nostalgia – Sword Arc

It’s been some time since I’ve posted. Nearly ten months to be exact. A great deal has occurred in between the previous post and this current one, both on the end of life and the progression towards making the arcade a reality. Interestingly enough, this is technically the first post I’ll have ever made regarding development of the arcade.

In May of last year, I acquired two arcade cabinets that were stationed in Utah. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, getting them over here became difficult and expensive. I had to make the decision to store them in Utah until I felt I was ready to bring them over here.

On June 17^th, 2022, after months of blood, sweat, and tears, they finally arrived. Below are what I consider to be my first seeds of the future. The first machine I purchased is below in all of it’s magnificence – Tron, manufactured in 1982 by Midway. It being before me felt like a dream. It was hard to believe that it was in front of me in the condition that it was in. It’s hard to believe it survived all these years.

Along side Tron came another Midway game – Space Invaders Deluxe, which was manufactured in 1980. While it’s a little beat up, it’s age shows the charm and the stories it held throughout its existence.

I can’t deny how emotional I became when I they were now placed in my care. I felt such pride, hope, and joy in having these machines alone, feeling myself on the path I began forging for myself. I can’t help but wonder what new stories these games will get to see once Sword Arc is here. I look forward to seeing that day come.

I love old video games. There’s something magical about playing these games in their original format. I have to preface this by saying that when I mean old, I mean the era of Nintendo 64 and prior. The games of arcade cabinets, the SNES, the NES, the Commodore 64, and so forth – all of them have a magic to them that some developers attempt to recapture today. I have to say as well that while this is about old games, the games of today are worthy of discussion.

The games of old were innovative of their time, but can be seen as limiting in today’s standards. Developers were crafting some of the greatest games of their time – A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy VI, Shin Megami Tensei 2, Megaman, Castlevania, and the list goes on. The developers breathed life into every pixel – life that has continued to persist for decades. So what is it about these games that makes me love them so much?

To be frank, much of my reasoning is nostalgia. I grew up playing some of these games and they left such an impression on my young mind. I didn’t just read about the heroic tales of Link, I was experiencing them for myself. I didn’t just go through the journey of the Warriors of Light, I guided them to the end of their quest. It’s hard for me not to be biased because they come from a time where I was innocent. I didn’t need to worry about the responsibilities of an adult. Taxes, bills, rent, a job – none of it was important as a child. What was important was defeating the foes on my television screen. And because I was terrible at games at a young age, like most children at the time, these villains were fearsome and powerful.

How these games ignited my imagination is why I believe these old games are great. With a book, you have only the words on the page to tell you what is happening. The reader must craft the world in their mind based on the words provided to them. With old games, the experience is better. You may hear the music, but it’s bit-crushed. You may see the world, but it’s all pixels. You may read the dialogue, but you cannot hear their voice. As a result of this, the player must fill in the gaps with their mind. The music becomes an orchestra. The world becomes detailed and vast. The voices fit to every character that speaks.

That imagination immersed me as a child and continues to do so. I became invested in the stories, I cared for the characters, I felt every emotion they felt. These games managed to capture my heart with the limitations of the past. It’s silly to call them limitations because at the time, it unlocked the means to create worlds and stories in more vibrant and powerful ways.

Today, I still play old games I never had the chance to play in the past and they capture me just as much as what I’ve played before. Maybe it’s the part of me that wants to continue discovering new adventures. Maybe it’s the part of me that yearns for the innocence of the past. But when it really comes down to it, it’s an undeniable fact – I love video games.

Tag: nostalgia

The Seeds of the Future

Why I Love Old Video Games