Sentimentality Versus State-of-the-Art: You Can Go Retro, But You Can't Go Back Home

Well, you actually can go home again, it's just that it's a long walk, and I'm lazy. 

A friend of mine recently invited me to join him and another friend for a night of retro gaming. He had retro systems and emulators (legal of course) set up, and the three of us spent the night replaying old favorites, and uncovering gems that one or another of us never had the chance to play as kids. Seeing some of my childhood favorites flash across a big screen, and getting the chance to play or try titles I haven't played or owned in years, if ever, was a blast, but also an eye opener. As I was going back through games I used to think were classic, or just amazing, I noticed that I didn't enjoy them as much as I once did, or in some cases I didn't enjoy them at all. Giving test runs of former favorites I found myself wondering "what did I see in this game? It's absolutely terrible!" The more I thought on it throughout the week, the more I thought of Thomas Wolfe's famous words "You can't go back home..." While this phrase can take on a lot of meanings, I think it's Wolfe's own words that sum it up best, "You can't go back home to ... your childhood ... back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time – back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

While that is only a snippet of Wolfe's works, it sums up my feelings on video games, where they've been, and where they're headed. Both Mike and I have previously written about how games are continuously evolving, and also on why we play the games we play, but we have rarely discussed how we got into games, our feelings of nostalgia or our memories of gaming. Although some articles from Mike's older site (which is currently down) discussed his fond memories of playing video games with his brother, here on Gaming Cuisine we haven't broached the subject of how much emotion, memory and love that gaming evokes in us; and that's something I hope to rectify. Going back to Wolfe's now famous words though, I feel like I can't go home again via retro gaming. Booting up a NES, turning on a Sega Genesis, or even throwing down some multiplayer on a Dreamcast just doesn't feel the same as it did ten, fifteen, or even twenty years ago. I'm not saying they're not enjoyable systems, nor am I claiming that older games are not as good as what can be found now; what I am saying however is that memories have painted rosy pictures of thorny games.

It's like thinking this is high-tech and awesome, but then remembering you're
not a hipster and you have a smartphone in your pocket right now.

Why we can't go back

There are probably dozens of reasons why retro gaming doesn't feel the same, but there are two specific reasons I'd like to talk about: our memories and our taste.

First are our memories of events. Psychologists, psychiatrists and neuroscience specialists have known for years that the brain can create false memories, and/or flashbulb memories, which are memories of important emotional impact that seem vivid and clear, and are based on events that happened, but may not be as accurate as we'd like to think. Think of it this way, when looking back on our earliest memories it's possible that the significant impact of those moment are being seen through rose-colored glasses, or in other cases, dreary black shades. They seem more clear and distinct than the rest of our memories, due to the emotions bound to them, but are they really any more accurate than those of our memories around that same time? Science tells us they're not, and logically so, but knowing that and accepting that is tough. Even now I look back on my fondest memories or early gaming, and how clear they are, but playing those games over again was clearly not the same. 

Regular calamari, not Mon Calamari. Big difference, make
sure you get that right when ordering.  Source: artfornerds

Second as we grow older our level of cognitive and personal awareness grows with us. Things we loved and cherished in our youth no longer seem as important, or appealing. I will go so far as to say that as our cognizance of the world around us grows, and we discover delights and pleasures we couldn't have known or understood in our childhood, that our former tastes, inclinations, and preferences may even become repulsive to us, and vice versa. For instance, if as a child you had told me that I would love an appetizer of calamari, followed by a plate of frog legs, broiled asparagus and fried squash, I'd have laughed; after I stopped making puking sounds and grunting noises that is. On the other hand if you offered me a pickle, peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich currently (a personal childhood favorite) I'd probably skip the laughing and just start heaving. Like food our expectations of games and gaming has changed, and what once may have been a satisfactory challenge and delight, may now be a frustrating and upsetting annoyance.

If I didn't have such fond memories of this game I'd probably
not be bringing it up for third or fourth time on this site.

Therein lies the problem of trying to relive those moments of our youth, and the reason they just don't feel the same. Whether the reason is we're not the same people we once were, having grown up and cultivated our tastes, or we're looking back with falsely precious memories, most games just don't hold the same joy they once did. Again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with retro gaming, but trying to run through Ducktales on the NES was nowhere near as great as I remembered it being twenty some odd years ago; and while I can say for sure that while I'll always hold fond memories of Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, it's not a game I'd recommend to others, or even play myself. However, on the flip side of that coin, there are games that seem to hold up to the scrutiny of time and gamers alike even decades later. 

Warlords was an ugly game, even by Atari standards,
but the gameplay was good enough to overcome that. Seriously. 

True Classics

Games like Warlords (Atari 2600), Super Mario Bro's 3 (NES), and Tetris (Multiple Platforms), still hold popularity to this day, among new and old gamers alike. Arguments about false memories and cultivating tastes seem to go to the wind in the face of games like this, but can we really call games like these average titles? I'd certainly hesitate to call them that. If the average game on the Atari, or NES, etc., were all as good, and memorable as these, we'd still be playing them instead of seeing franchise after franchise, and system after system come and go. While games have maintained certain core elements over the years, they've also drastically changed. Whether one sees that as a benefit or a detriment certainly comes down to opinion; but to say that every game from the past is dreck, or that gaming is now in its "golden age", is clearly false. Like most things in life, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. 

Sonic 4, an awesome throwback title. 

The thing is while my tastes have changed, and I know that not every game stands the test of time, I still love old school games. Modern games like Super Meat Boy, Mega Man 9 and 10, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and Rochard all emulate the feel of older games, while providing a polished modern feel. These titles take mechanics and gameplay styles that are known and loved, put a fresh coat of paint on them, and send them out the door for gamers old and new alike to enjoy. Will these games hold their places in history when so many others have not? I don't know. However I will say that for every old game that's held its mettle like Super Metroid, there a dozen Madden titles that feel nearly unplayable.  

Whether its glasses or luchador masks, they're still likely
to have a pink tint to them. 

To sum this all up, while it's fun to go back and relive those moments from our past that are permanently burned into our memories, at least some of that enjoyment is probably nostalgia and fond memories. Again, I'm not saying older games are not as good, or that they can't be enjoyed by today's audiences. I'm saying when looking on the past with our eyes bright and our rosy pink glasses on, remember that those who didn't know them in the past may not be as fond of certain titles as we are. 

While I'm glad I got the chance to relive some of the joys of my past this last week, I'm also a little wistful for days gone past, when I enjoyed games less on technical merit, and more for the affect they had on me. But, as Wolfe so famously said, you truly "can't go back home".

Until next time, game on.