Stranger Things is a show on netflix that is pure nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 80s. The simpler time when people were exploring video games, bright colors, new kinds of movies, and exploring all things unknown. For some this was one of the best times in their life. Those are the memories they cherish to this day. That idea alone is what makes Stranger Things such an amazing idea. People reminisce those days to their children and to each other, and Stranger Things connects those stories in a way that the intended listener can see what those stories could have looked like.
Stranger Things is a show set in the 80s that brings all of those elements that people love about the 80s together. The main characters are always at the arcade, when things are normal, playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Dig Dug, and Dragon’s Lair. All of these games were big in the 80s along with the classic others: Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. You see all of theses teens and pre-teens pooling their money together to be able to play all of the arcade games, including Dragon’s Lair, which was slightly more expensive in the 80s. By keeping true to the arcade games that you entice an audience you didn’t have before: an audience that has been there and knows exactly what the main characters are doing.
Another connections to the older audience is the tributes made to other famous movies and directors from the 80s in Stranger Things. The main female character can be connected to Carrie in the sense that they both tend to be sweet and gentle characters until they are goaded. Carrie has been famous since the 80s and being one of the teenagers who went to see that movie in theaters or reading the book after seeing the movie makes that connections more special to the viewer. A more obvious connection would be to Star Wars. In the universe that Stranger Things takes place in and the year that Stranger Things takes place in the Star Wars movies were being produced and were very popular with people of all ages. So when Mike makes multiple comments to Yoda and Star Wars in general it is another memory that is generally a happy memory for the people who grew up in that time period.
While most people wouldn’t care about those connections knowing you and your curiosity for history and how things intertwine to create something new, I knew you would be interested in how Stranger Things connects to those other memories that you and others have of a great time period in your life. Stranger Things connects two very different generations through things that bring one generation nestalgia while still keeping the younger generation engaged and excited to watch this show. Without the engagement and connection to the younger generation through the use of CGI and a more sci-fi geared plot the show could have flopped but by combining parents and children you create this wider genre for viewers and creates a more bonding atmosphere. I know for a fact that you would watch Stranger Things with your children and have to explain some things, which just makes you closer and give you the opportunity to bond with your children.
Stranger Things is a show set in the 80s that brings all of those elements that people love about the 80s together. The main characters are always at the arcade, when things are normal, playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Dig Dug, and Dragon’s Lair. All of these games were big in the 80s along with the classic others: Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. You see all of theses teens and pre-teens pooling their money together to be able to play all of the arcade games, including Dragon’s Lair, which was slightly more expensive in the 80s. By keeping true to the arcade games that you entice an audience you didn’t have before: an audience that has been there and knows exactly what the main characters are doing.
Another connections to the older audience is the tributes made to other famous movies and directors from the 80s in Stranger Things. The main female character can be connected to Carrie in the sense that they both tend to be sweet and gentle characters until they are goaded. Carrie has been famous since the 80s and being one of the teenagers who went to see that movie in theaters or reading the book after seeing the movie makes that connections more special to the viewer. A more obvious connection would be to Star Wars. In the universe that Stranger Things takes place in and the year that Stranger Things takes place in the Star Wars movies were being produced and were very popular with people of all ages. So when Mike makes multiple comments to Yoda and Star Wars in general it is another memory that is generally a happy memory for the people who grew up in that time period.
While most people wouldn’t care about those connections knowing you and your curiosity for history and how things intertwine to create something new, I knew you would be interested in how Stranger Things connects to those other memories that you and others have of a great time period in your life. Stranger Things connects two very different generations through things that bring one generation nestalgia while still keeping the younger generation engaged and excited to watch this show. Without the engagement and connection to the younger generation through the use of CGI and a more sci-fi geared plot the show could have flopped but by combining parents and children you create this wider genre for viewers and creates a more bonding atmosphere. I know for a fact that you would watch Stranger Things with your children and have to explain some things, which just makes you closer and give you the opportunity to bond with your children.
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