I don’t think I missed it above, sorry if it’s already been brought up.
A big factor for the niche afps or older ones is the sheer difficulty involved with the installation, setup, and optimization process. Cpma alone has that as a barrier just to play games and pickups, I can only imagine the same with others like AG. Other games like QL or reflex can feel awful until you find some perfect (or best) balance you can implement. Even then, it feels like some optimization is incredibly hard to come across. It’s not at the level of being gatekept, but you certainly need to know folks in the community who have extensive knowledge (thanks *xe for your cpma archives lol).
These games aren’t one-click install, plug & play, and most of the older ones aren’t click to search either which makes the overall process such a chore for any player, new or old. I can’t imagine trying to explain IRC or pre-discord rituals people did to find games to the modern gamer. Also good luck trying to get into some of the older scenes, you will either be accused of being an alt, or face uphill battles until you make it enough to hold your own. Best advice to anyone who’s been trying is to find said game’s discord or active platform, as the remaining players there are usually engaging enough to work with new players (reflex for instance hosting newbie cups). Lastly, some comments about youth sucking, I fear those kovaak prodigies lol, seen so many of those young players who grinded out aims scenarios and hit 40-50 lg acc steadily.