…target audience change more and more toward the main stream masses while leaving their old fans behind.
There's a lot of truth in what you wrote. Many of us who later found out we are gamers after the birth of the modern consumer-price-point computer era (1970s) are no longer the target audience.
It's not just gaming either… music, television, movies and so on… I find myself interested in an ever shrinking circle of offerings.
I realize this is more about me than content developers. I read the other day that Fortnight is a billion dollar venture now. My younger son loves it, I have to remind him everyday that I can either buy him the next outrageous $150 virtual item or send him to college someday. I look at that game and quite seriously, I'd rather get a root canal or watch paint dry somewhere.
That all said however, I distinctly remember when I was in my early teens an old man (I'm about the age of the "old man" now) telling me how great early movies were, black and white, no sound…, "them were the days," he said. I probably stared back at him, head slightly tilted like a confused curious puppy and then asked him to come see ET with me.
Ultima, Wizardry, Bard's Tale… them were the days. I still have all the original boxes of those games, in great condition, along with all my notes and maps. My personal art, memories, and evidence of a having a blast.