Culture

Why Retro Games Are More Than Just ‘Here To Stay’

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On my Android phone (yes, I finally got one) I'm playing an old-school JPRG/Legend of Zelda type game  and 80's shooter homage.

On the Kindle you can play old-school text adventures.

It seems our more advanced mobile technology is putting old school gaming back in people's hands (mostly literally).  Yes, now with the technology of the 21st century you can go back and play games just like you did 30 years ago.  I say this without an intense sense of irony because it's actually a trend with multiple factors we progeeks want to keep track of because it's more than retro – it's cultural and technical.

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Career, Employment, and Subculture

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Subcultures.  We're part of them.  We watch them come and go, persist and die.  We identify with them or avoid them.  We like certain bands, read certain books, play certain games.

We're usually aware of our subcultures when it comes to the "usual" – games, sports, religion, politics, even economics.  I'm wondering, as the results of the Great Recession stumble on, as the world alters, about what kinds of employment subcultures are evolving.

Think of it for a moment.  Your job experiences, your career experiences, define you as much as anything else.  There are people you relate to because of your career, and people you don't get – or are in danger of not getting.

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A Geek Walks Into a Verizon Store . . .

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So I walk into the Verizon store recently to get a new phone (Android, what else?).  This does sound like the beginning of a joke, but as opposed to doing "a geek walks into a store" joke, let me instead hold forth on what I learned from going there.  The Verizon stores, if you've been paying attention, have been changing, and I think we're seeing some trends in consumer electronics that they illustrate.

Anyway, so there I am in the Verizon store and there's some changes, a slicker look, and a helpful gentleman with a tablet he uses for data, credit cards, and sales.  I'm sure that you're thinking what I thought.

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