Hard old games played as marks of respect (7)
I believe the answer is:
homages
'respect' is the definition.
(I know this)
'hard old games played as marks' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'hard' could be 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications) and 'h' is located in the answer.
'old' could be 'o' (abbreviation) and 'o' is present in the answer.
an anagram of 'games' is 'mages' which is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'of' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for homages that I've seen before include "Pays deference to" , "Expressions of respect or veneration" .)