I’m getting on in years, I’m getting ridiculously close to the big 4-0 and being a gamer since my youth I was knee-deep in the 8-bit era when it was the only way to play. Art is just like fashion, everything old is new again and I’m definitely appreciating the return of 8-bit into pop culture, be it art, music or even right back to its origin with the latest indie video games.

Beginning with early Atari and Nintendo video games, the 8-bit aesthetic has been a part of our culture for over 30 years. As it moved through the generations, 8-bit earned its independence from its video game roots. The idea of 8-bit now stands for a refreshing level of simplicity and minimalism, is capable of sonic and visual beauty, and points to the layer of technology that suffuses our modern lives. No longer just nostalgia art, contemporary 8-bit artists and chiptunes musicians have elevated the form to new levels of creativity and cultural reflection.