Imagine if instead of 1% of CPC users, 100% (or even 50%) were active today

[cwpab]

Sometimes I wish absolutely everyone who at one point had a CPC, ZX Spectrum, C64... Even Amstrad PCW and other more "serious" machines, was still super interested in these machines instead of just, you know, "upgrading" to "the new thing" over and over.

I suspect only 1% of people who had these machines are still interested decades later. Imagine a world where that number was 100%... or even 50%, it would feel like the 80s never ended. Right now, while the scene is alive, it's sad that there are not too many potential customers for the new games (or people writing in forums).

I know we are some thousands around the world (with only a few dozen active users lately), but imagine the constant activity and buzz from all these millions of people online today.

Would you like to live in this alternate universe or would it be too massified for you?

[McArti0]

Zaxon CPC 6128 plus Mark XIV Z80 16-core 5,2GHz 

[asertus]

I wish 1% of CPC users were active today... 

[abalore]

I'd like to live in a universe where the tremendous power of modern computers is used like the CPC was.

Millions of times faster and larger memory, and we use them to argue in social networks.

[dodogildo]

I don't think 1% of CPC owners were active back in day either 

[Prodatron]

I suspect only 1% of people who had these machines are still interested decades later.

It would be a dream if there were still 30,000 active CPC users (out of 3 million) or at least still interested. But of course there are fewer. Probably not even 0.1%, I would guess it's only around 0.01%.

And the rate for the PCW is again a fraction of this
Not sure about the other systems.

[skylas]

Right now, while the scene is alive, it's sad that there are not too many potential customers for the new games (or people writing in forums).

Not sad for the fact that there are not <customers>, as most projects and new games are free (or almost free, just to cover some basic costs, no profit).

For me its better the fact that all new games come up due to the love for this old machine and the help and co-operation of people in forums as this one, with no economic motive. This adds  more value, in my opinion.

You are right that it would be better if more people would play the new games, and give some more feedback, not necessarily positive, but not in a toxic way too.

Its a sad that some games and efforts may be  played by few people.  But , in my opinion, even if one person enjoys a game, this can be enough for a creator.

[roudoudou]

Right now, while the scene is alive, it's sad that there are not too many potential customers for the new games (or people writing in forums).

Not sad for the fact that there are not <customers>, as most projects and new games are free (or almost free, just to cover some basic costs, no profit).

For me its better the fact that all new games come up due to the love for this old machine and the help and co-operation of people in forums as this one, with no economic motive. This adds  more value, in my opinion.

You are right that it would be better if more people would play the new games, and give some more feedback, not necessarily positive, but not in a toxic way too.

Its a sad that some games and efforts may be  played by few people.  But , in my opinion, even if one person enjoys a game, this can be enough for a creator.

in fact there is customers* (many), take a look at those old-look-retro-games on steams or itchio

*as most of CPC games are free, let us say players

[GUNHED]

Well, the CPC6128 was my first computer. And I work with it. Today-Yesterday-Tomorrow. There is nothing my CPC can't do for me. And if i need something, then I'll program it. No need the change that. 

[ZorrO]

yeah right. and this forum you read on CPC?

[abalore]

yeah right. and this forum you read on CPC?

It's doable

[St-BeidE(DE/GB)]

Strange, but interesting question.
½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de. 
But there are just a few dozend active. 

Stefan 

[GUNHED]

yeah right. and this forum you read on CPC?

I would if I would like to. However, I keep my CPCs clean.

[GUNHED]

Strange, but interesting question.
½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de. 
But there are just a few dozend active.

Stefan

That's always true for any kind of group of human beings. 

[cwpab]

Strange, but interesting question.
½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de. 
But there are just a few dozend active.

Stefan

Thanks! Yeah, "strange but interesting" is my speciality. 

The idea came to me when I realized very few users were active on retro computing forums, and some of the topics have been discussing the total sales of these machines, which reach millions. There's a great difference between these numbers!

Then I remembered what my old friends and even family members who were users of these old computers are doing: my dad used to do "computing" with the CPC and he keeps doing it with a new computer replaced every few years (3 years in the 80s and 90s, probably 10-15 years today), and basically from the guys I used to hang out with, only a couple of them have bought Amstrad CPC machines because they had it as kids, but they mostly play modern games according to their social networks.

So I though... Well, that's not fair! I don't ask for a 100% of users, but maybe just a 5%? Or a 10%? That would be... at least interesting, there would be much more movement in these areas!

Quick question: What do you mean with "½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de, but there are just a few dozend active"? Do you have real data that shows that 50% of German CPC users are registered in that forum? Can you share the actual numbers?

[St-BeidE(DE/GB)]

Strange, but interesting question.
½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de. 
But there are just a few dozend active.

Stefan

Quick question: What do you mean with "½% of the C64 users are members of Forum64.de, but there are just a few dozend active"? Do you have real data that shows that 50% of German CPC users are registered in that forum? Can you share the actual numbers?

Not exactly what I said. 
It's more a "slight exaggeration", to prove your experience right. Half a percent of (ex) C64 users would be between 800.000 and 1.500.000 users.
In fact, there are less than 2300 "activ" users, "visiting" the forum on a regular basis. 
You cannot view this attachment.Those, producing stuff for the community (programms, hardware, collectiv orders, 3D prints, repairing stuff for others etc...)I guess, are less than 60 persons (maybe judging to harshly, than less than 100) .

Funny stuff, its also home of some german CPC / atari/amiga/apple/ users owners. They do not seperate systems that hard.
Of course, owning 'foreign' systems is the reason, why
people are also visitors of other, system related forums.
So I do, and I'm enjoying that company

Steven 

[Anthony Flack]

I guess it won't be long until nobody cares about all this stuff any more, forever. 

[ervin]

I guess it won't be long until nobody cares about all this stuff any more, forever.

I fear you may be right.

[Anthony Flack]

It is a little depressing. It's the tragedy of the modern age, things change so fast that the world we learned to inhabit as children isn't there as adults. Everybody's distressed in various ways because the pace of change is so much faster than the human lifespan. 

I spent too many of my formative years unconsciously preparing to be a CPC coder. I am a game developer today, but... I honestly still would prefer to make CPC games. I feel like I'm becoming as obsolete as these old computers sometimes. Anyway I thought I had better make time to write some CPC games now, because the number of people who might care is surely only going to go down from here. 

I don't know, human culture is piling up faster and faster, what are kids today even going to bring into the future with them? I suppose the 80s and 90s will always be a significant period to gaming historians (if such people exist in the future). We've got to the point where we actually need AI to make sense of all our accumulated culture. 

[ZorrO]

I don't understand your complaints. Do you want to stop time because you can't keep up with it? Or take it back to feel younger? Do you really hate modern computers? Don't you have any other interests? Aren't you fed up with friends who like old stuff? Maybe we should go to retro fan rallies more often.
In the 8-bit era, a large percentage of computer owners learned Basic, and today no one needs this knowledge. With such outdated knowledge, we cannot program modern computers. And they are changing at a pace and in a direction that we do not like. What's worse, you can't turn off updates, and even if you're satisfied with them, you have to learn how to use them again from time to time.
But I think that if everything goes well, AI will create the games we want, also for old computers. And I look forward to it with hope. We won't be stuck with whether someone writes something or not, because our new computers will finally start adapting to our wishes. So don't worry, it'll be fine.

[McArti0]

First the civilization without history and monuments.

[Prodatron]

I guess it won't be long until nobody cares about all this stuff any more, forever.

Somehow I had the feeling, that the number of active/interested vintage computer people was quite constant during the last 15 years. Or is that a wrong impression?
Maybe it's always shrinking a little bit, but not fast. And sometimes there are still surprises, when young guys, who didn't grow up with the machines, join the scene, because these computers are just fascinating and completely understandable!

[eto]

was quite constant during the last 15 years. Or is that a wrong impression?

It was probably growing. After the "kids" grew up, many had time again to revisit their hobby of their youth. And they had money, Otherwise it would not be understandable that the prices went up so much.

However there is a pure natural cause, that will make this scene disappear. I can't imagine us all still producing stuff for the CPC at the age of 65+ and at least for the CPC there is not enough interest from the next generation to form a new scene. It's not the question if it happens - but when. I would expect that the scene will have another 5 years in its current glory and then a slight but perceptible decline will start. And there are probably around 15 years before it starts to shrink dramatically to a point that we will no longer see new productions.

On the good side: this also means, we are just in the middle of a great time ;-)

[Anthony Flack]

I'd happily write a CPC game at age 65 if there are sufficient people who still want to play them. I do enjoy it.

I don't know how much truth there is in this, but I heard there was a time when old Elvis Presley records suddenly exploded in price as a generation of his fans found themselves with money to burn on nostalgia. And some years later the prices plunged when a generation of his fans' children found themselves inheriting unwanted Elvis records.

That'll be my Game & Watch collection for sure...

Well, actually my 9 year old quite likes a few of them, particularly the Popeye one with the colour screen. And she's been playing Game Boy and N64 games on the Switch. She seems to like Mario Kart 64 way more than Mario Kart 8.

[Otto]

However there is a pure natural cause, that will make this scene disappear. I can't imagine us all still producing stuff for the CPC at the age of 65+ and at least for the CPC there is not enough interest from the next generation to form a new scene.

These are some of my retirement plans in 10 to 15 years, a bit like with Anthony.
When we finally have time!

(God willing and we're still alive then. And the government doesn't make us work until we're 80.)

Let's not forget then to change today's games' difficulty levels:
* easy
* normal
* hard
... to something like:
* grandpa-super-easy
* easy
* normal
* a little bit hard