8-Bit Bliss, Nostalgia, and Representative Audio

Gaming culture has rested its pretty little head on the glories of the past. Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Mega Man, Sonic etc are so ingrained in our brains as “GREAT GAMES” that even if they are not really that great we love them because they remind us of the good times.
From an audio standpoint I think some of these games are not technically good but due to necessity have provided us with a framework that even today defines game audio. That framework while seemingly simple is synthetic based representative sound design. Representative sound design says that despite what you see the audio feedback should be X. Now X is in no way realistic but it should have the most important fundamental rule of game audio, which is satisfaction.
One could argue all sound design is representative (and it is) but games tend to be even more abstract The reason games tend to lean towards the abstract is ultimately because the 8-bit gems of yesteryear. Due to technical limitations (and EXTREMELY difficult tools to work with) everything had to be abstract.
If the sound designers and composers of the old school had the same technology (or even remotely close) games would sound vastly different. The abstract elements would probably not be as acceptable and realism would win over satisfaction.
I find it interesting that due to our past we think certain things sound cool (like a pitchy square wave for a jump). This abstraction has influenced all of mass media, right now its obvious with all of the shout outs to old school gaming, but even if you look at films the abstractive influence of games and their “larger than life” ethic have made their mark on all aspects of media.
Now the reason I bring any of this up is that I believe that ultimately to acknowledge the use of abstract representative sound can be a powerful tool. Katamari Damacy is an excellent example, for every item you pick up in the game a sound plays that vaguely represents the action on screen but does the job of giving the player feedback that is humorous and satisfying. When a player receives audio feedback that satisfies despite defying the natural world the player is far less likely to turn the volume down ultimately acknowledging the audio as a necessary part of the experience.