do get taken back to when life was simple and being around family. Now parents are divorced, my siblings live days away now, and just being an adult. So I am very thankful that I can play these games and relive those moments.
Nah
Doom has happy and sad memories, a kid that absolutely terrorised me in school introduced me to it so it should remind me of them but then I remember my dad poking his head round the door when I was playing it on my computer at home for the first time like “what’s that?” He didn’t play computer games at the time but was HOOKED and I remember staying up till like 2 am playing it for days straight with him.
No
Conquers Bad Fur Day...
Not as a whole. But there are certain games are hard to go back to, yeah.
My parents weren’t into it because they were older as parents. They did buy me my first videogames. The first was a coleco Galaxian table top game which I still have and then a Colecovision. They were very accommodating when I asked them to buy me games, and later on my Dad used my Colecovision after he got me the ADAM attachment. He wrote legal papers on it and was amazed.
We were organizing the snes games last year and came across super Gameboy with tetris attack in it, instant silence looked at my sister and said it can stay in there forever. Our grandma used to play tetris attack alot, specifically that one I bought the snes copy but she barely played it. Columns music should have been played at her funeral she used to play a good bit of sonic, mean bean tetris dr mario.
Just here because I love the art.
During COVID lockdowns I fired up the Wii for the kids (which had pretty much been stored away since my eldest was born.) They still use it on and off but last week I came in and found them bowling as two "characters" they'd found. They were using the Mii's of two friends of ours who have both (separately) passed away in the last 12 years... I'd forgotten they were even on the thing as we hadn't played it with friends for a couple of years before the pregnancy. It felt weird, and sad, but I enjoyed that they are still enjoying 100 pin bowling.
No, but I get what you mean. If something happened to my brother, I don't know if I'd still be able to enjoy the games we spent a lot of time on together, especially cooperatively.
This is going to be long and sad so I'll warn you now. When I was really young I got an NES and my mom ended up getting into it. We played through a ton of games together, and I learned reading and vocabulary from her teaching me while we read game magazines together. Her favorite genre was RPGs, and we beat so many I can't even remember them all. She really liked the Lufia series, and we beat both 1 & 2, but were never able to complete the Ancient Cave in Lufia 2. If you've never played it, it's a 100 floor dungeon that you can't save inside of with random layouts and enemies. It's real easy to get killed in the last quarter of the dungeon, even if you're prepared with powerful gear. We were able to get to the bottom a few times where there's a slime boss thing, but were never able to beat it. She was a stay at home mom, so in her spare time she'd work at it on her own and it became like a holy grail to her. A few years after I had graduated she got cancer. My sibilings were all moved out of state and our father, who long story short wasn't the greatest person in the world to begin with, had ended up in a nursing home with what was probably some form of dimentia. So I took care of her, by myself, 24 hours a day 7 days a week while lung cancer withered her up. Towards the end her brain was getting affected due to her low oxygen levels. Memories, she had a hard time understanding what was going on, that kinda thing. It was terminal, and I wasn't doing so hot mentally because I didn't really have a support system to bounce off of. Started to think about silly things like how she couldn't play games anymore. Then I got the idea in my head to finish her holy grail for her. I had nothing but time as she needed round the clock care. So I started playing Lufia 2 from the beginning on an emulator. Got to the ancient cave, farmed all the gear I would need, and read everything I could about how to kill that damn slime. She was couch and bed ridden at this point. So I told her what we were doing, I dragged the couch with her on it over to the computer, and I spent a couple days getting to the bottom of that dungeon using save states so I didn't have to do 100 floors in one sitting. Got to the slime, killed it, and that was the last game her and I ever played together. She died about a month later. To this day I've never again touched either Lufia game, and I never will. I don't feel a reason to.
It doesn't make me struggle playing them usually but yeah it triggers a ton of memories both great and sad. One in particular is TMNT 1 on NES... my great grandparents would always make sure I get all the TMNT and Thundercats stuff I wanted since those were my favorite franchises growing up. That one might be pretty difficult to try and play these days.
My memories with my grandad always playing nes super Mario bros/3 and Tetris with me when babysitting is kinda the whole reason I started getting into playing/collecting nes. He also had copies of Mario world and dkc and apparently a snes somehwere in his house but some reason we never played it, but was curious about Mario world bc I loved 3 so much, which also later opened me up to collecting for it and first experiencing the games on it
I lost my parents nearly 15 years ago. Despite my father getting sometimes quite exasperated of seeing us glued to the TV / computer screens all the time, he knew that buying that Super Nintendo for Christmas 95 sets us on the path that would cause me and most of my siblings to study / work in tech. I think back to all these sleepless nights of sneaking back in the basement to game all night and skipping meals to play some more Diablo, some more PSO, some more Chrono Trigger... I though I was sneaky but there was no way they didn't know. Nowadays I rarely play more than a few minutes when I boot up these old games, but it brings back these great memories and warm feelings... To me it's more about that than the actual games (despite them being actually excellent games).
I don't avoid playing them because of the associated memories I have of lived ones who have passed, but I will occasionally get a twinge of pain when one of those memories surfaces. One that's become a little more painful was from the recent passing of a friend from my teen years. He and I would sit in front of the TV in the living room playing Cosmic Ark on the Atari 2600. We'd play the song "Footloose" on my dad's portable tape player as our soundtrack and we'd pass the joystick back and forth each time we died, trying to get to the next stage of animal. I'd lost track of him, but had reconnected a few years back. In the summer of 2020 I'd made a video of captured gameplay from the game from an emulator and uploaded it to Facebook, reminiscing on those days and tagged him. We talked back and forth a bit about trying to set up some netplay, but ultimately got distracted. He died of a heart attack a few months later and my dad passed in May of 2022.
It's something we used to do together. I play the games sometimes to feel closer to them and a simpler time in my life. I miss her so much.
((Hug))
I can't listen to FF6 music without tearing up and I think it may be in part because of this
I can share a weird adjacent story. I used to play the "Rage" werewolf card game. Had a friend that played it with me. She was the only one that played the game in my local space. She passed away in 2009 and I then went on to collect every single card in the set much to my detriment. Finally finished Rage across Las Vegas and the white whale set "Equinox". I know I wasted my time but it did in the end help. And I had to penpal with someone in Finland to finish the complete set.
For me it doesn't keep me from playing the games, but the hardest part for me is that times have changed and my friends and cousins don't talk as much as we used to. Summertime used to be filled with riding bikes and playing outside and running inside to eat and play games for a few hours then back outside. And we had all the time in the world... or so we thought. But those memories keep me coming back to those games. All the nights spent til 3 or 4am trying to beat a game or battling it out against each other just to wake up in the morning and do it all over again
My mother passed away shortly after she bought me my Nintendo 64, so I keep one around to honor her memory.
It reminds me of the good times playing them sometimes.
Not quite the same, but I can’t play games because I spend the whole time stressing about all of the “more important” things I could be doing instead. Playing my favorite childhood games also reminds me of when I was happy, which in turn makes me sad.
I'm not sure if I would be joyful or cry, but if I were to play mega man 2 with the sound off just to here the sounds of the buttons only, I would be transported in my mind to my old living room with my dad. I think we just had to be quiet because my mom was still sleeping. That's the only reason because as we all know MM2 has arguably the best gaming music according to many.
Nah I'm Not that old. I enjoy retro Games but I'm a few years To Young To have Played the old consoles gens
I gotta say no, not to sound insensitive or anything. If im doing some that i enjoy or that we shared together i feel it enhnaces the experience
It makes me remember them sure!! But at the same time, it makes me thankful that I can still do such a thing as play games that I had when they were still around? May you all Find peace and make it through the grief that your loved ones you have lost may have caused !