Simulating Nostalgia
Added 2016-11-29 17:10:03 +0000 UTC
I may do a vlog on this topic at some point, but I wanted to share a few thoughts about one of the approaches I have taken on creating my videos.
Starting with my Retro-Spec trio of videos covering Looking Glass Studios, I felt the need to communicate the feeling that the older games invoked (such as Ultima Underworld, System Shock and Thief) rather than simply show plain gameplay. Though gamers who lived and played through that era may get a nostalgia rush from seeing a game again from their youth, those who didn't may be left a bit dry.
Older video game graphics and sound assets left a lot up to the imagination, due to technical restraints. It was for that reason I scoured the internet for remixes and remasters of iconic pieces of the games' soundtracks that I could set my voiceover to. This helped make the old feel newer, as well as trigger a sense of rediscovery for people with some familiarity for the franchises.
I then thought of the idea of dressing up the frame and area around the gameplay clips with relevant and thematic stock videos...caverns, dungeons, candles, torches and hallways. These I feel helped emulate what players may have imagined while playing the Ultima Underworld. For System Shock, I placed the gameplay against starship interiors, spacescapes and nebulae. Thief spoke mystery, darkness and gothic vibes to me, so I set that against foggy castles, Arthurian imagery, Medieval architecture, smoke and shadows.
I believe this helped make the whole presentation more effective, and gave it a sort of "dramatic reenactment" feel to it. I hope my viewers thought so too.
Thanks for reading.
