Virtual Liminal Space Photography and Nostalgia in Super Mario 64 (1996)

In recent years, the worldwide web has become host to numerous new ideas and communities that occupy themselves with these ideas. The liminal space phenomenon is one of these ideas, centering around images of abandoned places that allegedly evoke nostalgic and uneasy feelings within those that look at them. These liminal space photographs can come from pictures of the real world, yet many of them are virtual photographs, taken from 3D renders or more commonly, video game environments. Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 (1996) is a video game that proves to be remarkably popular within the genre of virtual liminal spaces, and for a few good reasons. Its aesthetics and status as pivotal stepping stone in the development of 3D platformers makes it an object of nostalgia for many within the liminal space communities, and its rich legacy of creepypastas and conspiracy theories only adds to its atmosphere of mystery and eeriness. Over time, this legacy has evolved into virtual photographs of Super...Show moreIn recent years, the worldwide web has become host to numerous new ideas and communities that occupy themselves with these ideas. The liminal space phenomenon is one of these ideas, centering around images of abandoned places that allegedly evoke nostalgic and uneasy feelings within those that look at them. These liminal space photographs can come from pictures of the real world, yet many of them are virtual photographs, taken from 3D renders or more commonly, video game environments. Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 (1996) is a video game that proves to be remarkably popular within the genre of virtual liminal spaces, and for a few good reasons. Its aesthetics and status as pivotal stepping stone in the development of 3D platformers makes it an object of nostalgia for many within the liminal space communities, and its rich legacy of creepypastas and conspiracy theories only adds to its atmosphere of mystery and eeriness. Over time, this legacy has evolved into virtual photographs of Super Mario 64 environments circulating online, and ending up in the repertoire of liminal space communities. These photographs either originate from the game engine itself, or are created through 3D modelling programs. The nostalgia that people feel for the game adds on to the nostalgia that liminal spaces themselves perpetuate, creating a situation in which members of the online liminal space communities exaggerate nostalgia as a concept so much that they manufacture feelings for places and things that never even existed in the real world in the first place.Show less

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Virtual Liminal Space Photography and Nostalgia in Super Mario 64 (1996)