In Scott Benson’s presentation about the game Night in the Woods, where he discussed the process of design behind the game, he mentioned the use of nostalgia in its style and themes. The use of nostalgia has been proliferant in today’s culture, from decade-old references to utilizing art and aesthetics from a time period a few decades back. In games, a lot of games developed independently use a pixel art style both for the nostalgic value that reminds one of older games as well as the ease of use due to its limited nature.
In his presentation on Night in the Woods, Benson mentions designing the game based on the punk culture that he was a part of, and how there were very few games around that type of culture. He also mentions the lack of games that have Western Pennsylvania as a setting. This brings to mind the fact that there are groups that are not represented in a lot of games, or are not the focus of the games’ story or themes. The decision to go against the age old grain to represent groups not frequently represented can be seen as a rejection of nostalgia at the same time. In Benson’s presentation, he also specifically mentions that the game addresses the dangers of nostalgia in spite of its allure.
In the game Night in the Woods, the themes of nostalgia are present in how the story focuses on Mae returning to her hometown after being away in college, and seeing how the town has changed and stayed the same. Mae is treated with familiarity by residents of the town, and she often points out memories made from places and things that she encounters while back at her hometown. However, there is a darker undertone and a feeling of alienation, due to the fact that she has been away for some time. Nostalgia by itself is exclusionary, as it puts things from the past in a disproportionately positive light, and portrays things in the modern day as inferior to the past. This is obviously problematic, as no time period, past or present, can be seen as objectively 100% superior from one or the other.
Sources:
Benson, Scott, director. Nuke Possum Springs: A Night in the Woods Design Postmortem. Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzhe45Q8780.
Its also important to note that what is nostalgic for one person might not be nostalgic for another person. Western Pennsylvania might not be normally used and it might be nostalgic for the creator, but not for others.
However, it is strange how nostalgia has been a big thing for games lately. We have remastered so many games, yet why has no one decided to stop that and just make new things? Its a cash grab when people focus on nostalgia sometimes.
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