will my kids like Atari or just think I'm square

[angusjake]

OK to me Atari is still cool. But my kid is only 2 1/2. When I try to teach him Atari will it just be like your parents showing off their cool 78 records or 8 tracks?

[chrisbid]

the concept of cool doesnt exist in a 2 and a half year old. As long as it isnt exposed to too many current games, im sure actually having a bit of success and being able to play a game at all will be pretty cool to the kid.

 

now once they get endoctrinated into school, their values will change, but at least theyll know the roots and remember the good times playing games with dad

[ATARIPITBULL]

I have a 15 year old sister who loves to play my 2600 system, she has PS2 but loves the play of old games like Combat, Venture, Pitfall and others.

 

[AtariDude]

The fact that Atari may be an older system does not exclude it from being fun. Sure some of the current systems are very flashy but flashy games do not necessarily make for good games. That is why Atari games are fun. They made sure that the games were enjoyable instead of concentrating on pretty pictures on a screen.

 

I am sure that young kids will like the games since they don't have a lot of complicated rules and you don't have to have a degree in button pushing to play most of the games.

[Mind Master]

They won't think you're square. They'll think you're pixellated.

 

[King Atari]

If you teach him about the 2600 now, he'll be more open to gameplay, instead of just graphics, especially if and when he plays one of the new systems.

[MegaManFan]

Exactly. What better way to bring the yung'uns up to speed than to start 'em off with the classics?

[angusjake]

Good points all - I started this more as a rhetorical inquiry - that our interest in these games may not be duplicated by the next generation (they will appreciate them later on). On a practical note, has anyone had any experience with what games are most enjoyable to the 4 and under age group? I have a tiny powerstick joystick that is just waiting to be used.

[Mindfield]

Personally, I think Atari (heck, pretty well any classic console or computer that had good games) transcends all time and generations. After all, fun isn't a picture or a sound, at least not in and of itself. Fun is how it plays, and you can't deny that most of the world's most playable games came out in the late 70s and into the 80s. (Some 90s games, too, but the vast majority of them are all truly retro.) And Atari had the lion's share of those games. If a game is fun, its graphics and sounds really don't matter except to convey actions and their results. That's all hand-eye coordination. It's what you do in the game that determines its fun factor. And Atari is plenty fun.

[Atari Master]

You'll have to expose him to modern games soon. If you don't it can screw up an first impression when ya kid goes to school...

 

Kids from school: Anyone get that cool new spider man game for the PS3?

Your kid: I have it for the 2600.

Kids from school: Whats a 2600? Geek...

 

So beware...