Our community is very hung up on acquiring new items.  There is always this air about that makes people feel that everything must be purchased now and if not they will disappear forever.

Here’s a little secret – this hobby is not only growing exponentially but there are more ways than ever to play these silly old games!  New systems, new flash carts, mod chips, repros, you name it and someone is trying to push the envelope somewhere.  These things are not going anywhere.

When you finish that game, it is ok to say goodbye to it.  Thank it for the enjoyment it gave you and send it on it’s way.  In fact this can work especially well for physical games, because afterwards you can sell it to another gamer and not only recoup some of your cost but it will also give another gamer the experience of playing that game.  Games want to be played, they do not want to be sitting on a shelf somewhere!

Ok Mr. MMG, what the shit does that mean?!

There was a time (or times!) in all of our lives when gaming experiences made quite an impression on us.  A particularly fond one of mine is playing through Secret of Mana with my brother.  We would wake up a half hour early during the week just to get a little time in before school.  The fact that the game was so good combined with the journey I got to experience with my brother really made it something special.

It is that feeling, and feelings like it that I feel ultimately drive the retro gaming hobby. At some point there was poetry being awakened in your soul.  Maybe it’s enduring the most difficult stages of the Mega Man games and finally beating it.  Maybe it’s that awesome RPG story that got you right in the feelings.  Maybe it’s a perfectly balanced fighting game that yells quality and screams PLAY ME UNTIL YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST!

These things sang to us.  They were poetry.  They still are.  As adults we are chasing those feelings.  Don’t be afraid to realize that those exact feelings might not be attainable anymore.  But this is not a bad thing!  It is those experiences that helped make you the gamer (and person) that you are now.

If you don’t like the same stuff you did as a kid it’s ok.  The most important thing is to not chase things you remember and are trying to recapture, it’s to focus on the present and just make sure you are genuinely having fun.

Welcome to the minimalist gamer.  This site was created to ask (and try to answer) the hard questions regarding minimalism as it pertains to video gaming as a hobby.

By it’s nature gaming (especially older systems which were not privy to digital releases) is “large.”  It takes up space.  It inspires people to “want want want.”  It can lead to a somewhat hoarding mentality if left to it’s own devices.

This is fine for most people, but for others who are trying to find the ever fleeting simplicity in a crowded and busy world it can lead to a lot of mental stress.  Not necessarily large mental anguish, but a general sense of unease.

These are just games after all.