After meeting with my dissertation tutor Simon Poole, the point of this research has been clarified.

This dissertation will be a case study of the 8bit genre.

The dissertation will establish what the genre is, examine any subcultural/counter-cultural ideas, determine how applicable genre theory is to 8bit, and also examine the technological aspects of the genre.

The research will question why artists are drawn to producing using 8bit technology. Is it a response to the commercial availability of much higher fidelity equipment (the "fuck pro-tools" ethos, or a movement against iPods and CD's (see McLaren vid below)), or more simply a novelty or nostalgic approach to music production?

Fundamentally, the research will try to capture a snapshot of 8bit/Chiptune in the year 2007 and determine weather or not the genre an important artistic step in music capable of becoming a viable genre within the music industry, or a nostalgic waste of time written by geeks with nothing better to do (scathing!).