Author: Wigsy

What if the games you played—or could have played—as a kid could help you better understand who you are now?

Save State is a reflective writing project built around a simple but powerful idea:

Start with a year. Choose a game released in that year. Then write about what was happening in your life at the time.

It’s a method that blends serendipity with memory—sometimes I pick a game I knew well, other times I choose one I missed completely. Either way, the goal is the same: to use the media of that moment as a lens for reflection.

🗺️ The Method

Each entry begins with a randomly selected year and then I find a retro home video game released in that year. Playing it becomes a way of entering memory sideways, with curiosity and care.

From there, the writing unfolds in four parts:

1. The Game – what it’s like to play now
2. The Year – what life looked and felt like at that time
3. The Connection – how the game mirrors or contrasts with the year
4. The Reflection – what remains from that time; what’s changed

It’s less about nostalgia, and more about personal archaeology—excavating meaning from pixels and memory.

🎧 Expanding Beyond Games

The same method works beautifully with other media:

• An album or song from a certain year
• A film you saw—or avoided
• A book or comic that lived on your shelf
• Even a piece of tech you were just starting to use

Each artifact becomes a portal. Not just to a cultural moment, but to who you were inside of it.

🔄 Try It Yourself

Start with a year. Find a game (or album, film, or book) released during that time. Ask yourself:
Where was I then? What did I want, fear, or believe? How do I see it differently now?
Then write—not just about the artifact, but about the self it helps you remember.

If you’ve ever played an old game and thought, “This reminds me of how it felt to be 12,”—you already know what this project is about.

Create a Save State of your own now

One of my favorite parts of the Save State project is a simple, poetic constraint I’ve added to deepen the reflection:

Each time I explore a game and its release year, I write a message to my past self from that year—limited by chance.

It’s a grounding ritual. A miniature letter sent backward in time. Sometimes urgent. Sometimes cryptic. Sometimes exactly what I needed to hear.

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🕹️ The Prompt:

What would I tell myself in the year this game came out?

Rather than leaving the format open, I roll dice to narrow the scope and focus the message. The rules are simple:

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🎲 The Rules of Time Travel

1. Roll a d100 – This determines how many words you’re allowed in your message. It might be sprawling or spare. Either way, you have to work within the limit.
   Example: I rolled a 21 for Zelda (1987), so I got 21 words—just enough to be sharp, lyrical, and hard-earned.
2. Roll a d4 – This determines when in the year your message is sent:
   • 1 = January 1 — A message to set the tone
   • 2 = July 4 — Midway through the year, often during heat, change, or loneliness
   • 3 = December 31 — A message at the end of the year, filled with hindsight
   • 4 = The game’s release date — A kind of cosmic alignment: media meets memory

The randomness makes it feel like you’ve stumbled upon a signal from the future—your future.

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✍️ Why It Matters

These little letters give me a way to:

• Step back into that year with compassion
• Say the thing I never knew I needed to hear
• Practice emotional clarity, not just narrative
• Keep the Save State entries honest, small, and human

Sometimes, this message becomes the anchor of the entire post. Sometimes it’s a quiet epilogue.

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🧭 Try It Yourself

Next time you revisit an old game (or album or film), ask:

• What would I tell myself that year?
• How many words do I get?
• When in the year is the message sent?

Then write it

You might be surprised how much truth fits in a roll of the dice.

So you’ve rolled your year. You’ve picked your game. You’ve dug into the feelings, the memories, the personal archive. But here’s a new twist in the Save State method:

Can you actually play the game you just rolled—using the gear you have (or are willing to collect)?

This subroutine is part scavenger hunt, part improvisation challenge, and part love letter to the weird and winding paths of retro gaming in the modern world.

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🎲 The Setup

After completing your Save State year + game roll, enter this optional side quest:

1. Try to play your chosen game.
   • First ask: Can I play this right now?
   • Then ask: What would it take to make it playable?
2. If you already have a way to play it, great—go for it. If you don’t:
   • Be creative: look through your existing consoles, emulators, cartridges, flash carts, digital libraries, collections.
   • Or be inspired: sometimes this is the perfect moment to intentionally add something to your collection—whether it’s a ROM, a controller, or a long-lusted-after cart at your local game shop.
3. Log the process. Was it easy? Was it convoluted? Did it involve strange cables, clever hacks, or an excuse to finally dust off the GameCube?

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🧠 Why This Matters

This isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about resourcefulness, creativity, and honoring your connection to play. Finding a way to revisit The Legend of Zelda in 2024—whether through Switch Online, a CRT in your garage, or a newly acquired Analogue Pocket—becomes a meditation on access, preservation, and intention.

Sometimes the game boots right up. Sometimes it sparks a side quest of its own.

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✍️ Reflective Prompt: How Did You Play It?

Write a short note or journal entry answering:

• How did you make the game playable?
• What did you use, borrow, or buy?
• What was the feeling when it finally booted up?

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🗂️ This Subroutine Has a Name

Call it:

Save State Subroutine: Can You Play It?

It’s a small, analog challenge in a digital age. A way to connect past and present not just in memory—but in action.

Let us know how you played yours.

One of the quiet joys of the Save State project is not just remembering—but replaying. Whether your rolled game was a childhood favorite or a pixelated relic from before you were born, the next big question is:

How do I actually play this game today?

The good news? There’s no single right answer. There are many—and each method reflects a different kind of relationship to history, nostalgia, convenience, and aesthetics.

Let’s take a look at the most common ways people are keeping classic console games alive in the present.

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1. 🧠 FPGA Systems (Like Analogue’s Consoles)

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) recreate the internal logic of classic hardware at a transistor level, offering an incredibly faithful experience without needing the original console.

Pros:

• Near-perfect accuracy, lag-free
• Modern video output (HDMI, etc.)
• Beautiful hardware design (looking at you, Analogue Pocket and Duo)

Cons:

• Expensive
• Hard to find (low production runs)
• Still requires cartridges or ROMs

Why use it?
You want the real feel of retro without the quirks of failing capacitors or RF switches—and you appreciate design that honors the past with future-forward polish.

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2. 💾 Emulation (PC, Raspberry Pi, Steam Deck, etc.)

Software emulators like RetroArch, bsnes, MAME, or DuckStation can run on almost anything—from laptops to handhelds to smart TVs.

Pros:

• Accessible, customizable, portable
• Fast save states, screen filters, controller remapping
• Complete libraries instantly available

Cons:

• Accuracy varies
• Some lag or glitches possible
• Requires some setup knowledge

Why use it?
You want instant access, flexibility, and the ability to play everything—from NES to Dreamcast—on a single device.

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3. 🕹️ Vintage Hardware

There’s nothing quite like the original. Many players still maintain real NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, and more.

Pros:

• Authentic experience
• No compromise in audio or control feel
• You get to use your dusty CRT

Cons:

• Old hardware can break
• AV output may require adapters
• Original games are getting pricey

Why use it?
You’re in it for the tactile time travel—dusting off cartridges, blowing into ports, flipping switches. This is muscle memory from a different era.

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4. 📱 Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)

Nintendo’s subscription service offers a curated collection of NES, SNES, N64, GBA, and Game Boy titles.

Pros:

• Convenient and legal
• Cloud saves, online multiplayer
• New games added monthly

Cons:

• Limited selection
• Occasional input lag
• No game ownership

Why use it?
You want plug-and-play nostalgia on modern hardware with none of the fuss—and maybe even some bonus features like rewinds and save points.

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5. 🧠 Mini Systems + Homebrew (Hakchi, Project Lunar, etc.)

NES/SNES/Genesis mini consoles can be “jailbroken” to load additional ROMs using software like Hakchi.

Pros:

• Fun little collectibles
• Simple modding process
• HDMI output and save state support

Cons:

• Limited hardware power
• Not as versatile as PCs or RPis
• Small controllers can be awkward

Why use it?
You love official hardware, don’t mind tweaking things, and enjoy compact setups that blend charm and convenience.

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6. 📦 EverDrives and Optical Drive Emulators

These cartridge and disc replacements let you load complete libraries from an SD card or USB, avoiding the need for expensive physical media.

Pros:

• Use with original hardware
• Lightning-fast loading and save support
• Protects fragile carts and discs

Cons:

• Initial cost can be high
• Setup varies by system
• Still need the console

Why use it?
You love the real hardware but don’t want to spend $800 on EarthBound. You want access and authenticity.

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🧠 So Which Is Right for You?

There’s no wrong way to play. Your method might be shaped by nostalgia, budget, curiosity, or pure aesthetics.

In fact, part of the Save State process is exploring this very question:

How far am I willing to go to reconnect with a game?

Sometimes you dig up old gear. Sometimes you discover a new passion for FPGA. Sometimes you just pull out your Switch and jump into Super Metroid before breakfast.

Whatever your method, you’re doing something sacred: keeping old worlds alive.