The issue is, as a kid, you had lots and lots of time, and also little access to Internet forums for general game info.

Back then, you got a game and that became your whole focus for a few days instead of a few weeks/months.

Games in general were less complex and less forgiving so you were more used to playing simple platformers in which you could die and lose 20 mins of progress.

So overall, the attitude was to put effort, invest and challenge yourself (not with online play) when it came to gaming.

So given all these factors, your attitude towards games and the type of games were difference, hence why a simple platformer without much story and repetitive gameplay was the shit back then.