What is Nostalgia?

When you search it up, it basically explains a feeling you get about the past. Something that you miss, which could cause a bit of sadness. But it doesn’t have to be. I know for myself, I’ve only been introduced to a new genre of music (well, new to me) about 5 years ago now. Some call it Synthwave, others will call it Retrowave, and there’s many other names for it too. If you’re big into film and media, then you might recognize that type of music from the show Stranger Things. When I listen to this type of music, it does bring me back to my childhood.

Remembering simpler times of going to the arcade where you could win a fighting game just by button mashing. That or heading to the nearest video store to rent movies on VHS and that slow transition to DVDs. And you would have that forbidden adult room that always made you curious to why you weren’t allowed to go in. “Boobies!” I always claimed to have seen it on the cover but was never really certain. I ran in there once really quick to sneak a peek.

Also, my calves did get quite the workout too. I rode my bike for miles on average almost every day from going to the mall, video store, or the gas station to get slushies or ice cream. I had one of those bikes where you had to pedal backwards in order to stop. No gears, just strength. And don’t get me started on Pizza Hut. For some reason as a kid, it hit differently. I’m not sure if my memory is right about this, but I believe they had this $5 combo deal for a small pizza and drink. And collecting toys from McDonald’s or Burger King was something of its’ own thing too.

The only problem is having that feeling where that life has come and gone. The neon lights were its’ own vibe. Maybe that’s why I really enjoyed the movie Cars so much when Lightning McQueen helped fixed the neon of the people from Radiator Springs. Even though that was before my time, I still had this feeling about it. But I also have a good feeling about being able to bring back some of what we consider nostalgic. If you can do it right, you just might have a big enough fan base that would be willing to bring themselves out to your retro video and arcade store that have gone obsolete.

As much as streaming services have taken over, there are certain movies that you won’t find on certain platforms. And that is the hassle. Having to subscribe to possibly 10 different services or more to watch certain types of movies and TV shows. Next thing you know, you’re spending quite a handful of money a month on these and hardly use most of them. What if the internet went out for a day? As long as you have electricity, you could still have a movie night shuffling through your DVDs or VHSs. But if the internet was also down, you could even have a little fun game night. Whether it’s with board games or bringing out the old Nintendo games that you once had such a blast with your family from way back when.

That’s one of the old feelings I missed a lot with my family, getting together and playing a little Mario Party on the 64. And yes, that can still happen now with who knows what’s going on with the world. We just have to remember to take time for ourselves, each other and keep things simple again from time to time. Take a moment to pause your life, your busy busy life. As overwhelming as it could be, just remember to look after yourself. And don’t forget to bring those close to you along with you on this journey. You got this!

Retro Gaming

My Origin

Let’s go back to the 90s! For me, this is where the debut of the Nintendo and Gameboy started. I can’t remember which one I played first, but I do remember my oldest brother buying a Nintendo from our neighbor at a garage sale… and that’s when Contra was first introduced in my life. The classic side-scroller shooting game that opened up my imagination to playing with sticks that looked like guns. Also, Tetris was another classic I enjoyed before the world of Pokémon took over a good chunk of my childhood. From Gameboy to collecting cards, it was huge. And the nice little comeback it made with Go! that got people to go outside, go for a walk and get a little exercise.

When the SNES and the N64 came out, one of my favorite games to play was Mario Kart. I had a passion for cars and racing. Sometimes when I’m not playing games I would be playing with my toy cars. Just a kid with a big imagination. I had this rug or mat with a town in it that I got lost in for hours. Having these Hot Wheels car wash stations and all sorts of things you could get to build your collection. When Need For Speed: Underground 2 came out, that’s when my love and passion for cars felt complete. On top of The Fast and The Furious and me getting my first car. To have an open-world concept like that was mind blowing. And if that wasn’t enough there was the sexy Brooke Burke voice acting in the game.

Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64
Graphics of NFS: Underground 2 on PS2

Blast From The Past

As I got older I started opening up to a lot more different types of games. Final Fantasy VIII was the only game from the franchise I played but I loved it. Unfortunately I never beat the game. Only got as far as disc 3. One of my old neighbor Jerry, was a big influence in my life. I don’t think I would have ever heard of Metal Gear Solid or Dragon Ball Z if not for him. He introduced me to the world of Anime and so much more. Here’s to ya! Alongside Jerry, some of my closest friends to this day, we were brought together by video games and other things I’m sure. Madden was a big hit with NBA2K right there with it. But the biggest game to us at the time was Socom II. That game got us in trouble a lot. I would have my friends over often on the weekends. One of the things we would do is play basketball on the driveway, order pizza and we would play Socom online late into the night. Having difficulties keeping quiet, we would get yelled at either by my oldest sister or parents. It definitely was fun while it lasted though.

The classic 3rd person view from Socom II

A lot has changed when it comes to gaming. Quality to say the least. But something that I enjoy about video games more recently is the story. There’s just so many to name and maybe in future posts I’ll talk about those games. Of course, I would like to actually finish the game first. Which is something I’ve noticed about myself. I played a handful of games without beating the main story. Almost as if I’m not ready to finish it because I just don’t want it to end. Like the side quests itself might not have much meaning after the fact. I’ll be sure to make it a goal of mine to do so… sooner, rather than later.