Games and nostalgia: the double screen as a retrogaming experience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13129/2281-8138/2026.0.35-56Keywords:
Nostalgia, Double Screen, videogames, retrogaming, retroAbstract
This article examines video game nostalgia through a contemporary retrogaming practice based on a double screen experience, in which players move from a real screen to a virtual retro screen within the game world. Drawing on the concepts of remediation (Bolter and Grusin, 1999) and media convergence (Jenkins, 2007), the study explores how nostalgia emerges not merely as a reference to the past but as an experience integrated into gameplay and narrative. After outlining the evolution of retrogaming practices – from the collection of original hardware to backward compatibility, emulation, and the re-release of games as remasters, remakes, and reboots – the article situates this phenomenon within the broader process of video game romanticisation and the cultural and commercial use of nostalgia. The analysis focuses on several case studies, highlighting the key elements of the double screen experience: the transition between screens, the shift from modern to retro aesthetics, and the integration of retro games into gameplay and storytelling.
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