Joypad: The Rise & Rise of Modern Retro Gaming | GamesYouLoved

So how did we get here? When did retro gaming go from mum’s basement to East London warehouse?

Walking around Joypad’s monthly Super Warehouse Gaming Party you’ll notice an odd thing. Many of the strained, happily tipsy faces illuminated by the glow of vintage crts are too young ever to have owned the console that, in that moment, completely consumes them. Retro gaming has suddenly, quietly, elevated itself beyond nostalgia.

Not to undermine that sweet hit in the pit of the stomach from the boot screen of Super Mario, Outrun or Duck Hunt but there’s something bubbling away in gaming culture that goes beyond that. Glancing around the Oval Space’s Pickle Factory on that one particular day a month will tell you everything you need to know.

The guys with the nostalgia are making their own new indie games now, these games reference their most beloved games from the past, the kids play the indie games without knowing the retro references, get hooked on the retro games that they are referencing and the cycle continues. Gaming culture has become at once backward and forward looking. This vibrancy is attractive and encourages experimentation, collaboration and excitement. Throw some alcohol and loud music into the mix and you’ve got one hell of a party.

Joypad is the brain child of George Swain and Matt Farthing. Two childhood friends with a shared passion for gaming and partying.

They’ve almost played them all: the Contras, 16 player system-linked Halo 1, 10 player Saturn Bomberman, unhealthy amounts of Smash Bros… One hungover afternoon the concept just dropped from the sky: to create a polished, buzzy, booze-filled environment for people to relive and discover the games that form the foundation of the biggest creative industry in history. In 9 months Joypad has gone from their first party in an ex-dental showroom in Tooting to the EGX aftershow in an East London warehouse.