Anyone who grew up in the 1980s knows that it was a special era unlike any other. From the classic movies and groundbreaking music to the outlandish fashion and iconic video games, there were countless things about it that forever changed pop culture. And the fact that its influence continues to manifest in things and places today is a testament to how magical it was.
While its presence is obvious in the physical world—think retro arcades and hipster fashion—it’s just as vibrant online, influencing games, music, art, and more. For that reason, we’re going “back to the future” today to celebrate how the ‘80s continues to thrive in the digital age.
What Is Nostalgia, and Why Is It So Effective?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word nostalgia means “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” While these periods and places can be specific to individuals, there is also a collective, generational nostalgia that millions can relate to. That’s why whenever we hear a classic song or watch a movie from a specific decade, it can bring back a flood of associated memories—what we were doing at the time, who the people in our lives were, where we were living, and so on.
And nobody knows that better than marketers. It’s precisely for that reason that we have had so many reboots of ‘80s classics like Ghostbusters, The A-Team, The Karate Kid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and countless others. Whether or not audiences ask for them is one thing, but creators know they are (usually) guaranteed moneymakers.
Why the 1980s Specifically?
With decades like the 1960s and 1970s also being influential and altering history, why do the 1980s persist today? Well, for starters, the 1980s were fun.
While the ‘60s had hippies and counterculture and the ‘70s had bell-bottoms and disco, the 1980s were, in contrast, over the top and carefree. Clothes were bold and colourful, hair was big, movies were exciting, music was catchy, MTV was dominating, and the popularity of video games (both at home and arcades) was at an all-time high. There was also a carefree energy, and escapism felt like a part of daily life. Unlike our modern digital era, in which we have infinite choice and a mishmash of modern and retro influences, the ‘80s were an undeniably original and iconic era. It was also simpler and more innocent. And who wouldn’t be nostalgic for that?
Digital Media Inspired by the ‘80s
Here’s an overview of modern digital creations that have been inspired by the style and aesthetics of the 1980s:
Gaming
You don’t have to look far to find modern games that took their visual style and gameplay directly from the classics. Retro City Rampage, an open-world carjacking game with a blatant 8-bit style, is a parody of all things ‘80s and ‘90s. Released in 2012, it looks and plays exactly like a NES game would, while never taking itself seriously. Meanwhile, Shovel Knight is an 8-bit-style game that pays homage to the ridiculously tough platformers many of us played as kids. If you’ve ever wanted to swing your controller around and smash it through your TV screen, you know what we’re talking about.
Whether it’s PC, mobile, or console games that recreate and build upon those classic experiences or an online casino platform that offers thousands of free slot games, many with 1980s’ influences, there are more options to explore than you’ll ever have time for.
Music
Hit songs like “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd and “Midnight City” by M83 perfectly capture the sound and feel of synth-pop while imbuing it with modern production. As a result, we get the best of both worlds: fresh music with baked-in nostalgia that’s impossible to resist. There are also bands like Empire of the Sun that infuse elements of 1980s synth-pop and new wave into their music, along with album covers that were heavily influenced by the decade. As if that wasn’t enough, their name was lifted directly from the Steven Spielberg film of the same name.
Aside from specific songs and artists, there are also entire subgenres, like synthwave, that take the familiar synth sounds of the 1980s and bring them into the modern age. Whether you hear it in a movie like Blade Runner 2049 or work with a YouTube synthwave mix playing in the background, this subgenre is oozing the era’s charm.
Artwork
The 1980s aesthetic, with all its neon hues and bold contrasts, is alive and well in a wide range of visual mediums—from modern album covers and t-shirts to wall art and posters. In the digital realm, it plays out in everything from animated web backgrounds to social media visuals and NFT designs.
One of the most distinct styles of nostalgic art is pixel art, a style that uses individual pixels as building blocks to create a retro, 8-bit or 16-bit aesthetic that is reminiscent of the classic console and PC games of the day. With limited color palettes, sharp edges, and clear shapes, pixel art is about as nostalgic a medium as there is. Even completely new images made in this style will evoke “sentimental longing” for that charming bygone era.
Another rising trend is vaporwave, a digital art movement that borrows heavily from ‘80s pop culture, glitchy VHS aesthetics, old computer interfaces, and surreal color schemes. It often overlaps with the aforementioned synthwave music and is often seen in looping GIFs, album visuals, and background animations for streamers and video creators.
