Babbling at the Counter #50 – Video Games
Nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia
Weird line of thought today. Didn't edit much, kind of messy. Just a heads up.
Recently, reading for a class, I stumbled upon the term “pastiche”. The
author claimed that it was “an imitation without the original propose” of
something. It got me thinking. I play games that imitate old games. I love
pixel art. Was it all nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia? Was I just
looking for the past?
While playing Meikyu, I kept thinking “it’s like when I was young
and games were only in English or Japanese”. I couldn’t read them. But, as I
played, as I had to guess what to do, as I had to experiment to discover how
use the item I just got, I remembered. I remembered why I liked games in spite
of my inability to read them, not because of it.
I had no idea the game had an English patch. I thought it was Japanese
or nothing. And I didn’t mind. Just like old times.
I don’t play “retro” games just because they are “retro”. I play them
because I actually like them. Console games have their characteristics. Online
games theirs, too. The same can be said of any subdivision of games. Retro, at
least for me, means “short”, “simple” and “different”. When I started gaming
that’s what I liked. Today, I just look for the same.
These ideas are kind of wild and difficult to connect, so I’ll just
finish the Babbling with a summary. Making games is not just choosing graphics
and controls. You are providing an experience. It’s true that there are games
that just pay lip service to the “retro” concept. But low res graphics are back
for a reason (they are easier to work with, so developers of free games work).
The short games are back for a reason (see low res, above). The simplicity too
and a lot of other qualities.
Today, with the free games I have access to, I can enjoy gaming like I
used to, like I like to. It’s not trying to imitate the memory; it’s actually
getting the real thing, the real experience. There is a reason behind it, not
just nostalgia.
- The Storeman
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