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The best retro games console is the one you played at age 10

Nostalgia for video games seems to be strongest for those played during childhood – at least for Nintendo Switch players

By Jeremy Hsu

2 April 2025

The Nintendo game Super Mario Advance, a version of Super Mario Bros compatible with a more modern console

NINTENDO

Gamers have especially strong nostalgia for childhood video games and game consoles that they played when they were about 10 years old – at least according to a study of Nintendo Switch players.

“Through playing older games, people can feel connected to who they were and how they were feeling at the time when they played them for the first time,” says Nick Ballou at the University of Oxford.

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