Vaporwave and video games

The term ‘vaporwave’ was first coined in the early 2010s to describe a music genre (and visual aesthetic) soaked in nostalgia for an imagined past.

But for those of us who grew up obsessed with Japan and its video games in the late 80s, early 90s, it's always been there, hidden in plain sight. 

It’s our collective hallucination. An idealised version of Japan at a very specific moment in time. It’s the Far East filtered through old video games, anime, manga and magazines. 

It’s also not real. Obviously. The visuals we now characterise as vaporwave are childhood daydreams of what Japan looked like filtered through mass media.

These same visuals have been given a new lease on life via Pinterest, Tumblr and obscure Japanese blogs I can’t read.

They provide a rabbit hole of distorted visuals and hazy memories for a time that never really existed. An imagined past where the skies were always pastel pink, the palms swayed gently in the summer breeze, the technology was cutting edge, and hyper-consumerism powered the endless mirage. 

Point being, I’m pretty sure I can make a case for vaporwave and video games being linked. A through line from bubble economy Japan, grey imports, online ‘aesthetic’ and childhood memories filtered through a low-fi digital lens.

Which might make for a nice little zine. Let’s say 64 pages, full colour, perfect bound.

What do you folks think? Forgotten Worlds #4 will revisit classic video game magazines. But issue #5 is up in the air…

Anyway, some images below as a potential teaser…

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Forgotten Worlds is back! With two new magazines...

Issues 2 and 3 come packaged together as a limited edition bundle. Pre-orders come with additional gifts and insets.