Souley Coulibaly

3/16/20

            Throughout the history of video games many users develop life long memories with friends and families through experiences with classic throwbacks like Mario Kart, Pacman, and EA Sports Nba Live basketball series. Game developers help play a vital role in reestablishing nostalgic needs for long time gamers. Nostalgia is defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. According to David Lowenthal “Mistrust of the future … fuels today’s nostalgia. We may not love the past as excessively as many did in the nineteenth century, but our misgivings about what may come are more grave…. Prospects of economic ruin, of resource depletion, of nuclear Armageddon make the past a crucial haven. Today we might add climate change, terrorism, and economic downturns to the list of factors informing a nostalgic longing for the past that Bioshock Infinite fully exploits.” Lowenthal’s excerpt is parallel to my belief that the nostalgic presentation of video games can fulfill the expectations of gamers that seek a nostalgic experience.

            Personally I’ve experienced the opportunity to pursue nostalgia from the remastered PlayStation 4 versions of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. During my time playing the California based game I virtually relived the times of massive gang violence and riots throughout the midst police brutality in the streets of LA. I remember learning about the history of the Rodney King case in California which resulted in a mass amount protest and anger amongst citizens and activists all across the country. According to the games wiki “The game features references to many real-life elements of the world, such as its cities, regions, and landmarks, with its plot heavily based on several real-life events in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, including the rivalry between real-life street gangs, the 1980s-early 1990s crack epidemic, the LAPD Rampart scandal, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots”. The main character is, “C.J.”, a gang member who is constantly harassed by police officers due to his environment which is surrounded by a lump sum of violence, drug utilization, and prostitution. The historical notion that is present in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas resembles what Buinicki conveys while analyzing 2k’s Bioshock Infinite.

            Furthermore, Martin T. Buinicki elaborates more stating that “The game seems to suggest a teleological vision, with the player free to look at the historically fictional Nostalgia and Bioshock Infinite 723 Columbia—in spite of its obvious resonance with “Columbia Gem of the Ocean,” the patriotic ballad of the nineteenth century—as “considerably worse” (Sargent 9) than the history of the United States and twenty-first century in which she now lives. While this could be an appealing reading of the game, its numerous intersections with real events underscores its indictment of actual US history, and as players learn of the protagonist Booker DeWitt’s involvement in the creation of Columbia, the game’s narrative ultimately forecloses any view of the past more hopeful than the fictional one it presents.” With that being said, as I mentioned before the impact of reliving crucial moments in U.S history can leave a long lasting effect on players. Alike media that are introduced in forms of movies and books, video games can generate a nostalgic experience that can take them back to a certain point in life.

Work Cited

Buinicki, M. T. (2016). Nostalgia and the Dystopia of History in 2KsBioshock Infinite. The Journal of Popular Culture, 49(4), 722–737. doi: 10.1111/jpcu.12440