Brainstorming about article ideas that i would like to read myself on a modern ZX Spectrum diskmag i decided to question a bunch of ZX Spectrum demosceners (from different countries and backgrounds) on what they believe to be the future of the ZX Spectrum scene. I got a lot of interesting answers, some a bit grim but overall i was left with a feeling of general optimism that the demoscene in the Spectrum will keep pushing limits, perhaps more focused on storytelling and tight sync and flow, rather then pure technical achievements, but we definitely still have a lot of interesting Spectrum demos coming out to shock our minds to what is possible with the Speccy.
There was a clear focus on the lack of physical parties due to COVID restrictions, and how that affected the immediate future, but everyone seemed to agree they would return eventually and with them a lot more Spectrum releases. Demoparty deadlines are still the largest motivator to get releases finished. The answers also had some mention to the ZX Spectrum Next and how the recent increase in Spectrum game development helps the demoscene overall by bringing in more people interested to use the Spectrum, whether it is physical or emulated.
Here is the original question that was sent to everyone, hope you enjoy reading their answers as much as i did. Thank you everyone who contributed to this article!
"Hi, i'm doing a series of short interviews to be published on the next issue of subliminal extacy diskmag, do you mind contributing to the article? Just answer a single, not extremly long paragraph the following question: What is the future of the ZX Spectrum scene, what do you expect to see and what you would wish to see? And why you feel that way. :)"
TS-Labs (14/04/2021):
Well, I'm not a great philosopher, nor a futurist :D
Recently, ZX scene has refilled with new people, which, I suppose aren't all old, who get back to their child hobby, but younger people emerge as well.
So, eventually new artists (all types of artists - coders, musicians, gfx makers) will appear and produce new masterpieces.
That's what I hope for.
As a hardware maker, I'm looking forward for new devices and a software that will make them alive.
In my vision, ZX will last for many more years, that's for real.
And then, in a next hundred billion years, the Universe will fall apart :D
introspec (15/04/2021):
Long term: the scene will die. We're getting older, few younger people grok ZX Spectrum and even fewer join our cause. It is not entirely surprising: whatever magic enabled emergence of the scene did not always work even for our generation. Think about demoscene in the USA.
Short term: in the next 10-20 years we'll experience several new waves of productions made by returnees, people like myself, who bring to the platform age, wisdom and professional experience.
This means we will see more mature demos, with depth, complexity and awareness that were not possible in the 1990s. Our scene is younger than C64 scene by about 5-10 years, so our golden age should begin about now :)
What I really want to see is more uncompromising ambition. I want to see Spectrum demos with the reach and impact comparable to "Edge of Disgrace" or "Batman Forever". More personally, I want to see Spectrum demos as non-demo-like and human as "Numb Res", or "Agenda Cycling Forth", or "Eon". I do not care much for the oldschool and I do not believe that demos on old platforms need to be rooted in nostalgic daydreaming. I want to see demos that are alive, modern and relevant.
I feel this way because I believe that ultimately, for Spectrum scene to leave any lasting trace, it is our job and responsibility to make productions that will capture people's imagination, on other platforms and beyond the scene bubble.
diver (15/04/2021):
I see the following trends:
Unfortunately, ZX Spectrum demoparties with full-time participation have practically ceased. The last major event I attended was CAFe 2019. Nothing has been heard about Chaos Constructions and the next CAFe. It is clear that the pandemic was the cause, but now the restrictive measures are gradually being softened and, hopefully, large demoparties will revive. Because they are still one of the strongest incentives for writing big demos and other serious demoscene works.
With the release of ZX Spectrum Next and an increase in interest in ZX Spectrum games, not least thanks to the ZX MIA contests, Yandex Retro Games Battle, the CAFe Demoparty games competition (they all have big cash prizes) - more and more people are returning to the platform. Video blogs also appear, incl. very widespread and popular (for example, Sinc Lair). This indirectly affects the development of the ZX Spectrum demoscene - people are more interested in the code, graphics and more.
The demoscene is maturing. This is inevitable, since on the demoscene there is no 100% changeover of generations, some of those who make the demo are people who almost from the very beginning on the Spectrum and their vision changes with their age.
In addition, completely new people come, with fresh views, for whom the old school and traditions of the 90s are not a dogma, which also brings new approaches to the creation of a demo and gives result of a different quality.
Recently, cooperation between various demosceners has increased.
At the same time, groups have faded into the background, giving way to temporary collaborations that are born thanks to online interaction in chats. This suggests that 1) the demoscene on the Spectrum is alive and well, 2) for the sake of releases, people are ready to abandon group labels, that the final product and its output are more important than the old traditions of working only within their own group.
Demosceners from other platforms are beginning to take an interest in the Spectrum. First it was Noice, then Scoopex, now Offence. At the same time, they release very good works, which, frankly, stimulates some demosceners from ex-USSR to also do something new and complete their old projects.
According to my feelings, despite the small number of releases in the last year and a half, we have every chance to see stronger work over the next 5 years than everything done on the ZX Spectrum before.
Sol_HSA (15/04/2021):
With the Next, and especially its (cheaper) hardware clones, I can see the audience growing as both people who grew up with the speccys find the machine again, and people who were born after who are curious can learn what it's about without having to jump through ancient hardware hoops and crazy long loading times.
elph (15/04/2021):
the future of speccy scene for me are short 256b and less intros, because those are more interesting and creative.
but i also expect new hardware, or not exactly new but rarely presented to be more on the scene.
zx next will be gaining popularity for some time.
i wish to see new experimental and groundbreaking works. i am tired of traditional stuff long ago.
baze (15/04/2021):
This is obviously difficult to predict but I feel that after years of trying to prove that the humble Speccy can do this or that we have come to embrace the computer's lo-fi nature. People are making unapologetic aesthetic choices that incorporate the platform's quirks as design elements. I expect to see more of that - sleek lo-fi with an occasional high-tech twist. The knowledge base is large, people help each other out and it's no longer about coding "trade secrets". Rather, it's about how you tie the individual elements together in imaginative ways.
Regarding what I would like to see, it's two things. First, involvement from people who are Spectrum scene "outsiders" and who are therefore likely to come up with something unorthodox, if maybe not 100% technically proficient. Second, I always had a soft spot for demos that are not afraid to shake things up a bit. A glitch demo, ethno demo, noir demo or something that's unabashedly old-school and simply cute? Have fun and bring it on.
wbc (15/04/2021):
First, despite of current state of the scene and world in general, I would say that ZX scene will definitely never break down.
It's always nice to see new people along with fresh ideas on the ZX scene, no matter if they were already mastered on platforms such as C64 (hey, Neon!) or being new for the scene (there are plenty of new musicians and graphics artists here). The overall quality of releases, by the way, is also becoming better with each year, and demos from CAFe 2019, as well as recent prods from ex-Gemba and Darklite/Offence are not an exception. Unfortunately, there were not much parties last year due to COVID, some of them were cancelled like Multimatograf or CC, some were held in online format, but we're all hoping that this will resolve in a short time, and we can meet each other again :) Moreover, there is constantly growing interest for enhanced platforms, like ZX-Evolution or ZX Spectrum Next, and I'm really looking forward to see new prods making use of all capabilities of the Next, as well as for other machines.
kowalski (15/04/2021);
It so happened that the future of the Spectrum is in our past.
Although, against the background of the increased interest in retro platforms in recent years, new people sometimes come, it is mainly those who have left it long ago that return to the scene.
There is a joke that there are no "former demosceners", and it seems that this is indeed the case.
Classic Spectrum is a very limited platform, and any significant breakthroughs can hardly be expected in technological terms. Therefore, the focus shifts towards design, attention to detail and timing, trying to tell a story or convey your emotions to viewers.
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