It’s no secret that the world of entertainment is one which tends to rely on the past. This is where we all draw our legacies from, so it makes perfect sense to learn from past lessons, and pay reverence to those who set the stage for the modern age. With that in mind, our current era is one with more looking back than ever before. But why is this, and what makes the entertainment of old so appealing to us today?
A big part of this phenomenon is simply due to the fact that classics are classics for a reason. With decades or even centuries to pull from, any games that stand out among the pack must, by virtue of their existence, offer something special.
In terms of classic entertainment which we enjoy today, there are few as visibly long-standing as casino and gambling games. Many of these have remained unchanged, at least on the gameplay level, since before many of us were born. Games such as slotmachines available online may offer much more exciting and visually exciting titles than ever before, with hundreds of varieties, but the base appeal is still the same. We thus have multiple examples of gameplay that audiences are already familiar with, combined with new and varied themes such as Narcos, pirates and Ancient Egypt, as seen on Redbet.
While not an exact resemblance, we could say similar things about classic gaming series such as The Legend of Zelda. The gameplay in this series has evolved, true, but the sensibilities remain the same. It is still a grand adventure and in this it has remained remarkably pure and popular, even over multiple systems and decades.
When it comes to film and television, similar parallels can be drawn, though these are often not as faithful. Reboots and sequels are the name of the game in modern media – and as a producer, this would make a lot of sense. Developing for film or television is a difficult and expensive experience, and relying on established properties can help generate confidence and additional buzz. For older fans of a property it might give them the hope that they could recapture a positive experience they have in their youth. For younger potential viewers, it could appeal to a legacy among the zeitgeist or cultural history, even if they have never seen the original film or series for themselves.
It’s not just nostalgia, either, as there is another more creative aspect which can attract those who work on these products. Art is, after all, a product of its environment. When they bring back classics, creators can approach them with modern sensibilities. They can be adapted to take advantage of new realities, of new political and social understandings, and newer technologies. Combined, this creates a system which, while often dismissed at artistically bankrupt, can be anything but. By revisiting the classics, and by redesigning them or approaching them from a different angle, we can open up the message of the original. We can make the same message more understandable to a modern audience, or relate aspects of the original which are no longer applicable or have changed due to the evolution of our greater environment.
It is true that some of these will end up as more Wicker Man remake than Heat, but even the act of failure can make us appreciate the original more than we once did. We might not always get what we want, but a continued interest in classics can help keep the community strong – and through this community, we can maintain the legacy of that which we love.
