“The Last Cassette” and the Local Chronology of 8-Bit Video Games in Poland

Abstract

<p>The history of digital games is often focused on the discourse of firstness and on the appreciation of pioneers. The result of this is that there is still little research on late stages of different game history phenomena. Using a case study of one of the last developers for the 8-bit Atari computers, Garda and Grabarczyk discuss this asymmetry, as they investigate the chronology of late 8-bit video games in Poland in the 1990s. The “cassette era” was for many Polish gamers a generational experience, as they were exploring the limitations and strengths of this medium. The final act of the first lifecycle of the 8-bit generation in Poland overlapped with the heyday of the demoscene and the ascent of the international retrogaming scene.<br></p>