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How Important are Nostalgia and Loyalty When it comes to Choosing Games

On the surface it would appear that people buy games simply because they are interested, but there are deeper seated reasons why they are willing to buy certain games. Analyze how someone’s expectations, interest, and ultimately choice in games is affected by their loyalty to a series or nostalgia for a previous game. Do people buy games simply because they enjoyed the previous one or because they enjoy a certain series?

  • I can safely say I have a whole bunch of games that I am generally quite nostalgic toward, and I understand that some of them haven't exactly aged well. When it comes to buying modern games from a classic franchise, or perhaps "HD remasters/remakes," I think it's common for someone to think back to their experiences with a franchise at a young age. I would suggest looking into the idea of "nostalgia blindness" as well, which is when a person ignores or outright denies any flaws in something they have a of nostalgia towards. This could have a profound effect on how they determine which games to buy. – Filippo 8 years ago
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  • No matter how corny and outrageous the Resident Evil series gets I still play every game. I also enjoy playing every one (that includes Resident Evil 6 which wasn't well received). So, yeah, I defiantly think loyalty and nostalgia play into choosing games. I think it would also be interesting to not just look at series of games, but also individual games and see how nostalgia plays into choosing to play a new IP. – Lexzie 8 years ago
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  • I actually think that a lot of the nostalgia towards games aren't actually directed towards story or universe, but rather, mechanics. For example, Final Fantasy isn't set in the same universe at all, but each addition to the series includes a variation of the typical turn-based fighting style. Other examples include the Tales of Series, Fire Emblem, and arguably Legend of Zelda. – ChristelleMarie Chua 8 years ago
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  • It's certainly something to factor in. One thing to be careful of is letting those things be used against you. It's one thing to try to bring the games you loved as a kid into the present, but it's quite another to take an old and venerated game and use it's rotting corpse to make money. Nostalgia can just as easily get us a Grim Fandango remaster as it can get us Dungeon Keeper Mobile. – Seakibble 8 years ago
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  • As Filippo mentioned, nostalgia certainly plays a part in me buying HD Remakes. The original version of FFX on the PS2 came out when I was only 11, and since then it has been one of my favorite games. Naturally, when it was remastered for the PS4, I immediately dished out my $40 for it. Was it stupid to spend that money on a game I already have? Maybe. But I like remastered graphics and I love the game, so it was worth it to me. And when the PS22 comes out and they re-release it for the hundredth time, I'll probably buy it again because it is one of the best games I've ever played. – Christina Legler 8 years ago
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