Jaden | 151 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 (edited) Do you guys ever get self-conscious for playing certain games, or try to hide the games you like? I really don't know if anyone else has this issue. I might be a complete idiot for feeling this way, but it's something that's been eating away at me for a while and I just really want to talk about it. For example, I really like Frogger. I think it's not only an arcade classic, but it also spawned a series of great action puzzlers in the early to mid 2000's. However, nobody else seems to know or care about these games. And when they do, they all go "Huh, Frogger had a series??? LMAO". They don't seem to take it seriously, even though the games are actually good. Or when they hear about the Frogger series, their minds just go straight to Great Quest and proceed to mock it. It just kinda bums me out, y'know. I've also seen quite a few people bash NES games because they're old and "don't age well." It just makes me feel like I'm an idiot for even liking these games. It would be more normal for me to get into something like Smash and get into the competitive side of it. But I just can't. I hate Smash Bros., but I like these old games that nobody cares about. I know that I probably shouldn't care about it at all, but I just can't help but feel like something is wrong with me. Does anyone else struggle with this? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. And if I get insulted a bunch for this... well, I probably deserve it to be honest. Edited January 15, 2023 by Jaden Fixed a grammar error. Thanks the_wizard_666. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_wizard_666 | 1,325 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 The first thing is that the phrase is "self-conscious," not "self cautious." /grammarnazi But as for the topic, you like what you like, there's no reason to feel bad about that. Haters gonna hate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkTone | 987 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Nope. I have friends who can't wrap their heads around the fact that I play older games on new consoles, but thats the closest. And I dont shame others for what they play or how they play them (maybe a different subject) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,983 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 The only thing dumb was not summarising the question in the thread title I'm not sure why anyone would feel guilty of liking Frogger really? Seems sensible enough to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 4,936 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Not really ever. Probably the closest is when I’ve found some super-kiddie game (and I mean, something that was meant for 3-4 year olds) but something about it had good game design and I found myself messing with it for a while. That’s not happened in a looooong time because my kids are now much older than that age range, but even then I didn’t feel shame. I just kind of realized “this game was made for a toddler but you’ve been messing around with it for an hour. What does that say about me?!” Well… I guess I like melodic monsters that occasionally fart! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacepup | 2,406 Administrator · Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Jaden - there's nothing wrong with liking what you like. I guess what I would say is, try not to worry too much about what others think about games that interest you, or your interest in games. But also don't expect anyone/everyone else to get super excited about what you like either. We have tons of people here with niche interests for all types of different content. I know someone who is super into the Just Dance series and goes after every version of the game they can possibly find, even internationally. Is a broad segment of the community going to get super excited about that? Absolutely not. And some people maybe even laugh at it. But at the end of the day, you like what you like, and there's nothing wrong with that as we all have different tastes and interests. Regarding the NES example, at least here you know there are PLENTY of people who share passion for NES and "old" games hah! Ironically, I just got this in recently from Japan. I paid over $100 for a Frogger DEMO for PS1 Japan. Some people may look at that like I'm crazy or laugh all they want. That's ok - I don't care because my purpose is for preserving the Japanese PS1 demo library - not everyone has to share that passion and that's totally fine! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor | 855 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 i look at how many people my age (late 30s/early 40s) who consider themselves "gamers" and i just have to shake my head. when i was a kid, i was super into the NES. i was ostracized for it. most classmates wouldn't give me or gaming the time of day. fast forward 25 years and now everybody games. point of my story: people are fickle. do what you enjoy, unashamedly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdrunner | 422 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 @Jaden Nothing at all wrong with liking any game ever. Sounds like your friends are missing out on some good games. What's your favorite modern Frogger game? I remember enjoying the first 3D Frogger on PS1 (the one that just says "He's Back"), but haven't tried any others. Side note: "Frogger 2: Threedeep" for Atari 800 is one of my favorite games of all time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,892 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Utterly shameless Frogger fan here. Just had a quick look through every game in the franchise and I feel slightly self conscious about admitting that I did not realize how substantial that library is. Huge fan of old games so I tend to know when there's been a sequel or update. I guess I'm still just too into original Frogger. I haven't even delved into threeedeep yet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I echo most of what everybody's said here about not feeling shame about the types of and specific games that I enjoy, and that you shouldn't feel bad about your preferences versus how others might feel about the same content. The one caveat I would add would be in regard to stuff like adult games (everything from games which just show nudity for nudity's sake all the way up to straight up explicit porn games), which is fine if that's what you're into, but for which I would be a bit more guarded about sharing that. Again, it's fine to like what you like, but with the adult category most specifically, it's not everybody's cup of tea, and you'll get a lot more and a lot stronger reactions out of people (typically toward the negative) when openly talking about such things. Basically, know your audience, and make sure whatever you're wanting to discuss or share with that audience is appropriate to them first and foremost. The more all-ages-appropriate the content you're discussing is, the more you should feel free to share and discuss it as widely and openly as possible. You shouldn't feel bad for your own preferences, but be aware and mindful of what those of your audience may be if you're worried about how they'll react. I know this sounds somewhat opposite of the other advice given, but really it's just a bit of advice about not getting into trouble (either in reality or just socially) for sharing content that's inappropriate for the audience (talking about the more explicit points of a GTA game with a Youth Group, for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Nah. I like everything. And if someone I knew wanted to talk about Contra, or Goldeneye, or Xenoblade 2, I'd be thrilled. Now, if I owned something like Gal Gun, then we'd have something to question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 2 hours ago, twiztor said: i look at how many people my age (late 30s/early 40s) who consider themselves "gamers" and i just have to shake my head. when i was a kid, i was super into the NES. i was ostracized for it. most classmates wouldn't give me or gaming the time of day. fast forward 25 years and now everybody games. point of my story: people are fickle. do what you enjoy, unashamedly. Where on Earth did you grow up that you were ostracized for liking the NES? Where I grew up, as well as where all of my relatives lived (multiple hundred miles away), the NES was an absolute smash hit with kids across the board when it came out, and while some were more nuts than others about playing it, everybody wanted one and wanted to play games on one. About the only time that this died down was when the SNES came out and new additions to the NES library fell off a cliff, but even then, nobody ostracized those of us who preferred the older system to the newer one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I wouldn't say games were ever ostracized around here, but I didn't exactly broadcast to the rest of the football team that I was going home and playing Baldur's Gate after practice. That definitely would have resulted in some ribbing. But then flash forward 10 years. My little brother is captain of the football team, homecoming king, stuff like that, and has Star Wars and Fallout and Elder Scrolls tattoos, and he and his teammates go play Magic the Gathering after practice. In other words, nerd culture has really taken off in the last 20 years. Thank Marvel films and Skyrim and Pokemon and everything else for that. I mean check out George Kittle and his wife. Can you imagine an NFL star doing this in the 90s? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,892 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Also worth considering: Contemporary human beings have a marked tendency to respond to hype and group-think. The success of any given piece of media is predominantly determined by hype. The majority of older games were not hyped much in their time and consequently most people aren't even aware of their existence let alone interested in exploring them; the kind of folks who hang around this site being something of an exception to that general rule. People want to like what lots of others like, especially if those others are their friends. It may be the case that you, sir, do not respond to hype and group-think in the same manner as an average contemporary human. Consider yourself hereby complimented on your uniqueness. Perhaps your tastes are simply different. A group of people sometimes act more like a wolf pack than a group of humans. In this case you are the wolf who scratches himself funny or howls in a way that is different from the others. The individuals need the pack for survival and an individual who is not homogeneous with the pack may eventually be seen as a threat to the pack's survival as anything strange or different is viewed under the effect of instinct as potential danger. Not to worry though. I'm not trying to imply that your friends are bad or that they are eventually going to hamstring you or something. It's more that they are just ignorant and probably mean well but just can't understand why you would want to waste your time with those old relics when you could be playing some overly realistic first person shooter or a life consuming RPG or smash brothers etc. If you are happy and confident doing you then eventually one or more of them may see that and decide to join you. If that person is the Alpha or liked well enough by the Alpha then your tastes may one day merge with the rest of the pack. And if they don't? Look on the bright side. Great vintage games being unpopular means they will tend to be very affordable for you to acquire, lone wolf. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webhead123 | 687 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Like what you like and don't apologize for or feel embarrassed about it. Life is too short to put your interests away over the arbitrary opinions of others. If people don't share your interests, don't force it on them but also ask they give you the same respect. My wife and sons are really into football (American). One of my sons even plays for the school. I couldn't care less about the sport and even find it dull...but I support my son for his passion and I don't begrudge the family for watching games on TV. In turn, they don't give me a hard time if I choose to play Mega Man or Contra instead. It's all about mutual respect and not taking life too seriously. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PekoponTAS | 171 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I have an entire "gaming career" fighting the popular opinion, as I almost always disagree with it. It's not by choice to be a "contrarian" as so many people often resort to saying, but because I genuinely see flaws in the most popular games that the internet tends to ignore. Conversely, the more a game gets crapped on the more eager I am to see its good points. Sometimes I agree with the popular opinion, but much more often than not I disagree. If I let every single thing people said about the games I like get me down, I'd be a soulless husk. It's always worth remembering that what you hear people say on the internet is the most cartoonish version of what would be said to you in person, where people are often more willing to be polite and listen. For what it's worth, I agree with you about Frogger. The original game is a classic, and the GBA games were great too. Frogger 2 on GBC is extremely underrated too. Also long live Metroid Prime Federation Force, Star Fox Zero and Sonic Lost World, the best games on their respective systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaden | 151 Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 @SumezYeah, it was kinda dumb not to do that. I don't really know what I was thinking there. Sorry about that. It's not that I'm really guilty for liking the series. It's just that I feel lesser for enjoying something that most people would brush off. From what I've seen, the Frogger series is generally treated as shovelware. So, I sometimes question why I play and enjoy them in the first place. @spacepupYou're right. Part of me wishes that some stuff I like would get more attention. But even if it doesn't, that shouldn't stop me from playing it and enjoying it. At least communities like this forum exist for those who like niche old games. Also, nice score on that Frogger demo! I think that's cool that you have so much passion for preserving all the PS1 demos. I'd be interested in seeing what else you find. @rdrunner My favorite Frogger game is Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge. It does a great job at bringing ideas to the original arcade formula with overshadowing the core mechanics that made it so fun in the first place. It feels like a Frogger game, but heavily expanded. Other than that, Frogger's Adventures: The Rescue is an excellent puzzle game with an equally excellent soundtrack. I'd recommend that one to any big puzzle fanatics. @PIII can't blame you there. The original is a classic for a reason! I still find myself getting addicted to it every now and then. If you are interested, definitely check out the two games I mentioned above. @darkchylde28Yeah, I don't even play any adult games like that. I wasn't thinking about those, but I would agree that those should be kept more private. @PekoponTASThat's kinda how I've been my whole life. I've generally avoided playing what's super popular with the kids at school. Not because I thought it sucked, but mainly because I find older games much more interesting. I like working my way back through history and looking for games that I missed out on. And there happens to be tons of great games from the past that most people flat out ignore. It just bums me out that so many games are not given a chance because of arbitrary reasons like age or the system its on. But hey, that doesn't mean that I have to ignore them too. Thank you all for your responses. Really, I know deep down that I should continue to enjoy what I enjoy. I guess sometimes, it helps to gain more perspective by hearing from other people. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 5 hours ago, PekoponTAS said: I have an entire "gaming career" fighting the popular opinion, as I almost always disagree with it. It's not by choice to be a "contrarian" as so many people often resort to saying, but because I genuinely see flaws in the most popular games that the internet tends to ignore. Conversely, the more a game gets crapped on the more eager I am to see its good points. One could interpret that as fixating on the negative things found in a good game, and the positive things in a bad game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PekoponTAS | 171 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 57 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said: One could interpret that as fixating on the negative things found in a good game, and the positive things in a bad game. I guess that's an interpretation, but I'm not oblivious either. I still think The Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes sucks, and there's an absolute crap ton I love about that game. I'd love to defend that game, but I can't consider its gameplay good in any way. I'm pretty open about making fun of the games I love too. I think Ecco the Dolphin is the absolute best game on the Genesis, but I won't go out of my way to pretend it's not extremely frustrating and horribly designed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyNotZoidberg | 586 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) Some of my main passions are the 3DO, Atari Lynx (who SHOULD have a Frogger game, wtf) and the Wii. Those are 3 systems that, when brought up, very often have people talking in broad generalities that reveal a serious lack of knowledge and interest lol. So yeah, to each their own and that’s fine. edit: great topic man Edited January 16, 2023 by WhyNotZoidberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 3 minutes ago, PekoponTAS said: I guess that's an interpretation, but I'm not oblivious either. I still think The Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes sucks, and there's an absolute crap ton I love about that game. I'd love to defend that game, but I can't consider its gameplay good in any way. I'm pretty open about making fun of the games I love too. I think Ecco the Dolphin is the absolute best game on the Genesis, but I won't go out of my way to pretend it's not extremely frustrating and horribly designed. See, I think Triforce is dumped on despite being quite decent. Take away the Zelda license, and have someone like an Atlus develop and release it, and it's be celebrated as a hidden gem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox | 1,669 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said: See, I think Triforce is dumped on despite being quite decent. Any game that requires coordination with randos without the ability to properly communicate is going to be a bad time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 42 minutes ago, fox said: Any game that requires coordination with randos without the ability to properly communicate is going to be a bad time. Well I don't bother to play any games with randos, so problem solved. Local multiplayer or bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox | 1,669 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 27 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said: Well I don't bother to play any games with randos, so problem solved. Local multiplayer or bust. No problem getting 3 systems and 3 copies of the game and having two people over for a LAN party. EZPZ no hassle at all. Having a decent online mode isn’t needed at all, everyone has the ability to play locally no problem. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,563 Editorials Team · Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 53 minutes ago, fox said: No problem getting 3 systems and 3 copies of the game and having two people over for a LAN party. EZPZ no hassle at all. Having a decent online mode isn’t needed at all, everyone has the ability to play locally no problem. Imagine getting a Nintendo system and expecting online play. Gift your nieces and nephews a system. Boom. Instant free LAN party. You're welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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