Post by shuba on Dec 19, 2012 11:37:10 GMT -6
One of the things that the wife and I often talk about is the evolution of video games. This usually happens after we have just seen the latest trailer for the hottest new game that is coming out. We watch said trailer with excitement, our mouth is wide open as we see the sharp new graphics, enhanced realistic surround sounds and enticing new story line that game developer X is pimping.
Then inevitably it happens. After the euphoria of the future wears off we will harken back to the classic games of our past. We sit in amazement at how realistic they look and think games cannot get any better. Then the discussion goes retro or old school and maybe we pull our Arcade Classic disc and put it in for a quick gaming session. What comes next is a mystery as to why it happens but I think it happens to most of us even if we don’t want to admit it.
We are playing the games we loved as a kid then all of a sudden we realize that the games that we looked upon so proudly as the best ever are not a cool as we remember them and they no longer hold our attention like they once did and after about 10 minutes of Q-Bert, Pitfall, and Defender it’s time to turn it off.
What happened to the game? We all know that nothing happened to the game you remember as being the best game ever. The game is the exact same as it was when you sat in front of it when you were eight, nine or ten years old. As humans we love to see and to have new things and in respect to video games that is no different. The reason we loved the games of our youth is that we had never seen anything interactive like Space Invaders or Asteroids (I’m showing my age here.) and I think part of our nostalgia for the old games is remembering that special feeling we had when we got to see and play something new.
For what seemed like an eternity we mastered the Atari 2600, Intellivision, and The Oddysey. Then like a lion here came video arcades and a new crop of games to play with new graphics, sounds and, storylines. Sure the game companies kept some of the games we grew up with like space invaders, asteroids just to get us in the door but now there was a whole new library for us to get lost in. We loved our “old” games but were more in love with our new found one’s.
Slowly we got into the new girl on the block and left the our first love behind with many, many good memories. Then we see another wave and another coming in with the big name players that are still around today (Nintendo, Sony, Sega etc). They offered a home experience like nothing we had ever seen before. They offered better graphics, better sounds, better stories. We again packed up our old systems and made room for the new girl in town once again we had created memories that would last a life time.
This is a cycle we would continue to see repeated every year or two and is still repeating itself to this day as advancements are made in the console and stand up gaming market. So in this day of video games where are games headed? I have seen computer games that look so life like you thought you were watching a newscast, so realism…..check. Sound….most any game that is made now has such realistic sound that it gives you the ultimate sound experience when gaming. So sound gets a check. Stories are more prevalent in today’s gaming world than ever before so whether the story is good or bad that part has been accomplished so…check.
So in this age of consoles, handhelds, tablets, and smart phone games what’s next? Virtual reality? Alternate Reality?, Changing time and space? Who knows at this point but one thing that is always fun to talk about in games are the games we love whether old or new. I am always very excited to see the newest big thing in gaming but eventhough the future is bright you never forget your first loves and it sure is nice to be able to visit her once in a while if for nothing else just to say Hi.
Let me know your thoughts on your past favourites as well as where you think the future of gaming is headed. Feel free to drop me a line at Shuba@kramersgamers.com
Until Next Time - Shuba
Then inevitably it happens. After the euphoria of the future wears off we will harken back to the classic games of our past. We sit in amazement at how realistic they look and think games cannot get any better. Then the discussion goes retro or old school and maybe we pull our Arcade Classic disc and put it in for a quick gaming session. What comes next is a mystery as to why it happens but I think it happens to most of us even if we don’t want to admit it.
We are playing the games we loved as a kid then all of a sudden we realize that the games that we looked upon so proudly as the best ever are not a cool as we remember them and they no longer hold our attention like they once did and after about 10 minutes of Q-Bert, Pitfall, and Defender it’s time to turn it off.
What happened to the game? We all know that nothing happened to the game you remember as being the best game ever. The game is the exact same as it was when you sat in front of it when you were eight, nine or ten years old. As humans we love to see and to have new things and in respect to video games that is no different. The reason we loved the games of our youth is that we had never seen anything interactive like Space Invaders or Asteroids (I’m showing my age here.) and I think part of our nostalgia for the old games is remembering that special feeling we had when we got to see and play something new.
For what seemed like an eternity we mastered the Atari 2600, Intellivision, and The Oddysey. Then like a lion here came video arcades and a new crop of games to play with new graphics, sounds and, storylines. Sure the game companies kept some of the games we grew up with like space invaders, asteroids just to get us in the door but now there was a whole new library for us to get lost in. We loved our “old” games but were more in love with our new found one’s.
Slowly we got into the new girl on the block and left the our first love behind with many, many good memories. Then we see another wave and another coming in with the big name players that are still around today (Nintendo, Sony, Sega etc). They offered a home experience like nothing we had ever seen before. They offered better graphics, better sounds, better stories. We again packed up our old systems and made room for the new girl in town once again we had created memories that would last a life time.
This is a cycle we would continue to see repeated every year or two and is still repeating itself to this day as advancements are made in the console and stand up gaming market. So in this day of video games where are games headed? I have seen computer games that look so life like you thought you were watching a newscast, so realism…..check. Sound….most any game that is made now has such realistic sound that it gives you the ultimate sound experience when gaming. So sound gets a check. Stories are more prevalent in today’s gaming world than ever before so whether the story is good or bad that part has been accomplished so…check.
So in this age of consoles, handhelds, tablets, and smart phone games what’s next? Virtual reality? Alternate Reality?, Changing time and space? Who knows at this point but one thing that is always fun to talk about in games are the games we love whether old or new. I am always very excited to see the newest big thing in gaming but eventhough the future is bright you never forget your first loves and it sure is nice to be able to visit her once in a while if for nothing else just to say Hi.
Let me know your thoughts on your past favourites as well as where you think the future of gaming is headed. Feel free to drop me a line at Shuba@kramersgamers.com
Until Next Time - Shuba
