It's related to nostalgia. If you have lived at the time where dithering was used, you will have an emotional response to it. For example, if you played games as a child with dithering, then playing The Return of the Obra Dinn, which was mentioned in other thread, will take you back to a happy place.

And even if you did not live at that time, exposure to that distinct visual style will also start having meaning to you. Like how an exposed brick interior wall has a distinct aesthetic, and carries connotations of an industrial space.