Retrospekt 3.0

Oh wow. It’s been a while hasn’t it? The last brand new web content appeared roughly a year ago, with the site being put into ‘temporary’ hibernation in mid-2016. So – what’s the deal?

A little history

Retrospekt began in 2009 as website to share the re-emergence of a growing worldwide affinity for retro gaming. The seeds were actually planted in 2008 when Dave was sitting at a bar after hearing friends discussing their favourite moments in video gaming. This developed into a website to keep the passion and interest in retro gaming alive for its readers, listeners, and viewers. The site has been active for the majority of the time since then, and has undergone constant evolution in both content and the website itself. Initially a Tumblr blog, before re-emerging on a more fully-featured WordPress site, Retrospekt has always been about more than just web content. Sure – there was news, reviews, videos, forums (currently defunct), social media, but it’s always been about more than that. From early forays in conducting retro gaming panels and our first hands on retro gaming museum at AVCon in 2011, Retrospekt has always been about interacting with gaming fans. So much so, most of the team actually met during the course of these events.

retrospekt.com.au circa 2008

What we’ve been up to…

Beyond our ever growing fully interactive retro gaming areas at AVCon, with dozens of 80s and 90s consoles and rarities for you all to come and experience (wait for what we have in store for 2017, it’s going to be even bigger!), we’ve had involvement in a number community events over the years. During the first two years of PAX Australia we helped establish the Classic Console Area with our friends from Retro Domination, Australian Retro Gamer, Weird & Retro and Retro Gaming Australia – double fist pump to our interstate kin! At PAX, AVCon, and OzComiCon we’ve also organised numerous panels covering a range of facets of retro gaming culture. These conventions have also become homes to the fan-favourite Super Video Game Trivia Challenge (which also ran for a few nights at Adelaide Fringe 2013) – now celebrating five years of tricky video game mind-benders, obscure gaming tunes, and ridiculously edited fake gaming covers. We’ve also continued to run the JoyPad Music and Gaming events, which have been as varied as organising interstate chiptune artists to headline AVCon After Dark to working with Futuresounds Adelaide on fundraisers for the Starlight Foundation. Beyond this we’re now working with local councils and organisations on running retro museums at even more events.

At a rough count, we’ve been involved in close to two dozen public events of various sorts since the website went on hiatus.

Some of the crew running the OzComicCom 2017 official after party. There’s about half a dozen consoles to the right, but we couldn’t fit them in the shot. It was hard enough work herding us together.

So why did we take a break from the site? Read above. We’re tired. Oh so very tired.

Though it’s mostly true, I say that partly in jest. We’re not tired of gaming and bringing you new gaming news, which is why we’re still very active on our Facebook page. As a group we decided to take stock for a few months and reimagine what we want the website to be. And then real life got in the way (marriages, engagements, babies, university studies, new jobs, PhD, illness, moving houses, selling houses, organising events, sleeping occasionally…there’s probably more).

But the site was always going to return. Eventually. And here it is. You’ll notice some new sections. You’ll notice some are rather barren, waiting to be filled, categories that need creation, links that need to be activated, and some of the older articles may need reformatting. And there’s more to add – more new articles will spring up from today. And probably fix (please contact us if there’s obvious issues with formatting, content, and links). Editing has been happening, it is currently happening, and much of it will probably morph, evolve, and be reformatted over the ensuing few months. And don’t be surprised if every now and then you’ll see a new website section appear.

As an aside, much of the old content that has disappeared will reappear in due course. Some of it is no longer relevant or even accurate. As you could imagine, thousands upon thousands of pieces of news or information about games takes a good while to check. On the positive side, when old content reappears, it’ll probably appear new again…about old games…or new games that are like old games…some of the information is over eight years old…so it’s quite retro, am I right? Something along those lines anyway.

Where to from here?

Content won’t be in the form of daily or weekly updates. It will appear as news comes to hand, original content is created, or as regularly (or semi-regularly) published pieces. RSS, Facebook, Twitter, or plain old regular clicking on the site will keep you in the loop. Certain sections, features, stories, and ongoing series will develop a personality of their own. Who knows what will become our new ‘regular’ and ‘popular’ areas of the website? As the site grows again, the directions we take it will evolve. Although we will remain retro video game focused, some of the new content may appear somewhat tenuously linked to our core mission. Be assured that we will always keep retro gaming as the focus. We’re also keen to hear what you want to see – playthroughs (live or otherwise), speed-runs, hardware tutorials, reviews, opinion pieces, podcasts…we’re very open to broadening our content.

Related to this we will be putting a call out for content in the not too distant future. Do you want to write about games? Rant about games? Pontificate about your favourite game? Or rant about something that troubles you about anything in the retrogaming community? Or create videos, audio, animations, share your gaming history, your best gaming finds, your gaming room? If you are interested in getting involved with Retrospekt, please drop us a line. Let us know! We’d love to hear from anyone who is keen to get involved in order to expand our team…and you don’t even have to be from Adelaide or even Australia to get involved. We want you! Watch this space if you’re not sure if you’d like to get in contact just yet, we’ll put out an official call-out in due course.

Some thanks

Finally, big thanks to Retrospekt’s founder Dave. Although he has taken a step back from the site, the team are indebted for the foundations that have been laid over the last half dozen years. Thank you for your passion over the years and your guidance in working through this site transition. We’ll aim to do Retrospekt’s existing legacy proud. A quick note from Dave:

Furthermore, I’d like to thank everyone who contributed and got involved with making Retrospekt.com.au what it is today: Andrew R, Bethany McC, Alan B, Tim G, Zack, Dan McG, Paul M, Marcus S, James A, Michael T, Jen B, Chad H, Mel McD, Claire H, Jess W, Michael F, Marc F, Mel P, Emmanuel P, David W, Claire McG, Joe T, Jedda B, Ben R, Aaron Y, Deniel and Shannon C, Tyson H, Jon P, Beverly H, Alethea L, Alison B, Natalie W, Paul H, Ryan V, Team AVCon, PAX Australia, Retro Domination, Australian Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming Australia, Weird and Retro and of course our friends, families and readers who have supported the site and all the things we do and will be doing for a long time to come!

And, of course, thank you to followers of Retrospekt on social media and those who’ve attended our events throughout the last year. We’re always motivated by everyones’ enthusiasm, participation, and good humour.

Onward and upward. May the force be with you. Live long and prosper. Let’s go be bad guys. And, of course, Let the games begin!

– Marcus, Paul, Jeff, James, Mike, Jen, Will, Osty, Steve, Eman, Mel, Sam, Jordan, and Ben.