The video game market in other countries has always been interesting to me. With the usage of machine translators, the ecommerce cultures of other countries become more available to outsiders.
The world of Norway, one of the world’s most intriguing countries. I am interested in how the small country manages to create its own cyber culture.
Norway: A Country missing the Cyberspace?
Norway is a wealthy country in a sense but it is not wealthy in a Qatar sense. Qatar may not have as many EVs but it is a country that is focused on the future not maintaining the past. Norway’s social welfare and culture is seen in high regard by some but it clear that is starting to run into stagnation and the internet seems to be passing by the Nordic country. Yes, they have fast internet speeds, but the internet is more than having quick speeds, it needs to be integrated into the way that the country interacts with the world. In many ways, these European countries tend to treat the internet like it is an extension of the television establishment rather than its own thing that is separate from those older forms here.
Enter Retrospillkongen
Retrospillkongen.no is a Norwegian retro gaming website. In a country of 5 million people, this website helps to bridge the gap for a country that is wealthy yet paradoxically is not exactly in the right place for commerce.
Retrospillkongen.no is a Norwegian company serving Norwegian needs and it reminds of the many retro gaming stores dotted across America.
Retrospill Kongen is very appealing site to read. Unlike other sites, it is not full of ads and auto-playing videos. The color scheme is easy on the eyes and it seems to reference Japanese aesthetics which makes sense, considering how important Nintendo was with revitalizing the industry after the crash in the early 1980s.
Retro Gaming is popular in Norway?
As the video game industry continues to stagnate and people are not as confident in it as it once was. In my opinion, the video game industry has become a lethargic place lacking any sense of direction. Only a couple games show any vision. Grand Theft Auto VI, while risky in its production cost, actually seems to have competence behind its making. It is like an interactive movie, the likes of what Hollywood used to make.
Norway having an interest in retro gaming is no surprise. The country unfortunately never really had any major companies in the video game landscape except for a few companies such as Funcom, which just recently released the Dune Awakening game.
Retrospillkongen is another example of the power of the internet.
People have a tendency in this age to be cynical about the internet now. There ads like there are gas stations on every corner; however, this site shows that people have to be willing to make the effort to commit to changing the digital nature of the internet. Big companies only have such power on the internet because we allow it. The Internet is ultimately about collaboration and healthy conflict, not stale stagnation. Retrospillkongen should be inspiration for other small nations put their own mark on the Internet we all enjoy in this epoch.
My Game Reviews 