Tag: Mixtape

Without this game, we wouldn't have 'Mixtape': 60 years ago, the debate about narrative in video games was already over

With the arrival of Mixtape, a game in which to relive a summer through small minigames and that barely has gameplay in the classic sense of the word, controversy has arisen. For some, it is a masterpiece. For others, a nonsense that could perfectly be a movie. The battle over narrative in games comes up again and again, and there are opinions for all tastes. Not only with Mixtape, but also with works like Dear Esther or Firewatch, which annoy a part of gamers (without much reason, to be honest: simply… not them […]

With the arrival of Mixtape, a game that brings back a summer through small mini-games and has hardly any gameplay in the classic sense of the word, controversy has emerged. For some, it is a masterpiece. For others, a nonsense that could perfectly be a movie. The battle over narrative in games comes up time and again, and there are opinions for all tastes. Not only with Mixtape, but also with works like Dear Esther or Firewatch, which annoy a part of gamers (for no good reason, to be honest: just… don’t play them) and which, in reality, are part of a genre that dates back even before Pong, in 1964.

Narrate and play, it’s all about starting

Pong is often considered the first video game in history, released in 1972, but that is not true. It all depends on what you consider a video game: there were tic-tac-toe machines that appeared before, for example… and, of course, dozens of text-based games for the very few machines that could run them at that time. Pong can be seen as the first major mass title, but if we are tracing the proto-history of video games, we will arrive at The Sumerian Game, whose first version appeared in 1964 and took place entirely… exclusively in text.

In 1964, The Sumerian Game was already playable, and in it you embodied three different rulers of the Sumerian city of Lagash in 3500 BC. To progress, you had to correctly place workers and grain to feed them over several rounds while trying to mitigate the effects of your previous decisions, as well as disasters and innovations. It became increasingly complicated. Although you couldn’t move any character on a screen, a progression of difficulty and new mechanics… Can anyone doubt that this was a video game?

It’s true, who are we going to fool, that right now The Sumerian Game is practically unplayable (there’s a version that appeared in 2024 with everything we know about the title) because we are used to modern mechanics, but at the time this marked the first milestone in many things: the first narrative and educational game created by the first woman designer and writer (Mabel Addis). Four in one!

By the way, it was much more complicated than you are thinking, no matter how old the title was: before each round, the game informed you of the current population, the acres of land to be cultivated, and the number of farmers, in addition to the grain harvested and accumulated. And from there, you set up your own strategies regarding food, seeds, and storage. We tend to think that at that time they were amazed with two shovels and a ball, but the truth is that from the beginning there were those who decided to think big.

And what happened to Mabel Addis, the designer of the title, who at that time worked as a high school teacher? Well, she continued doing so and lived quietly until the age of 92, when she passed away without anyone remembering her. Later on, yes, she has received awards for being one of the greatest pioneers in history. And it is about time that, thanks to games like Mixtape, she is placed on the pedestal she deserves. After all, without The Sumerian Game, we wouldn’t have Mixtape now. From those muds, these sludges.

The new generations long for the 80s and vinyl records, and these two video games prove it

all past time was better. Every era has its virtues and its defects and of course believing that there is an era that was a utopia that we have lost is a mistake. That does not take away from the fact that there are good things in the past, particularly when we talk about culture. For example, the musical mainstream was richer and more diverse in the 80s and 90s than it is today. The physicality of cassettes, vinyls, and CDs was a much more immersive experience than listening to something on YouTube or Spotify. And that is something we have lost.

All past times were better. Every era has its virtues and its defects, and of course, believing that there is an era that was a utopia that we have lost is a mistake. That does not take away from the fact that there are good things in the past, particularly when we talk about culture. For example, the musical mainstream was richer and more diverse in the 80s and 90s than it is today. The physicality of cassettes, vinyl records, and CDs was a much more immersive experience than listening to something on YouTube or Spotify. And that is something we have lost.

That’s why it’s not surprising that new generations are returning to these things. That the music from that era is still being listened to, that we are seeing a resurgence of vinyl and CDs, that MP3s are making a comeback, and that there is generally a very particular awareness of an entire musical culture that perhaps had been lost in favor of pure convenience. That’s why it’s not surprising that there are video games that have decided to explore this relationship that we have started to cultivate again with music. And two of them have been released this very week.

Two games about the community

Wax Heads is a game developed by Patattie Games, released on May 5, which is defined as a narrative simulation of “cozy punk” where we have a clear purpose: to manage a vinyl store that is not doing well. Building community, talking to people, and suggesting which record might suit them best according to their tastes and needs, it is a simple game, but with heart, that will resonate with those who have or have had a trusted record store.

But there lies its great value. In demonstrating how community ties are established between people through simple and everyday gestures, such as recommending an album or having common tastes. Something much easier to share in a conducive context for it, like a record store.

The other game that has come out this week and has made quite a noise is Mixtape, a game by Beethoven and Dinosaur, developers of the also musical The Artful Escape. In this narrative game, we embody three friends who, on their last night of high school, decide to live one last adventure before parting ways in a classic coming-of-age journey. With one particularity. Its licensed soundtrack is filled with great hits from the 70s and 80s.

With songs from Joy Division, The Smashing Pumpkins, DEVO, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Iggy Pop, and Lush, among others, the game has an evident millennial bias and a certain unmasked angst, but also an unavoidable romantic tone. This is helped by the fact that the game is set up like a mixtape. A combination of songs carefully chosen by one person and then recorded onto a CD, a cassette, or, also, a playlist, for another person to enjoy.

Mixtape shows us how music has meaning. And how the act of choosing the songs, the order they go in, recording them, and giving a physical object to another person with them is loaded with meaning due to the thought and effort that has been put into it. That is exactly what the game aims to achieve.

A return to better things

That two games like Wax Heads and Mixtape have been released almost at the same time is pure coincidence, but the existence of both at this moment is not. There is an evident longing for a different relationship with culture. With the physical. With the community. One that both games perfectly represent, particularly in how we used to relate to music. In a much more organic and direct way. Less convenient, but more authentic.

It is normal for many games to be interested in these themes. There is a component of nostalgia because developers in their 30s and 40s are now in a position to create this kind of video games, but also because there is a young audience that, despite having no nostalgia for a past they did not experience, feel an interest in that kind of relationship with music and culture. This explains why games like Wax Heads and Mixtape emerge and why it makes sense that they succeed.

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