Idk, it's pretty difficult to get my peers to check out black and white film, let alone silent, and yet most enjoy what they see.

I came to gaming after the NES (although I was alive at the time) and have recently been emulating games and have been surprised by how good some are.

There are still modern games that expect you to read a manual before playing, there are still modern games where it takes about 2 hours to learn the UI. There are older games with 3 page manuals and simple controls too.

You've got to remember you're not immune to marketing tactics either. Like part of the resistance to checking out older stuff has been placed in us all by gaming companies training us to interpret stuff like low framerate as bad, or controls that aren't fluid as bad.

Best game doesn't necessarily mean most enjoyable now, or even an enjoyable experience at all. Some of the greatest art is difficult, unpleasant, and challenging. Some of the greatest video games are those that set trends, or do something unique despite rough edges, or are even straight up hostile to their player.