Why does it persist in games?  I think the old 16 bit pixelated graphics have been making a huge comeback.  Just recently I discovered that there is this game called Duelyst and the appeal on the graphics side is the striking contrast in the tiny cute figurine-esque heroes which you must use to battle with to complete the game.  Minecraft has been quite popular around since 2011 people still talk about how much time they spend playing that game.  There are many examples in the market of retro style games including the point and click category of games notable for bringing various thematic genres like steampunk and cyberpunk world's to life.  Updated platformer (think Mario Brothers) type games also bring attention to the pixelated art style by using a simplified color palette and heavy use of vector graphics.  The new release of Tokyo 42 does just that.