November 5: Nostalgia and 'Retro' Games

In the article “The Past as the Future? Nostalgia and Retrogaming in Digital Culture”, Jaakko Suominen approaches the phenomeon of retrogaming primarily through the lens of nostalgia. While I think that this can be a useful way to examine the subject, especially in regard to the many derivative products that Suominen considers  – artwork, music, etc. - there exists another way of tackling the subject.

For one, the creation of 'retro' games or games with intentionally primitive graphics and sound, may be viewed as a reaction to the increasing complexity and scope of modern game development. Many independent game developers have come to understand that by eschewing the quest for high-detail and realism, they can escape the consequent costs and keep staffs and budgets small. Games such as VVVVVV (Terry Cavanagh, 2010) and Hotline: Miami(Dennaton Games, 2012), by using relatively minimalist graphics – VVVVVV is done in the style of the Commodore 64 – and no voice acting, allowed for their development by a single creator and duo respectively. In a sense, many 'retro' games herald a rediscovery of the creative potential inherent in one-man or small teams, freed from the editorial and stylistic confines imposed by high budgets and large publishers.

Additionally, the wish for a long-past gaming experience often transcends simple nostalgia; the experience of gaming really has changed fundamentally. Even within the same genre, older titles may represent gameplay styles far removed from their modern-day successors. For example, one of the earliest first-person shooters (FPS), DOOM(ID Software, 1993), seems to share the basics of its gameplay – shooting, a first-person perspective – with the current FPS Call of Duty: Ghosts. DOOM, however, having been developed in the early 90's by a small team, could not join in the cinematic aspirations of the later game and possessed little in the way of narrative content; instead, much of the gameplay in DOOM revolves around level exploration, puzzle solving, rationing of rare supplies and devising tactics to deal with powerful monsters. Call of Duty, on the other hand, embraces a gameplay model centred around prearranged 'set piece' experiences, scripted by designers, as well as a strong narrative element. The resource management mechanics have been played down, and exploration is effectively absent, while most opponents are numerous but fragile humans, rather than difficult monsters. The result is that older games may differ wildly from even their apparent heirs. Thus, the search for a long-departed game may not be the quixotic search for an idealized past; frequently, it is a hunt for a distinct game type no longer reproduced.