Do you think any of today's modern games will be classics in the future or are the days of games becoming classic over? I think the reason why many 8 and 16 bit games are considered classic is because they were the first of their kind and gaming in general was still a newish thing. It was fun and something most people hadn't experienced before.

Where as today most games are just copy + paste of an old formula with a fresh coat of paint. I look at modern games and I can see that very little has changed in the past 10-15 years. We are still getting the same Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Madden, Grand Theft Auto, etc. that we did years ago. Been there, done that type of feeling.

I think retro games are considered classic not only from nostalgia but because you can tell devs put a lot of love into their games back then and are still fun to play today where as now I feel like most devs don't want to take any risks are just there for the paycheck. Maybe I'm wrong?

I get it though, kids playing any modern game today will probably have some nostalgia for it 10-20 years from now and maybe even consider it a classic but overall I think the gaming community/industry will not. What do you think?

I guess I like to compare it to muscle cars. The reason why those muscle cars from the 50's and 60's are worth so much is not only from nostalgia but because they were the first of their kind IMO. Going back to what I said earlier, you can tell the designers put a lot of love and care into making them. I can't imagine very many people having much interests in modern muscle cars 10-20 years from now.

Anyways, not trying to ramble here. Just something that was on my mind.

Short answer, yes. I honestly believe some modern games such as Mario Galaxy can be considered classics. These games are gonna be "classic" or "retro" to future generations.

100% there are already a shitload of them, too many to even name.

Sounds to me like you're only really thinking of AAA titles.

Undertale anyone? Furi? Super Meat Boy?

And even then, what about Breath of the Wild? Bloodborne? Plenty others to list but these are a few off the top of my head.

I guess I am mostly thinking of big budget AAA multi platform games. Not counting indie games like Undertale, Super Meat Boy, etc.

It's true some games like SMG and BotW will still be liked in the future but then again this is Nintendo we are talking about. They are one of the few companies left that still put an emphasis on "fun" when designing their games.

I think the defining games could turn into classics in the future. Even if you don't like them, Minecraft and Fortnite could be classics in the future. Same with stuff like breath of the wild which really was a big leap for Zelda. Even Pokemon go could become a classic.

No.

I could see some games being great, but they'd be most nostalgia oriented for those that played them as a kid or in a certain time of their lives. For some people Modern Warfare 2 is the pinnacle of COD. However for me it was BO2 and occasionally Ghosts because that's what I played during some certain times of my life that helped me remember them more than others. Would I call them classics no way, but I'd definitely look for them if they ever got rereleased on modern (future) consoles.

Classic games come out every year, same as movies, books, music, etc

it's inevitable that some kids right now are going to look back on Minecraft and Fortnite with some fondness. There's nothing inherently special about the games we grew up with, from an objective standpoint. They were just as ridiculous and wierd to our parents as the games kids are playing right now might seem to us.

Unfortunately, I have little hope that kids will actually be able to play Minecraft or Fortnite by the time they're able to look back on them fondly. Servers will be down and both games are heavily reliant on multiplayer.

Minecraft is one of my favorite games of all time (yes, I said it hah) and I absolutely think it is a classic.

There are plenty of other games coming out that I consider classics or have the potential to be. The notion that only the games of 'our' era are classics and modern games are garbage seems really closed-minded as I think some people refuse to consider modern gaming and have a strong bias against it for some reason.

Personally, Some games that might fit that bill for me would be Cuphead, Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight, Xenoblade, Horizon, Uncharted, just to name a few. And then there are others that I think some view as classics such as God of War, Devil May Cry, Red Dead Redemption, etc.

And I don't know about the future of playability, and I don't even really like these games, but I can't deny the popularity and wild success of games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and those sorts of games.

I definitely agree that shovel knight would be a prime example of game that will be a classic in the future. I even think Fallout 3, New Vegas and Oblivion are classics at this point.

I'd say yes to specific titles that revolutionized either a series of games, or are wildly popular as esports. Not expensive, just considered classics:

GTA3 - led to so many comparable titles
Minecraft
Rocket League
Fortnight
PUBG
Overwatch
Diablo
Starcraft
Final Fantasies

but we cannot forget the one bonafide future Switch classic - Panty Party

Yes. They're different types of games, but that doesn't make them less impactful. There are just so many to name:

Indies: Celeste, Furi, Undertale, Stardew Valley, Shovel Knight, Rocket League, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, FireWatch, Guacamelee, etc.

AAA: GTA V and Red Dead 2 (many people will scoff at these, and they might not be your preferred form of entertainment, but they are milestones in the industry), Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, Mario Maker 1 and 2, Bioshock series, The Witcher 3, Splatoon 1 and 2, etc.

Yes. The Infinity Gauntlet is a 1990s comic. It isn't the 1960s origin of Spider-man or the Silver Surfer, let alone a real landmark like Action Comics #1. It's a modern age story and I think would certainly be considered classic. I heard they made a movie about it.

Strong agree on GTA3 and Minecraft for example, clearly two of the most important games ever. The Mario Galaxy games are the two most critically acclaimed games ever right under OOT, that has to cement their importance in history somewhere. I don't think Assassin's Creed Odyssey or whatever will be a classic, because there will always be a bigger and better sequel around the corner for games like that, but even today there are (precious few) games that aren't just samey sequels and trend chasers.

I also find it interesting that there seems to be this assumption or belief that back in the day, a huge majority of the game developers poured tons of passion and love into their games, and that it wasn't about making money so much as making a classic game, and that it isn't the same now, etc.

Well, in my opinion there were likely plenty of individuals back then just showing up for a paycheck, and they pumped out a lot of junk in addition to the solid classic titles. And there are also plenty of individuals now, who are pouring love and passion into gaming. Particularly if you look at the explosion of indie developers and the wonderful content that has been created.

I feel like people are often comparing modern gaming and gaming back in the day, but I am of the opinion that there are a lot of similarities as well. Of course there have been major shifts in culture, the development process, demands of the consumers, etc. etc. But I think too many people just limit their exposure to modern gaming to Call of Duty and then just assume that everything coming out is crap. And I think that is unfortunate, because there is still a lot of great stuff coming out, year after year after year.

If people want to keep their minds and focus back to the 80s and 90s, and don't want to play any games after, that is their prerogative. Obviously no one has any obligation to buy newer stuff and that's fine. But I think it's also disappointing to see time after time, people assuming that ALL or virtually all of modern gaming is junk, when I believe that to be very far from the truth!

Yup. This pretty much says it all. I would also add that today's classics are just as much fun as yesterday's. 

 

The only thing that older tapes have over new games is they generally have a lot more replay value but that is just the nature of the time that they were created in.

There are very very very few newer games that I would play twice but the one play through I did have is usually a very immersive experience and a lot more enjoyable.

 

Classic games come out every year. You don't think that someone who was 6 years old when Super Mario Galaxy first came out, won't consider it a classic when they're an adult? I mean fuck, I was in my mid 20's when it came out, and I freaking loved it, so I can only imagine how much impact it would have had on a child.

Speaking of which, UPS just dropped off my copy of Super Mario Maker 2, and I'm playing the campaign mode. This game will definitely be considered a classic one day as well.

I dont want to say a definitive no, but basically no. I really do not think certain genre classics will ever be topped.

Yeah, but split it out by more than just that?   I personally don't think that some of the classics will be worth a ton, but would still be regarded as such.  

I think that games such as Halo 2 and GTA San Andreas would hold up to those guys that started off playing those in their teens?
 

That means you have a modern game or two in your head that you *might* consider a classic, and since I know your distaste for modern games, I am curious what those games are. 

I think Breath of the Wild could be. It's still fun and I'm getting ready to start another playthrough. The Batman Arkham games are others that come to mind. It's hard to pinpoint anything specific because there is so much stuff that is similar out there.

Like it or not, 10 to 15 years from today we will see everyone saying "Can any game ever really top the classics like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Call of Duty?"

Games that are enjoyed by millions upon millions of school aged children, and have a cultural impact today are next generations "untouchables"

My four year old son never even played fortnite and despite that he flosses and calls it the fortnite Dance....that's gonna leave a mark in the future.

Seeing as it's all relative to each person in each generation (I was 5 in 1993, someone else is 5 in 2019, and thus will have their own version of a relationships to nostalgia and gaming, etc.), I'd have to argue someone somewhere will value today's games like we do the ones of yore.

I don't play modern games, however - so I can't tell you anything other than probably Minecraft and CoD lol. *out of touch 31 year old*