The software stack is enormously deep. If you want to make a "real" game now, you do it in an engine, adding your code to a framework on top of libraries on to

The software stack is enormously deep. If you want to make a "real" game now, you do it in an engine, adding your code to a framework on top of libraries on top of an operating system, on top of drivers, on top of bios... You're just so far removed from anything tangible. Tinkering with an 8-bit (or a virtual 8-bit) system feels much more tangible. Visceral. And yes, nostalgia.