Comment by crq-yml

I got sour on games for a while but I think there are good things awaiting them, because we're starting to get past the hurdle of "new technology usurps the old" actually being germane to the artistic processes that go into game design. Like, it still exists because the devices are so locked down, but it's stopped being a tech-driven business - there's little interest in AAA now, and the broader trends are shaken up too; there's more of a symbiotic pipeline of "make a game that helps people make video content" taking hold, one which has little relationship to recency or production values.

That said I have been pursuing the sustainable elements of gaming for years at this point, seeing the same issues - and for me what it comes down to is what I summarize as "the terrarium problem" - the bigger the software ecosystem you build the game over, the more of the jungle you have to port to the next platform du jour. When we approach gaming as a software problem it's just impossible, we can't support all the hardware and all the platforms.

But within that there are elements of "I can plan for this". Using tech that is already old is one way; Flash, for example, is emulated now. But if you go back to an earlier console generation or retro computers, you can find even more accuracy, better preservation. I took the compromise of "neo retro", since there are several SBCs around that mix old chips with new stuff - those have much more comfy specs to tinker with, while building on some old ideas. Tech that assumes less of a platform is another: I've taken up Forth, because Forth is the language that assumes you have to DIY everything, so it perpetuates ground-up honesty within your software, especially within a retro environment where there's no API layer to speak of and you have full control. And tech that has more of a standardized element is good: if something is "data structure portable", it's easier to recreate(this is why there are many homebrew ports of "Another World" - it's all bytecode).

The last piece of the puzzle in it is - okay, if I take things in that direction, how do I still make it fun to develop with? And that's the part I've been working on lately. I think the tools can be fun. Flash found some fun in it. But Flash as a model is too complex, too situated in just supplying every feature. PICO-8 is also fun, but very focused on a specific aesthetic. I think it's related to data models, conventions and defaults. Getting those things right clears the way.