Why no Retrocon?

CiDeRmAn

Hi all,
Just wondering why we here in the fine Irish Republic don't have a Retrogaming convention going on.
I'm pretty sure the US is overflowing with them, as is the likes of Germany, maybe one or two in the UK, but here, nothing.
I seem to remember one going on in the hotel there across the road from Connolly Station way back in the day, say the late 90's, but nothing has popped up since.
Anyone any ideas on this?
Any plans perhaps?

o1s1n

Just due to the small population. We don't have enough of a demand for such events unfortunately.

Would love to see something like that over here myself.

Retr0gamer

We really just need someone to organise it. The UK has a huge retro following since many people were involved in the 80's homebrew scene and there are an lot of 8-bit legends still living in the UK willing to contribute to this scene. Ireland just doesn't have these type of people although a small event organised by someone with the determination to see it to fruitition is probably all that is needed to get the ball rolling. I for one wouldn't mind a few drinks with people interested in console gaming since it's not often I get to talk about it without boring people to death.

CiDeRmAn

I know what you mean, even amongst my colleagues in work who have been switched onto Nintendos latest, they still find retro gaming completely baffling.
I tried to explain the delights of the various games I have in my collection and they develop a glazed expression, if its not BrainTraining, Fifa or Need for Speed they don't want to know.
But aside from the few that frequent these Boards, there must be a hundred or so enthusiasts who still get a kick out of the still great machines of yesterday.

I mean when I have shown people Sonic on the Megadrive, Minestorm on the Vectrex or even DuckHunt on the Nes they, mostly, can't help but smile.

Of course the question of renting a venue, the funding to host such an event, there probably isn't the numbers to make it viable.

Pity.

Dr Bob

Yeah I dont think there's enough people THAT interested in retro gaming to have a viable con ..I mean you'd need a couple of hundred people , and based on the usual suspects who post here , and the Irish contingent on the RG forums (me and maybe 2 others) , and on the AtariAge forums (maybe 5) I dont think you could get that many people.
Retrogaming is pretty low key here , I mean we have no dedicated RG shops (in the UK there are a few , and the likes of Gamestation)...
Its a pity as I'd love to go to something with a few likeminded people (and have a few beers and play old games)

Doctor DooM

Perhaps the way to look at this would be to have a retro section for an existing con.

For example, beofre everyone in Ireland had computers, Gaelcon (an RPG and LARP convention) used to have a lan party going on in one corner.

So if you started a gaming con, for all types of video gaming, with a retro section?

Perhaps a competition like the iron man of gaming- the entrants have to compete at 5 randomly chosen retro games? So no one has a distinct advantage, and everyone gets to see the old skool games?

CiDeRmAn

The idea of a Retro corner to an existing con is a good one, unfortunately my day to day life does not put me in contact with this scene at all.

I haven't used a 20 sided dice in about 18 years!

We shall have to see....

Dr Bob

I'm kind of in the same situation as CiDeRmAn, but I'd be happy to help , lug equipment ,bring consoles etc if there was a con (or a subsection of a gaming con?)

TheDoc

well theres 3-4 big lans a year, id say wcg would be a good bet

i personally am not really interested in retro gaming, theres something about playing a game years old, that ive finished...its a bit laughable

popped in mgs1 the other day for ps1 and just had to stop myself it looked so terrible by todays standards..

Retr0gamer

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote: »

i personally am not really interested in retro gaming, theres something about playing a game years old, that ive finished...its a bit laughable

popped in mgs1 the other day for ps1 and just had to stop myself it looked so terrible by todays standards..

If you are into retro gaming you have to realise that graphics don't mean anything.

CiDeRmAn

Also, unless you are around 35-40 and have had really rich parents, you couldn't possibly have played, never mind finish everything, not even on the PS1, I know I haven't and I own more games on that than most, over 100.
Graphics, as said, do not mean an awful lot, not the way they do now, it's more about the gameplay, however cliched that is.
However, I must say, even in the most pixellated, colour clashing, broken poly displaying videogame, the graphics do one very important thing, set the tone, often steeped in nostalgia, sure, but it creates it's own universe built of the building blocks available to the developer at the time.
So when you play Manic Miner you have a coherent world based around a certain type of visuals and audio, many of the remakes of this game have felt wrong simply because they messed with the outdated yet perfect visuals, same too with SpeedBall II on the Amiga and the many reheats of the Lemmings games.

MGS, well, thats a very modern game, a must have too.
I can understand the desire to see it in an updated form, thats what the GC edition of it is for. However, there is a certain charm in the devs use of the palette available when playing MGS on the PS, its a remarkable game and incredibly atmospheric, just play it, you'll soon lose yourself in it again.

Must say though, if you are finding PSone games a hurdle the I don't hold out much hope where it concerns the Atari, Commodore or Sinclair, Sega or Nintendo.

Ah well, more Robotron for the rest of us!



Have to say too, I'd be a bit apprehensive allowing the great unwashed to use my consoles and games, my precious things of the shop. The idea of some unwashed twit being heavy handed with my stuff, never mind the idea of someone nicking some of more hard to find items, hmm, perhaps I was hasty in suggesting a RetroCon at all!

o1s1n

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Must say though, if you are finding PSone games a hurdle the I don't hold out much hope where it concerns the Atari, Commodore or Sinclair, Sega or Nintendo.

Actually, many PS1 games have dated worse than previous 2d titles. 2d really reached an amazing point with the 16-bit era. Some I would consider far more visually pleasing than 32 bit polygon stuff.

And as for the great unwashed touching my console collection...the thought sends a shiver down my spine. :eek:

Retr0gamer

o1s1n wrote: »

Actually, many PS1 games have dated worse than previous 2d titles. 2d really reached an amazing point with the 16-bit era. Some I would consider far more visually pleasing than 32 bit polygon stuff.

Agree totally. Just look at the pinnacles of 2D gaming, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Gunstar Heroes, Princess Crown, Axelay. They all were on vastly inferior hardware than whats available today. However they still look as gorgeous as the day they came out due to the unbeatable 2D artwork. Games on the PS2 are now beginning to look very archaic and even some early 360 and PS3 games are beginning to look ugly as sin. In 3 years time crysis is going to be laughable. 3D is far from perfect now and will always date until it reaches life like levels. However saying that games which are heavily stylised such as Okami or Wind Waker are never going to age and will always look amazing. It's also the stylised artwork of most 2D games that meant they never dated. Look at the 'life-like' digitised and pre-rendered games like Donkey Kong Country and Mortal Kombat now. They look absolutely atrocious.

However the youth of today equate 2D to crappy graphics. I've been told by a fair few idiots like my brother that the exquisite 2D artwork and animation in Odin Sphere looks terrible because it's not in 3D. Makes me want to weep sometimes.

Anyway back on topic, I wouldn't mind lending my saturn and most of my games are eh, back-ups, so wouldn't mind too much if some tea leaf ran off with them.

Crowman

I't would be great to meet up with like minded people.
None of my family/friends wants to play on my consoles so I would be more than happy for someone to play on my Jaguar or Dreamcast.
I couldnt risk my Saturn or Snes though, have to draw the line somewhere

Dr Bob

If its a small group ,Ideally what you want is a retrogamer(fan of the genre I mean , not the poster)with a big enough house to throw a games night?*Or maybe if its a big enough one maybe get a function room in a hotel for a night??


*Before anyone says it ...my house is TINY!

o1s1n

luas_dublin wrote: »

Ideally what you want is a retrogamerwith a big enough house to throw a games night?

Great idea. Everyone, round to ciderman's attic!

CiDeRmAn

Have you guys seen my attic?

To tell the truth, it's not such a bad idea, unfortunately right now my attic is full of crap, and we are getting a spiral stairs, hopefully, fitted in the early summer, so fingers crossed, it'll all be readily accessible.

All the above working out, I'd be happy to host an evening for 4 or 5 like minded folks, once they're not to tall!

Plus you wouldn't have to bring a tremendous amount with you, as I have pretty much everything already!

But just thinking, with one TV set in there, there would be terrible pressure to pick what game goes on next, and how long to play it and who gets a go, I mean, it could come to blows!
One would have to organise a schedule, a timetable of what goes on and what time it goes on for.
I mean, if you had, say 6/8 hours, most game systems, most games and one tv, how would you divide up the time?
What games do you think folk should play?

For that matter what games could you not live without? Perhaps that one is best dealt with in a separate thread, I'll nip off and set it up.....

There done!