As we all know, the video game industry has been on the decline recently, with low performing games and massive layoffs. For the past five years, I've had dreams of being a game writer, but that conviction has faded, along with my excitement for new video game releases.
But luckily, at the beginning of this year, game developer Shannon Williams Jr. reached out to me and gave me the opportunity to write for his newest game, Retro Game Store Simulator. After getting the chance to work on a game for the first time and speak with a game developer who is so passionate about making the best game he can, with an unshakable resolve not to use AI in the creative process, I find my passion as a writer and my excitement for a game release returning.
Retro Game Store Simulator starts in 1984, one year after the beginning of the 1980s video game crash. But despite how uncertain the fate of gaming is, you play as the owner of a video game store in Ballantyne Mall. And, as expected, the game immediately starts on hard mode. To keep your business afloat, you'll have to expertly manage you store's inventory, design advertisements to increase customer traffic, analyze metrics to maximize profit, stock shelves, determine prices, and upgrade your store to the best of your abilities, all the way up to 1989.
Of course, basing anything in a specific time period can be tricky, especially if you haven't lived in it. But after having spoken with Williams, I know he's done an incredible amount of research for the game; studying everything from '80s fashion trends to gaming trends to mall atmosphere. Although managing the store has been gamified, he's put a substantial amount of effort into learning how a gaming store would have been run in the '80s to make the game both as fun and immersive as possible. As the one writing newspaper articles, magazine cover blurbs, and descriptions for the in-game games, I've also done research on the way those would have all been written back then to make everything true to the times.
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With all that in mind, you'll begin to see how everything in this game is intentional. The way the NPCs are dressed. The inflections in the voice work. The art style. The music playing. The wording in the script. The changes to Ballantyne Mall throughout the seasons and years. Even the newspaper articles I've written have a specific purpose. Although they don't have much impact on the game itself, the events I cover don't only take inspiration from what happened in the '80s, but are also there to show there's a world outside of the mall, and to build the world around you. Little details to make the game all the more immersive.
I'd also like to personally add something I find very special about the game. While it's very easy for simulation games to just have the players going through the motions, there's a story and theme throughout Retro Game Store Simulator. One of hope. Despite the odds being very much stacked against you, with proper management and plenty of determination, your store not only manages to stay afloat, but begins to flourish as video games start to take the world by storm again. Proof that your faith in your store was not misplaced.
If you get a sense of déjà vu reading about the main conflict of the game, that's because a similar thing is happening right now. As mentioned before, the state of the gaming industry hasn't been great, with genres becoming increasingly saturated, an unfortunate reliance on AI, and companies prioritizing profit over a game players can actually enjoy. But, as we've seen in history, gaming has made a comeback before, and I believe it can make a comeback again. After having the privilege to write for a game with a developer that refuses to use AI in his creative process, is willing to push back the release date so the game can be released at full potential, and has put passion and intention in every gigabyte, I believe my faith is not misplaced.
Retro Game Store Simulator is set to release on July 1st, 2025. If your wish is to play a game made for the players, I hope you'll add it to your wishlist!
Links to the Steam page and game website here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3090010/Retro_Game_Store_Simulator/
https://www.diyexperiences.com/
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