Retro gaming: Why players are returning to the classics

Whether you enjoyed curling up with Tetris on a Gameboy, rolling around as Sonic on a Sega, or were just trying to ignore the loud beeping sounds coming from the next room ... if you were around in the 1980s and 1990s, you will remember the arrival of home gaming. Computers had made it into our living rooms, and although fans had their favourites - the thrust of Street Fighter, the platforms of Super Mario or the simplicity of Pacman - children and adults alike were hooked. The market for consoles has continued to grow over the decades as technology companies across the globe try to get their bite out of the gaming pie. But almost 20 years into the new millennium, passionate players are still looking back in time to find their fix. "While there's definitely an element of nostalgia, it's important to recognise how well designed many of those classic games are," said technology journalist and retro game collector KG Orphanides.