Musings of a Gamer: Does Nostalgia Hurt the Industry?

by Mike Gingras, COMMUNITY WRITER

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Editor's note: I'm honestly torn when it comes to this question. I enjoy old games, and I probably spend more time playing older games than newer titles. And I would enjoy remakes of certain games, such as the X-wing series or Wizardry. But I also want new games with interesting ideas. How do you feel about this? -Jason

I'm now 26 years old. I've been gaming seriously for around 15 years. I wasn't really the NES kid, but I was definitely a Genesis/Super NES kid, and I was blown away by many games in my younger years.

When I look back, some of my fondest memories are of me chomping on snacks and playing either a great single-player game or hanging out with friends and working together to finish a game.

However, I'm not a kid anymore.

In recent years, especially with the rise of network services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network (not to mention Steam on the PC side), we've received a lot of remakes and rehashes of older, beloved titles. Some of these remakes are great, but many of them are ruining not only my appreciation for the game but souring my memories of the original.

Videogamers are getting older as a demographic. As people age, they become more resistant to change. This isn't true for everybody, but a lot of people become set in their ways and are less interested in trying something new. They'd rather have a new experience set in a familiar world or relive a cherished memory (with some minor updates, of course).

The remake of the arcade classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is testament to this. The game's been updated graphically, but it does the exact same thing that the arcade cabinet did all those years ago. Now I find that the game I used to love wasn't really that good, and it somewhat sours me that I not only spent all that money on it as a kid but that it wasn't a very good game.

As a gamer, I know that I have a gaming past. I appreciate that games are largely a product of their time as well as the limitations of the game's hardware. Final Fantasy 7 is a divisive game because it's both flawed and groundbreaking for its time. Many games like FF7 are essentially history lessons at this point, and it's a great chance for gamers to experience something that gets referenced constantly by modern games.

Nostalgia is something that I, as a historian, am completely aware of. It's why the country looks back at the 1950s as the most peaceful and amazing time in our history, praising the Leave It To Beaver lifestyle while ignoring things like the era's racism and poverty. Gamers also suffer from extreme nostalgia, because gamers have long memories.

Retro gaming is popular today, and gamers are trying to not only replay the games they love but also recapture the feeling they had when they played the game the first time.

In Japan, Dragon Quest is the ultimate nostalgic game, and any attempts to modernize it meets with outrage and resistance. American gamers are nostalgic for many NES era games, and these games are looked back on with fondness.

The attempts of developers to capitalize on nostalgia, however, are ruining my memories. People clamor for a new Kid Icarus, but I would rather keep my happy memories of playing it than see it dredged up again and possibly ruined for me. It's often the case that attempts to re-create history can be a good thing, but it just as often fails, and I don't want to lose the fond memories that I already have.

Sorry Pit, but I don't want to see you do this....

Do you think nostalgia hurts the gaming world? Do you want more old games, or would you have new games and new ideas? Discuss.

Tags: PlayStation Network, Nostalgia, Final Fantasy 7, Kid Icarus, TMNT, Retro Gaming

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Chris "Cosmo" Ross

September 27, 2009

It's all about the money, man. Companies know gamers are nostalgic, so they cash-in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. As far as hurting the gaming world, in a way, yeah it does. Instead of remaking an old game, they could be brainstorming on bringing out some new, exciting game. But overall I'm unsure, that's just my opinion. I want more new games. I love certain series of games, definitely. But I love new stuff, too.

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Mike Gingras

September 28, 2009

@J: It's definitely about the money, but it seems like by doing this, they could be losing some credibility. It's not even a sequel, it's a remake. So instead of doing something new with an old IP, they're just overhauling something old with little to no changes. It's sad to me, and financially, it seems short term in the outlook.

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Jon Cole

October 05, 2009

I can see what you're saying, but I just can't say that I agree. Games are an entertainment medium. People want what they like, and if remakes and rehashes serve their needs, I really see nothing wrong with that. Sure, developers and producers are sure to get some quick and easy money when banking on nostalgia, but you can't lay all the blame on them - if the "gaming world" didn't want to satisfy its collective nostalgia, then these games wouldn't be successful. Also, I think there's a lot to be said for the value of nostalgia and what it can do to raise interest in new types of games. Shadow Complex is my prime example - that game is certainly built to look and feel like a "Metroidvania" game, tapping into the "gaming world's" nostalgia, but it does a lot to both improve the familiar experience and innovate upon it. Nostalgia can be served in ways that aren't direct ripoffs or sloppy ports and it can be a tool to reopen old doors that can use some new shine and creativity.

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Kevin Zhang-xing

October 05, 2009

It more so helps the industry, but hurts the consumers/nostalgic gamers. Cosmo hits the nail on the head; it's all about the money, and because companies know that they can cash-in with minimal effort because everyone loves the game they rehash. What really sucks is that most retros are either have some addictive incentive (but aren't actually fun) or just don't fit in with this day and age's game standards. Arcade games are the perfect example, but there are many exceptions to this. I think rehashes should continue to be made, as long as they are remakes of games that were truly good. I welcomed the new 1942 XBLA and PSN game with open-arms, and I heavily enjoyed it, and is great fun with friends. The industry needs more rehashes that have actual effort put into them. Oh man, I'd love to see a new Chrono Trigger. Remakes of old Pokemon games [b]have got to stop[/b]. I hate how they can slap a new coat of paint to an old game and have literally everyone buy the game. Again.

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Joel Cornell

October 05, 2009

It's clear that a large majority of games reflect a more nostalgic taste; most of the titles end in a number connotating that particular installment of the series. If this industry at all follows the trends of film and TV, the big PS4 launch titles will be sequels, reboots, and at best a few quality original IPs. This doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of originality, but certainly shows that the more seasoned IPs are easier to sell, as familarity eases the buyer's conscience. This certainly seems to create a difficult environment for new IPs to burst into, but it does not prevent the creation of quality games. It allows for great old games to be reborn as poorly crafted repeats, which doesn't harm the industry, but only soils our memories of its past seasons.

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A.J. Minotti

October 05, 2009

I actually brought up this article on the latest PixelRevolt that should be up later today. As I said on the show, even if these games aren't as good as you remember them, that doesn't have to destroy your memories of having liked them. It was still fun at the time.

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Joshua Garcia

October 05, 2009

Video games are never ever going to be as sweet as when you played them as a kid and developers and game marketers know this, so like everyone has been saying remakes are not going to stop unless they stop becoming profitable. Do I like these games? Not really. Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix I felt was something old presented with a new pinch of freshness that completely stole my attention, one of the few exceptions. Should game developers be focusing on new ideas? Absolutely... in a perfect world, but you know how that goes. I, like the writer of this piece, am also 26 years old and love gaming and feel there are still an overabundant of quality gaming experiences available to us consumers, and especially with the time I'm able to give to this hobby of mine (which is not as much as when a kid). If these games are bothersome to you, just don't support them. Games are just like any other type of entertainment medium, most of the shit produced just isn't worth your time. Don't focus on them. Maybe they are even necessary to distinguish the quality titles from them.

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Jacki Jinx

October 05, 2009

"Hey, remember when gaming use to be good?" "Like it's not now?" Let me rephrase my stance on nostalgia: if we as hardcore gamers are stuck on the past where graphics and gameplay were minimal and non-gamers can't see the good in current gen games with complex stories, HD graphics, and more things to do than most people could even think of back in the 70s, what sort of impression does that leave for the prospect of future games?

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Zachary Gilson

October 05, 2009

I think we're all forgetting that people like us, who go on the internet and have conversations about games, are in the minority. They aren't trying to appeal to us; we're the informed consumer who knows what they want and reads about it before they make a purchase. Joe Schmoe is the one who's going to recognize a name from when he was a kid and instantly feel a connection with a rehashed title. Same thing works with sequels nowadays. Modern Warfare 2 will be an awesomely fun game, but it's little more than an updated story and weapons. It's all about the masses with some companies and games.

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Brian Petro-Roy

October 05, 2009

Remakes and rehashes are only bad if they're bad games. For every Turtles in Time, there's a Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Pac-Man Championship Edition, or Space Invaders Extreme.

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Mark

October 05, 2009

I don't think that nostalgia hurts the gaming industry, but it might hurt the player. When nostalgic gamers are tempted into buying the latest retro game they should remember that while their beloved game from yesteryear hasen't changed, the gamer themselves certainly has. If gamers can avoid presentism, i.e. judging old games by current high standards then they might be able to enjoy some of the classics they grew up with. However if they can't do that then they're setting themselves up for disappointment.

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Aaron Ekman

October 05, 2009

Great article. I've spent far too much money over the last 2-3 years trying to repopulate my gaming shelf with titles I used to have when I was a kid - only to find out that I rarely play those games again, because most of them haven't aged well. It's nice to have them though. Quite often, just seeing them up on the shelf is enough to trigger a good trip down memory lane. It also satisfies my collector's itch somewhat. I've had a great time trying to assemble game collections for the Sega CD and the Dreamcast - both for different reasons. The Sega CD, because, as bad as so many of those games were, they definitely trigger a lot of memories. I was the only one in my neighbourhood stupid enough to buy a Sega CD add-on, so for at least one summer, my house was a popular attraction, and a lot of fun multiplayer memories stem from that. Also, the entire Sega-CD library is a manageable number for a collector. The Dreamcast, also because the library size is manageable, but mostly because the games are really good. I'd already given up on Sega by the time the Dreamcast came out, (having been burned on the 32X) and I missed out on that entire generation. Going back and finding so many solid gems I'd never played has a real treasure-hunting appeal to it. Does this hurt the industry? I guess that argument could be made. But I've never bought games, or movies for that matter, because I felt a need to prop up the industry. There's a truckload of crap flooding the market right now, and quite frankly, the industry could probably use a few bankruptcies to raise the quality average a bit. Some of the major developers may be running through a tough period right now, and some of them may not make it through the recession, but games aren't going away anytime soon. Tetris was created without a profit motive behind it, and as long as there are people out there who can tell computers what to do with a programming language, games will be the bonus offspring. There is a growing market out there for small, quality, inexpensive downloadable games. It may signal challenging times for the multi-million dollar game studios, but I'm excited to see how it changes the industry. A big part of me hopes that the new market access provided to smaller startup 1-2 person development shops will bring retro-loving gamers closer than ever to that feeling we experienced during the 8-bit era. Exciting times!

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Andy Bates

October 05, 2009

“Now I find that the game I used to love wasn't really that good, and it somewhat sours me that I not only spent all that money on it as a kid but that it wasn't a very good game.” You have to recognize that technology has grown and changed, as have your tastes. You can’t beat yourself up for liking something as a child, or for spending money on it. If these remakes are “ruining” your memories, the problem is with you, not with the remakes. Also, it is overly simplistic to say that energy put into a remake could be used on an original game instead. Game development is not a zero-sum equation; if the remake were not being made, those developers are probably more likely to not have anything to work on. Not everyone has an original idea. If we cut out remakes, there will be fewer games overall, which is not a good thing. I would rather have more choice, even if “nostalgia” is one of the choices.

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Kenneth Wesley

October 05, 2009

Im 27 and my Wii is full of NES, Genesis, SNES, and N64 games that I play on a regular basis not because I goes back to the days of my childhood. But because, I thought a lot of them were really good games. Nostalgia doesn't hurt the industry because if they actually thought of it, it can help remember a time when people can make great playing games with limited hardware resources. Now (ignoring the money and business part of it) while video games are a part of the entertainment medium, it less like a movie because a movie can achieve what the creators with just one entry. I think video games are more like albums-good ideas just come later down the line, so games are updated and designed with these new ideas in mind, not to poo-poo on their previous work but to make in original idea more interesting to play. What might hurt memories is people's own taste and what they remember about certain games. I remember Mortal Kombat was one of the biggest (or in the very least) most talked about fighting franchise and it nearly rivaled Street Fighter in popularity. But, now? It's dangling closer to irrelevance because all the fuzzy memories won't change the fact that the gameplay was cheap and lame and the franchise was just built around gore and blood.

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Lance Darnell

October 06, 2009

Go Mike! Front Page! You are soooo right about FFVII. I am playing it now and the last FF proper game I played was VI, so although it is really cool - especially to play on a PSP - it still has BIG problems.

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Matthew Collings

October 05, 2009

You and I are looking at different sides of the same thing Mike. I also played a lot of TMNT, and even though I have fond memories of it I guess my brain compartmentalizes things. I remember enjoying the time I had with friends playing Turtles in Time, but as I aged I could see that it never was that phenomenal. It, like most arcade games, had simple gameplay but punishing difficulty to keep you pumping in those quarters. We evolved past most monotonous button mashing a long time ago. So I never had any romanticized memories of the game itself, just the time period it existed in. As for game remakes or rehashes, if they are done well I welcome them. Honestly even when they are done poorly it does nothing to sour my memories of the original, I only lament the fact that the new developer/designer couldn't capture what made the game great in the first place. Here on the internet opinions abound but I'd say Metroid, Mario, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Metal Gear solid, Mega Man (in the X franchise and regular, NOT the others) have made solid entries in their respective series, some moving forward with great strides, others keeping closely with an established formula. All in all I love the constant evolution of the industry, but never want to see the past ignored and forgotten. The past is how we got here. We should cherish it's triumphs and learn from it's failures.

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Mike Gingras

October 06, 2009

Wow, thanks for the response. I had been looking at the low hit total and was wondering if I had lost my touch ;D. Remember, this is supposed to be a thought provoking discussion. I still like some remakes, but I really think that most companies use our nostalgia to make a quick cash in. For me, the expectations of a quality remake is so high that it's virtually unattainable (for me only). It may be a malfunction in my brain, but I really think that some game companies are getting lazy (we've seen FF1 like 10 different ways). I'd actually have been happier with a complete rehash of TMNT from the arcade than the remake.

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Matt Swain

October 06, 2009

wow you hit the nail on the head with this post. i find myself feeling the same way about the past. in fact i sold all my xbox 360 games and i dont miss any of them. i buy nothing but retro games now....and not XBLA ones. i mean for the actual systems. I use my xbox as a netflix player basically. im 26 as well and i find more fun playing my NES, SNES, PSX, PS2 and all the other pre-xbox/ps3 era consoles. I would rather get 2-4 old games off ebay for $60-80 bucks then one shitty rehash 360/ps3 game. yeah i was going to do a blog like this but you said it man. good one! :)

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Amy Lynn

October 06, 2009

I'll start off by saying I am a 30 year old female gamer. My FIRST game was [b]ET[/b] on Atari ( it's a wonder I ever picked up another game after that... ) The FIRST game I enjoyed was [b]Skate or Die[/b] on my C64. The games would most likely suck to me today, but you can't really compare what is, to once was... -------------------------------- [i]Consumer Blogger: [url]http://webfloss.com[/url][/i] PS3: GirlGamer 360: KOSxX

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Michael Gallant

October 06, 2009

I dunno if it hurts anything at all. More than likely it helps quite a bit more. I'm just slightly older here..too old for the 90's NES stuff (never did like it, anyway). But, I have been catching myself playing the two Tron games on X-Box live quite a bit recently. But, since entering the latter half of the 20th century (I have yet to enter the 21st haha). I've bought the X-Box and just recently the 360, I really love some of the newer games. But, my biggest complaint is the price of these games. I can see a 10 to 15 dollar tag, but nothing more than that. How does the gaming industry think that the average teenager or 20 something can afford buying games..especially since they don't have much an income or don't have one at all??? I'm in my 30's (recently laid off) and I could barely afford one or two new games every few months.

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Brian Shirk

October 06, 2009

I'd prefer new games over remakes. Even though I love a lot of old games, I've never really wanted remakes. If a company makes remakes a title, it doesn't bother me that much as long as it's not done excessively.