
Sometimes, games just hit all the right buttons and can survive the ages, even as there are new advancements in technology and graphics. Of course, it helps that developers can continue to tweak and update games, something the makers of some of these games may never have believed was possible when they were released 20 years ago, or even longer ago in the case of some PC titles.
A lot of the older games still played go a long way to prove that lore and inventive storylines are more important than a game looking photorealistic or looking fantastic on your new 8K television.
Esports Breathe New Life Into Older Titles
For a lot of older games, especially competitive ones, the huge esports scene has seen a refresh and a reinvigoration for a lot of different games. Staying on top of the latest esports tournaments can be tough, as there are so many tournaments going on in games like Valorant, Fortnite, and CS2.
The competitive gaming scene is a brilliant way to expose new generations to games, and the competition scene has helped to add another layer of interest as players can also look to pick the winners of the next big tournament.
Old can be gold, and there is even a competitive gaming scene for playing Tetris, a game our dads all likely played. People still can watch on games that trace their origins back to the times of cassette tapes and VHS movies, and we’re exploring the games with generation-spanning influence.
Counter-Strike (CS:GO and CS2)
Competitions with live audiences like Blast Pro or IEM events continue to sell out, the CS scene just gets bigger. The Counter-Strike franchise has all the depth and action that so many players look for in competitive gaming. The upcoming IEM Sydney will be played out in front of sell-out crowds with $250,000 in prizes given to the top teams with competitors like FaZe and Vitality taking part.
It is amazing to think that the first time the public could play and explore Counter-Strike was November 9, 2000 – that’s before some of the current competitive esports players were even born, and the game has gone through a huge evolution since then.
CS developers keep adding to the game and in 2023 CS2 has become available via a public beta, over the years the recoil systems and pattern systems for guns have changed as well as the maps, and of course, the graphics keep getting better.
Age of Empires II
Gamers heard their first “Wololo” back in the 90s. The iconic sound effect that has been a part of the game for all that time is even the name of one of the biggest tournaments, the Red Bull-sponsored Wololo tournament.
It’s Age of Empires II, which first hit CD Rom drives back in 1999, that has proved to have longevity in this franchise, and players can now play it on their Xbox. In 2022 Microsoft announced the “console generation” was on its way.
World of Warcraft
Blizzard Entertainment keeps us guessing with World of Warcraft (WoW as it is often known) as we keep getting new expansions and new stories including the recent Dragonflight (2022) which means the WoW scene never goes stale and always has something to get people talking.
WoW fans are super dedicated and there is a real fantasy folklore that spans 150,000 years of in-game history, meaning that there has been fan fiction and even a film spinoff from the series, which is an esports gaming having launched in 2004. Players like Hansol and Reckful are among the all-time greats in the franchise.
Conclusion
If you fall in love with a game, why stop playing it? Some of the best games came out before some modern gamers were even born, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t classics, and the graphics and console compatibility can even be updated to bring them into the modern age.