Here's a problem with attributing things to nostalgia (long rant here, feel free to downvote)
It is the easiest concept to attribute dissatisfaction with current state of game/gaming in general.
As someone who considers gaming now much inferior to gaming in 1990s, I always get in the same arguments and nostalgia gets brought up.
The problem is, nostalgia can't justify me downloading an obscure old as hell 3 star game from GoG I havent played (which is getting harder and harder to do because Ive nearly played them all in genres Im interested in) and it being much better than absolute vast majority of today's games in complexity, gameplay and concepts. To this, people who call nostalgia on everything have no answer. These people are usually incapable of understanding the concept of gaming not progressing- because to them, it feels like there is a progress where there really isn't. Simplification and streamlining isn't progress. Better graphics, cutscenes, and slick and comfortable ui isn't progress on its own. What it does is make games accessible for people who felt PC games in general were more complex than theyd like. It doesn't make the games themselves better for people who never gave a shit about graphics, ui or any visual QoL and were just fine playing games on PC before.
Here, let's return to ARPGs and D1. As you can probably remember, you cant run at the same pace you run in D2, much less PoE. Diablo 1 fundamentally won't let you have this kind of pace or player power.
So, is ARPG genre aging ? Yes and no. It's aging because it's an old genre that started a while ago (and way before D1 I might add), but aging is a RELATIVE process. It's aging moreso because current generations of gamers are brought up expecting instant gratification and rating game on exciting events per each second. It' some kind of extract of pure entertainment. Anything else is often considered by this audience as 'wasting time'. Sure, there are complex and difficult games, but notice how these games are specifically marketed as such. Back in the day, you didn't have to market a PC game as challenging. Difficulty wasn't a marketing point.
This consumer base 'aging' (which is ironic, because the PC consumer base is actually becoming younger on average due to games being dumbed down) isn't just exclusive to ARPGs. It happened to my favorite genre in gaming - point and click adventure games. The 'aging' consumer base doesn't want to be 'stuck' on puzzles and figure out what to do next you see- they just want to see an interactive movie and an illusion of having input on game direction. That's why telltale games are mass produced and sell well nowadays.
Same with FPS with complex maze-like layouts and nonlinearity. People get lost, they get frustrated because they are conditioned to know where to go next by markers, vision through walls, etc. They want a CONSTANT STREAM of entertaining.
This is why PoE leagues/content patches are bursty events. People who know the game well come back, explore new content as efficiently and quickly as possible, and then there's nothing more for them to do. Before internet was everywhere, this was in general less easier to do, because you didnt have access to videos and streams on every corner and super quick ways to aggregate information on a site like reddit.
So to sum it up, nostalgia in many instances is simply an excuse people use to counter arguments they can't usually counter. Not saying the post I'm replying in particular does that, Im just saying. People who like complexity, choice, grind, nonlinearity, maze layouts, tough puzzles will continue to like them, and the fact is more games from the past have them than in the present.
Some of us in order to eat bread, LIKE to saw wheat, see it grow, reap it, grind it to make into flour, add yeast, put in the oven and bake it. Not just take bread and eat it.
Sure, I guess as people get older they are often too busy to do the whole process. But, Ill argue people who really love it will either find time to do it or just not eat bread.
I can install D1 and play it. Sure, there will be nostalgia as Ive played it before. But I will enjoy it in its own right- and the thing is, the design of the game holds up well even now. It's still manages a scary atmosphere and interesting gameplay.
