I think a big part of it is that people got tired of chasing the newest thing all the time. Retro games are easy to pick up, they have a lot of charm, and many of them are still incredibly fun decades later.
I also agree about forums. They feel...
Mine would be Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the first book in the Empyrean series. Dragons, deadly trials, war secrets, and a heroine who was never supposed to survive. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.