You don't need to have grown up during the golden years of the NES and Atari to understand the appeal of 8-bit visuals — that's probably why the minimalist art style is still being kept alive in a number of new game releases. The latest episode of PBS' Off Book series — which has previously tackled topics ranging from GIFs to Reddit — explores the evolution of 8-bit as an art style, and how it's influenced pop culture over the last three decades. The short documentary looks at everything from how the art style has influenced the paintings of Anthony Sneed, to why chiptune rockers Anamanaguchi are so infatuated with it — despite the fact that most of the hardware was released before they were even born. You can check out the full video below, but be prepared for the oncoming urge to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES.
PBS ‘Off Book’ looks at the influence of 8-bit games on art and culture
The latest episode of PBS’ Off Book series looks at the influence of 8-bit video games on 30 years of culture.
Andrew Webster is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
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