Of course, the World Wide Web didn't exist in the mid-1980s, let alone sites like Google Maps. But a new site depicts how Seattle might have looked in a web browser in the era of Frogger and Dig Dug.

The brainchild of Seattle native Brett Camper, the "8-bit Seattle" map was announced this morning. Sponsored by JetCityOrange and Azalea Software, it's part of an expansion of a concept that Camper started in New York. A larger rendition, searchable by address, is available on the broader 8-Bit Cities site, along with maps for Amsterdam, Austin, Berlin, Detroit, London, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

To be clear, the information displayed by the map is current, even though the look is a throwback. But why would anyone do this?

Camper answers that question on the main site, calling the project "an attempt to make the city feel foreign yet familiar, smashing together two culturally common models of space: the lo-fi overhead world maps of 1980s role-playing and adventure games, and the geographically accurate data that drives today's web maps and GPS navigation."

He continues:

I hope to evoke the same urge for exploration, abstract sense of scale, and perhaps most importantly unbounded excitement that many of us remember experiencing on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Commodore 64, or any other number of 8-bit microcomputers. Maps offer us visual architectures of the world, encouraging us to think about and interact with space in particularly constrained ways. Take some time to think about your surroundings a little differently. Set out on a quest. Be an adventurer.

As that description suggests, it's more interesting as a piece of art than as a functional application. You're probably not going to use this for driving directions. But it's fun to play around with if you get a chance.