Anyone born before the PlayStation knows what gaming used to be like. Anyone born before the crash of the gaming industry (and the boom) in the 80s will have seen how rapidly games changed. While we are content with our PlayStation 3 consoles, Halo games and motion-controlled tennis, it’s easy to look back at the bygone ‘golden’ eras with a hint of jealousy, some regret and a lot of nostalgia.

Many nostalgic objects that were considered unfashionable at some point can suddenly become popular and the masses surge to buy them. Think lava lamps, classic Mini’s or 60s designer chairs. None of these were an instant hit but have become popular in latter years. The same can and has happened to games. What may have been, at the time, quite good and enjoyable becomes super cool and ‘retro’ simply because it has aged or is distinct. This concept got me thinking. What makes a game retro? Is it just the age of a product? Does it need a unique design feature or furthermore does it need to be rare? The idea of retro is quite subjective, so I’ll give it my best shot at delving into what it is.