Modern nostalgia is an oxymoron: completely contradicting the foundation of what nostalgia is. By definition, nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion, combining the joy and warmth of fond memories long past, and the slight sadness that weaves into realising those moments are gone forever.
But what does all of this mean for this feature? What’s the purpose of my writing? To put it simply, I’ve been on a nostalgia kick recently, and I want to deep dive into this cultural phenomenon of thousands of other gamers also living in the past. I want to explore the themes of retro-inspired games, the feelings they intend, and why people are drawn to them.
I listen to physical CDs, I take my 3DS with me when I’m travelling, and I have a soft spot for games with old PlayStation and N64-inspired graphics. These traits aren’t unique to me, and I find that particularly interesting given how the modern internet, and more specifically, the modern gaming genre, presents itself.
In short, my self-indulgent feature explores how retro and retro-inspired games continue to thrive in a rapidly evolving sanitising environment.
Modern Nostalgia
To me, modern nostalgia exists in many forms, from the recent Y2K fashion comeback to newly released games pandering to an older audience through artistic choices. It seems counterintuitive to release games that aren’t evolving alongside the rest, stunning realistic graphics, a plethora of bonus content, multiplayer, updates, the works. But, like the early internet, old games were simpler. Rawer.
This adoration for the infant internet and its earlier phases is so beloved to me because they were so human. Forums, customisation, crude Flash games. I truly miss it, and I think others do too.
Modern nostalgia games evolve backwards, pushing back against that uptick of hyper-detailed games, romanticising a feeling that is exclusively human, and one which unites us all. You guessed it, NOSTALGIA.
Simpler Times
Games themed around nostalgia work because people love a blast from the past, even if the territory of the game is totally unfamiliar. I know firsthand that I’ve picked up games for their graphics alone because I felt so compelled by the artistic choices. Atlyss (2024) and Cavern of Dreams (2023) are two prime examples in my case.
Games that release with the flow and trends, ones that evolve upwards and become more real, often need a stronger story bond or genre to really sell the game.
I’m not saying retro-inspired games are boring yet pretty, and modern graphic games are fun but dull-looking, but I have noticed a lot of praise for retro-inspired games begins with the graphics and feelings it imbues before ever passing the starting menu.
Likewise, games with detailed graphics that only modern consoles can process are deserving of the praise they garner, a prime example being Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. The choreography and stylistic direction of this game is nothing short of an art form, being, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful games of all time.
The point I’m getting at is, retro and retro-inspired games boil down to one glaringly obvious thing for me. Escapism.
Escapism
Everyone is online, which means nobody is immune to the corporate control of social media and the sanitisation of customisation. Conformity is an unwritten rule of the internet. If you don’t hustle with the times and stay trendy, you fall behind. You lose the viewership. You lose your place and purpose on the web.
Have you ever noticed how overstimulating the internet is today? Everything we could ever want is a search away, and yet the internet is quite boring. 2-week fads, clickbait, AI, and influencers are prevalent. There aren’t a whole lot of places that feel like a community anymore, or feel honest. I deleted my social media a few months ago because the algorithmic hooks would lead to senseless hours of doomscrolling.
What do you gain when you doomscroll? Do you remember the last ten TikToks, the last ten Reels you saw? What video started the scroll? How long did you scroll before you realised the time you’d wasted? All of these burning questions always left me feeling mouldy, as though I lacked self-discipline or became hypnotised by mediocrity.
Tangent aside, this all relates to the themes of modern nostalgia because games of this calibre don’t discriminate. They invite all to step back in time and play at their own pace. No Brianrots, no 67, no Labubu, no microtrends, and certainly no groomed and pristine graphics. You aren’t left behind here, you’re right where you’re supposed to be, in the moment, making new memories that you’ll remember and enjoy.
It’s nice to relish what we had. It’s nice to escape, to lose touch with reality for a little while in a healthier way than doomscrolling. Of course, modern games with up-to-date graphics do also supply this escapism, but that isn’t the point here.
Nothing Else Quite Like It
My point is, it’s fascinating just how many newer games unite people over their nostalgic undertones, old themes, crude graphics, and simplicity. Sure, this may apply elsewhere to other media forms, such as songs, but I truly believe that the subculture of modern nostalgia games is an outlier.
I feel this genre is entirely its own, its unqiue to this gaming niche and not replicated to the same degree anywhere else on the web. Maybe I’m wrong, I am speaking from personal experience after all, but what other internet cultures can get away with monetising something that looks… ancient. Some definitely will, but it’s unlikely their numbers will trump the retro-inspired gaming empire.
Out of Fashion
Now, I think this goes without saying, but old games that ARE old aren’t going anywhere. A lot are legacy pieces after all, and will likely remain relevant long after you and I pass on. People still love old games as much as they do old songs and old clothes. I myself love 80s music, even though I’m a 00s baby; I grew up listening to those jammin’ period pieces, and would go as far as to say 80s music is just as nostalgic to me as 00s music.
In short, nostalgic feelings still thrive here in dated media, but capturing that feeling of nostalgia in something new is hard to replicate and should be impossible given the lack of memorial ties, and yet retro-inspired games exist and have a dedicated fanbase of their own.
Is there something wrong with the modern internet which drives people backwards? I think so. Unpopular opinion or not, I don’t prefer being online now to how I did when I was a teenager. Anything that helps me capture the vibe of those long-gone days of community, customisation, and forums immediately warms that ice that strangles my heart, grown from the coldness of modern social media.
Right at Home with Retro
Of course, this entire feature relied on the phrase modern nostalgia as a backbone when Retro was right there. But, do people ever actually consider WHAT Retro stands for? The term is thrown around as a cosmetic, but how often is it honoured with the themes of childhood, growing up, and that sentimental longing with a twinge of melancholy?
Whilst this feature is 100% my own personal experience, and therefore riddled with bias, I am interested if my experience aligns with other gamers, as I project it does. And so, off to forums (Reddit) I go.
A Deleted User in r/retrogaming asked: “Why you choose retro gaming over The modern one?” with a snippet into their experience with childhood games and simplicity.
Some replies I found interesting because I hadn’t mentioned them here, but they absolutely apply and mirror my own feelings.
SegaStan replied: “It’s more pick up and play. I prefer that to longer games.”, with replies praising this answer for hitting the nail on the head.
Matt_Wa responded to SegaStan, “A lot of the games these days have so many controls to remember, it’s not funny (GTA and Red Dead, I’m looking at you).
Don’t play for a month and you gotta remember how to call this guy or summon that thing or equip this doo dad with that shield thingamabob or work out where the hell you are on the map…”
Of course, this discussion was talking about actual Retro games that are old by today’s standards, not cosplaying an oldie. But, I think this insight is quite true to modern nostalgia retro-inspired games.
They’re so simple. From the graphics to the core gameplay and controls themselves, they’re fundamentally reminiscent of a simpler time.
Locally Retro
I shared the concept of this feature with a relative of mine, who offered to ask his local community board via Facebook for their insight into this topic. I don’t have Facebook myself, but the prompts and ideas shared by those kind strangers really shed light on what makes Retro so beloved, and also sparked great discussion points I hadn’t considered. To paraphrase and quote a few:
A Gem from Symeon
“Games used to be creative and try new things, even if they didn’t stick. Now they’re a cash grab that overpromises and underdelivers the vast majority of the time, and charges way too much for hardly anything of worth. Retro gives you exactly what is advertised, often tries to be innovative, and doesn’t have the corporate bloat.”
Now, this relates to my ideals of Retro-inspired because to be considered just that, they need to bring all of these points to the table. It’s no surprise to me that most (with exceptions) Retro-inspired games are from indie developers who have a burning passion for never letting those clunky N64 graphics and gameplay go out of style.
By contrast, modern games following the grain aren’t often as relaxing. There are tons of controls to remember, a bulky plotline, expansive maps and updates, and non-linear progression.
AAA games, on many occasions, drop unpolished games with the promise of fixes and more content to make their game seem worth the cash. Just look at the Sims 4 and its hundreds of paid DLCs. It was only in recent years that the game became free to play due to player decline, but before then, players would pay the base game fee plus additional fees for any DLC content to actually make the game actually interesting.
Sam Gets It
“Gaming used to be about creating fun moments; now it’s about telling interesting stories. Interesting stories often have boring bits that make exciting bits more exciting. But fun games are always fun.”
A simple and eloquent summary.
I truly wish I could share a segment from every commenter, as I appreciate them taking the time to entertain my queries, but I should wrap up.
A Loveletter To The Past
To conclude this ramble of epic proportions, I love the freedom of expression and creative liberties that all modern games continue to pave.
The constraints of internet trends don’t exist here, unless the DEVs want them to. Retro-inspired games, dubbed modern nostalgia, are beautiful and simple, completely dismissive of the complexity of modern life.
With how quickly the internet jumps to automate or overcomplicate, having a risk-free game at the ready that never changes with modernising updates is a powerful tool to own in the present day.
I, too, hope that one day I look back and feel nostalgic for this very self-indulgent journalistic art form.
And with that, thank you for reading. This project was entirely self-inflicted and something I care deeply about and continue to think about daily.
Usually, I’d have an inbound link to another feature like this one to share, but this time I’m completely without anything else alike. So, instead, I’d love to kindly redirect you to my Cavern of Dreams Review.
The post A Deep Dive Into The Longing For Modern Nostalgia in Gaming – Why Retro-Inspired Works! appeared first on Gamezebo.
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