Sometimes I like to pop a cartridge in my NES, turn on the power, sit back, and listen to the tinny sound coming out of my surround sound system. Sure, it only needs one speaker. No, it doesn't sound any better with today's technology, but I don't care. And the sound isn't the only thing I like. The black screen appears. The title, Super Mario Bros., scrolls into view above Duck Hunt. Briefly, I toy with the idea of going down to the latter title. But my zapper I got with the system, though to all appearances a weapon in mint condition, doesn't work. So I just press 'start' on my controller and it's off to the player select screen. No, I don't select characters. I select the number that will play. Usually, that leaves just me.

The familiar music starts playing as Mario rushes toward the right. Oh no, it's a Goomba! I cleverly jump up into the air, then come down in a perfect arc, smashing him into a pancake. Mario hobbles away, snags a coin from the question block, then bops the next one. Magically, a mushroom sprouts and turns mobile, sliding along the ledge toward the right. I'm feeling sneaky, so I bop it from below and give the 'shroom a little hop. Then I grab it and suddenly Mario is safe from one hit. And so the game goes. I don't have to describe this in detail because you've already played the game through a million times. Or have you? Surprisingly, many of today's gamers haven't ever played the game. This is astounding, I know, but true. And so when you discuss the old classic in a chat room, they'll sit there in stunned silence for a moment, then type, "how kan u like it its just blobz on th screeen"

This editorial will attempt to answer that question.

Retro gaming, everyone should realize, wasn't always retro. Back in the day, it was cutting edge. Before I found the NES, people were marveling over how they could move this awesome paddle around and the little square would bounce around the screen. That was Pong, widely credited as the first 'video game' ever created. It was nothing special. By today's standards, it was just plain bleah. But you know what? I love that game. I've never played it, but I love it, horrible graphics and all. I love it because it started the ball rolling. That's the same reason people should love Donkey Kong, Contra, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy, and any number of such titles. They broke ground. They're why we are where we are today.

Critics of retro gaming don't seem to realize that. It's as if they think Final Fantasy VII just magically appeared and videogames began. It's a nice thought (or perhaps a nightmare, depending on what you think of that title), but there's absolutely no truth to it.

If a critic of retro gaming does realize that newer games weren't the beginning of everything--and some do; a few were even around back in the day--then they almost certainly will bring up the point, "oh but it lookz lke crap." And this is a valid point. There's nothing about Super Mario Bros. today that is going to win any awards in terms of graphics. Mario is comprised of a bunch of blocks sewn together as if by accident. You can tell he's human and that's about it. But is this a reason to dismiss his game? No. And as odd as this may sound, the graphics are an extremely viable reason to play the game.

How many people do you know who sit down, look at the latest exciting 3D game on the Playstation 2 and say, "Wow, I never would have thought graphics would get this good!" There are some, to be sure. But what do they mean. Do they mean, "Wow, this really blows Final Fantasy IX out of the water," or do they mean, "Wow, this really makes Super Mario Bros. look ancient?" It's a matter of perspective. If you haven't played those old games, the graphics in a Playstation 2 game are impressive. If you have played the older games, they're downright stunning. The simple fact is that the old games help a person more fully appreciate the new ones. I can remember when The Legend of Zelda on the NES got my imagination working overtime. I saw huge pillars, rising toward skies swirling with mist. I saw distant peaks in the shape of a giant skull, crumbling dungeons filled with bats and slime and dragons. It was all real to me. Then I saw it all expressed more clearly in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the NES. I was wowed beyond belief, then again for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Unless you've played those old games, though, where's the magic? You just compare the games to the newest titles and you think, "Well, that's not all that amazing."

Okay, so I've dwelled long enough on graphics. I'm going to turn next to gameplay.

I don't know who it was, but somewhere along the road, someone at console world said, "Hey, we gotta catch up to the PC. We gotta go 3D." If you find that person, let me know so I can take him to a room and shoot him repeatedly with a potato gun. Honestly, no one has ever done more damage to videogames than that fellow. And it didn't begin with the Nintendo 64 or the Playstation or the Jaguar. It began with the 16-bit era, so far as I can tell. Regardless of when it began, though, it changed gameplay forever. Suddenly platformers were the most frustrating experience anyone could have. Aside from early gems such as Super Mario 64, games became a matter of fighting a maniacal camera, rather than getting to the end of the level. Jumps became nightmares once again for even the most seasoned of gamers. And this was deemed... fun. Okay. Uh, let me go back to the NES days. I mean that, too. Back in the days of the NES, you saw how wide a pit was and you jumped it. You didn't have to say, "Hmm, my shadow is aligned here, so I think I can make the jump if I'm lucky and if I concentrate real hard." You simply jumped and cleared the pit. This allowed you to have more fun. Not everything in the game was a chore.

But this article isn't here to bash 3D, as some people have done it right. It's here to point out that older games were fun also because of their simple nature. Back then, games were focusing on the core of gameplay, the fun. Yes, fun. It's an odd word, one that I honestly can't associate with too many of today's games. But it existed back on the NES. And that's the ultimate reason to experience retro gaming.

Okay, so I've made my points. I've shown you two great reasons to play those old games: to see how far they have come visually, and to see how far they haven't come in terms of gameplay. Is that still not enough? Well, I coudl point out price. Retro gaming is typically quite cheap. But before I go too far, I think I better rush down and buy all those retro favorites that are still sitting on store shelves. Once I have my complete collection, then I'll come back and we can chat some more. Because believe it or not, retro gaming is on the rise. People besides myself are saying, "Hey, wait a minute, games used to be fun!"

And as a final point, let me tell you to go and play your new favorite game. Realize that in three years, it'll be retro, too. Does that mean you should stop liking it? Does that mean you should no longer play it? Didn't think so.

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