The BBC is being mocked for a retro gaming setup that made us all feel very old and very angry
Sign in to your TheGamer account
BBC Breakfast dedicated a segment to the growing popularity of retro gaming on Monday morning. However, whoever was involved in putting the segment together demonstrated that they’re clearly not a part of that movement by displaying consoles and games that have been widely mocked since the segment aired.
UKIE CEO Professor Nick Poole joined the BBC hosts in the studio to share some expert analysis and, although he didn’t mention it during the live broadcast, likely recoiled at the gaming setup someone had placed on the table next to them. For some reason, whoever meticulously placed everything there ready for the live broadcast, which was watched by millions, jammed a NES copy of Super Mario Bros. into a SNES, stepped back and thought to themselves, “yeah, I think that’s right”.
Related
A BBC Breakfast segment covering the popularity of retro gaming is being roasted online
Unless the SNES was backwards compatible this whole time and we just didn’t realize
The retro gaming faux pas has quickly garnered so much unwanted attention online that UKIE has issued a statement (thanks, VGC) to make sure everyone knows neither it nor its CEO had anything to do with the erroneous display. “For transparency, the studio team set up the in-studio display independently and handled the placement of the consoles – unfortunately, we couldn’t adjust it whilst on air,” the statement reads.
As I suspected, Poole likely took one look at that SNES and proceeded to fight the urge to remove the cartridge, or at the very least point out the very obvious mistake, for the ensuing five-minute segment.
One of the many places the setup has been shared and mocked is the r/casualnintendo subreddit. However, the bulk of commenters on that post are less concerned about someone assuming the SNES is backwards compatible and more worried about the Wii lurking alongside it. Turns out the Wii is a retro console now, and a lot of older gamers, myself included, are struggling to accept that reality.
The replies to the Reddit post above are a mix of people in denial about the Wii’s retro status (again, me), and others noting that it’s been 20 years since the console launched, so yeah, it probably is about time we considered it retro. Someone highlighted that the Wii is as old now as the NES was when the Wii was released, and the NES would have already been considered a retro console when we were all playing Wii Sports.
As amusing as this whole saga has been, it’s a shame that the SNES mistake and the Wii making people feel old have pulled attention away from what was an interesting segment about the pivotal role retro gaming plays in the current video game landscape. It also highlights the odd disconnect between video games and mainstream culture, despite how massive the industry has become.
Nintendo Entertainment System
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Original Release Date
- July 31, 1989
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $179
- Weight
- 5 lbs.
- Hardware Versions
- Nintendo Entertainment System
