Eugene Jarvis: The State of Retro Gaming in 1996 (w/ Kevin Bailey)

Welcome to Interview Reenactment, where we recreate some of the greatest video game interviews of all time. Today's episode reenacts Next Generation magazine's 1996 interview with Eugene Jarvis, one of this industry's true pioneers. You know him best for creating Defender and Robotron 2084, but he's also responsible for Blaster, Stargate, Smash TV Cruis'n USA and a game I truly despite, NARC. This week's interview attempts to figure out if this demand for nostalgia was natural or if these people were simply trying to avoid modern progress. And who better to talk to about this issue than Eugene Jarvis, who has been an outspoken proponent of the retro scene.

CAST: Cyril Lachel as Next Generation, Kevin Bailey as Eugene Jarvis



Whether you agree with Eugene or not, one thing is clear: The retro scene is here to stay. Gamers are still in love with classic 8- and 16-bit games, only now many look back at the 32-bit era with the same sort of admiration Eugene had for early 80s arcade releases. Compared to Forza Horizon 2, Daytona USA is just as simplistic and barebones as Pole Position.

But what Eugene Jarvis didn't predict was a resurgence of retro-themed games. Thanks to the modern indie game movement, many titles retain a look similar to their 8- and 16-bit ancestors. At the same time, story-based games are also thriving. And not just with the usual suspects, but games like The Walking Dead and Gone Home are experimenting with how to tell a compelling story within the confines of a video game.

SPECIAL THANKS: We would like to thank Next Generation magazine for not only running this interview, but also asking challenging questions. This episode would not have been possible without the editors at Next Generation, as well as Eugene Jarvis. I would also like to thank Kevin Bailey for not only providing the voice work, but also the music. You can see him playing with Zubora at a town near you ... assuming you live close to where they're playing. Don't forget to listen to the full album at Zubora.Bandcamp.com.

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