PLAYING ON THE EDGE OF REALITY - THE SECOND NINTENDO GENERATION, CONSUMERISM, AND NOSTALGIA IN VIDEOGAME MUSIC

Oct 13, 2026

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My Master’s Thesis centers on the trend of nostalgic consumerism driven by videogame music in US markets. As political, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions intensify uncertainty, consumers seek escape through media. Three case studies connect music to orphic media and sonic meaning-making, arguing that familiar tunes reinforce personal childhood ties and motivate purchasing. The study concludes advertising and gameplay help shape roles, connections, and acoustic environments that capitalize on that uncertainty.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages185

Reading Time1 h 5 min

AccessFree to download

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Your Island Getaway Awaits!: Animal Crossing and Musical Escapism

Escapism in Marketing

Analysis of "Welcome Horizons"

An Island Soundwalk

Animal Crossing as Orphic Medium

The Drawbacks of Nostalgic Marketing

Chapter 3 Congratulations, It’s a Toy! Gender, Cyborgs, and Sound in Tamagotchi

The Japanese Virtual Pet

Introducing My Bundle of Joy

To Advertise an Egg

Tamagotchi Sound

The Cyborg Child

Chapter 4 The Day All the World Went Outdoors: Augmented Reality in Pokémon GO

Gotta Catch ‘Em All

The Sounds of Pokémon

Playing Pokémon GO

Who Gets to Play

Pokémon: Legends Arceus and the Appeal of Open-World Games

Chapter 5 Conclusion

Bibliography

Please do not remove this page Playing on the Edge of Reality: The Second Nintendo Generation, Consumerism, and Nostalgia in Videogame Music Keefer, Corinne [https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Playing-on-the-Edge-of-Reality/991031788220102976/fi](https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Playing-on-the-Edge-of-Reality/991031788220102976/fi)lesAndLinks?index=0 Keefer, C. (2023) . Playing on the Edge of Reality: The Second Nintendo Generation, Consumerism, and Nostalgia in Videogame Music [University of Miami] . [https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Playing-on-the-Edge-of-Reality/9910317882201](https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Playing-on-the-Edge-of-Reality/9910317882201)[ ](https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Playing-on-the-Edge-of-Reality/9910317882201)02976 Open Downloaded On 2026/10/12 20:22:55-0400 Please do not remove this page UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI PLAYING ON THE EDGE OF REALITY: THE SECOND NINTENDO GENERATION, CONSUMERISM, AND NOSTALGIA IN VIDEOGAME MUSIC By Corinne Keefer A MASTER’S THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Coral Gables, Florida ©2023 Corinne Keefer All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music PLAYING ON THE EDGE OF REALITY: THE SECOND NINTENDO GENERATION, CONSUMERISM, AND NOSTALGIA IN VIDEOGAME MUSIC Corinne Keefer Approved: David Ake, Ph.D. Professor, Musicology Guillermo Prado, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School _______________________________ Kelly Baker Josephs, Ph.D. Professor, English KEEFER, CORINNE (M.M., Musicology) Playing on the Edge of Reality: The Second Nintendo (May 2023) Generation, Consumerism, and Nostalgia in Videogame Music Abstract of a thesis at the University of Miami. Thesis supervised by Gabrielle Cornish. No. of pages in text. (176) My Master’s Thesis will center around the current trend toward nostalgic consumerism fueled by music in US markets. American citizens are attempting to come to terms with the dire political, socioeconomic, and environmental circumstances we find ourselves in and seek to escape through the media we consume. My research offers the following conclusions. First, that each game I discuss falls under Mack Hagood’s definition of orphic media. I find Animal Crossing: New Horizons to be a particularly strong candidate. The music of the game, whose orchestration and escapist themes categorize it as part of the easy listening genre, serve as a sonic blanket to chase out the uncertainty of the era, as openly promised in the advertising for the game. Second, I conclude that advertising and gameplay of the Tamagotchi, wildly popular in the late 90sand early 2000s, enforced the traditional role of the homemaker to a generation of young girls. Further, it entrained children to generate a personal connection with their pocket media, which carried on into adulthood as Tamagotchi’s were switched out for smartphones. Third, I conclude that Pokémon GO remaps the acoustic environment and meaning of buildings, businesses, and public facilities in the real world through the use of an in-game map that changes our coded meanings of everyday objects. For all three case studies, music imbued with nostalgic codes—embedded throughout the lineage of long- lasting franchises—is used. These familiar tunes harken back to the consumers’childhood and encourage purchase of nostalgic products. I conclude that the rise of nostalgic consumerism is caused by the uncertainty of our political, environmental, and socioeconomic futures and these three franchises capitalized on this trend through their products. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................

FAQs

What is the central focus of the thesis?

The thesis examines how nostalgic consumerism is fueled by videogame music in US markets, especially as audiences try to escape uncertainty in political, socioeconomic, and environmental life.

How does the thesis interpret Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

It argues the game fits Mack Hagood’s definition of orphic media and that its orchestration and escapist themes operate as a sonic comfort aligned with the game’s advertising promises.

What role does Pokémon GO play in shaping meaning through sound?

The thesis concludes that Pokémon GO remaps the acoustic environment and meaning of real-world buildings and public facilities by using an in-game map that re-codes everyday objects’ meanings.

Oct 13, 2026

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