How to Tell the Difference Between Old School and New School Gamers

Bruce Bostwick
There are different gamers all over the world today. Fans of today can appreciate newer systems more and would be more edger to play them than anything older. By that clarification, the major start of the new school would more or less start with the 6th Generation and maybe 5th depending on viewpoint. In short, it means from Dreamcast on up to the current mainstream systems out there. By that definition, there are also the ones that are old school that could possibly go back as far as the Atari days but most likely into the NES department. There is also the in-between state, which would classify during the Era of the 5th Generation most likely since it had cartridges and CDs coming around as well.

New School Gamers

Most new school gamers would play systems probably as early as the PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Gamecube, and X-Box since they were around in that era. It was also known as the end of Sega since they would not make another console after the Dreamcast. To put it in perspective, the systems themselves didn't use cartridges as the main base. Most likely that is what would classify them as the new school generation, mostly newer gamers that didn't play older systems. It doesn't mean they hate the older systems; it's a matter of preference. Unlike before, there are three options that are mainstream, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

In-Between Gamers

This is just mainly one generation of gamers since it was the gap going from the power of the Jaguar all the way to the PlayStation. The 5th Generation had the following systems around but really 4 mainstream companies: Atari with the Jaguar, Nintendo with the N64, Sony with the PS1, and of course Sega with the Saturn. There were other systems that had that type of power in the 3DO made by Panasonic and the Amiga made by Commodore. It would be considered between 32 and 64 bit that would be something that is in between. More or less, this could be seen as gamers that can enjoy not only the older system but also the newer ones that came about. That generation saw Atari out of the picture in making newer systems designed to go to the next level of graphics, the 3DO would not make a 2nd system due to its failure and the Amiga didn't catch on either. To put it simple, it could be a generation that actually enjoys both but could just favor the systems of that generation only.

Old School Gamers

This generation starts with the very beginning but very few will ever be mentioned as far as the earliest systems made. It could trace from NES to even go as far as back as the Atari 2600. While they are not the most technically sound games or have the best graphics, it has an appeal that equals the fun factor. It doesn't mean necessarily that they hate the newer systems; they just prefer the older and appreciate where gaming was and still will play those any day. Its not a bad thing at all but it could also limit to what they want to play since those systems aren't made anymore. Most likely unless its found on Ebay, they're not selling in any major stores out there.

AnalysisMainly, it seems that it comes down to the preference level as far as the gamers themselves. The way to tell is sometimes based upon the era that they were born in. To illustrate that point, if you were born in the 70s or 80s, it is possible you may enjoy older stuff over newer stuff. If you were born imagine in the mid to late 90s, it could be that you enjoy newer stuff over older stuff. In between those periods, that could mean you could very diverse and enjoy just about any system. In conclusion, there is a way to tell the difference, it comes down to probably being born in a certain generation and game system preference.

Published by Bruce Bostwick

I design web sites and have many interests. If needed for a web job or possibly writing, email at brucebostwick@bostwickdesigns.com.  View profile

  • New school gamers generally play systems from the Dreamcast and above with higher graphics.
The 5th Generation was more or less in the console division the last time cartridges were used.

1 Comments

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  • Kelly Spies11/9/2007

    I"m not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination but if I were I would probably be an old school gamer.

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