Some gaming philosophizing

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Naniyue
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Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Naniyue »

From Atari 2600 to Playstation 4, from DooM to Fallout 3, I've appreciated the changes, the failures and successes, the innovations, and the homages in video games. I can see the roots new stuff has in the old, and have an appreciation for the evolution of gaming that only comes from having lived through it. This makes me wonder, though, how newer gamers feel, being exposed to say, Borderlands before Pac Man. Is it better to play the new stuff first, then look back, or would a young gamer benefit more from being weaned on the NES instead of the Wii-U? What about a mix-up of eras and genres from the start?

What are your ideas, theories, etc ? Is there something special you've experienced as a younger/older gamer that you feel the other could not? Is there a way to share that magic? Please post!

EDIT: Here's an example.

I first played Metroid, back in the day, as well as a bit of Castlevania. Then Symphony of the Night and such came out. Now, I'm playing Rogue Legacy, and can see the connections as well as the innovations, which affect my perception of and approach to the game. But if I had never played Metroid or anything Castelvania, Rogue Legacy would be totally new to me. If that was the case, how would I feel/act while playing? What if I then found out about Castlevania and Metroid? What would happen? How would my thoughts, opinions, and feelings be?
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Dancso
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Dancso »

I think it takes an open minded person to truly appreciate the ancestors of today's games if they've not played it themselves back in the day.
Admittedly, some of the most popular classics are considered "hip" to respect, such as Super Mario, but I don't think the average kid playing today's Call of Duty would have the same respect for Doom.

It's kind of like looking at greyscale polaroids. It's very "retro", but it would be unimaginable today to have pictures without colors.

Similarly, games have evolved tremendously since becoming commonly available in households. Gameplay mechanics are tweaked to be addictive, the smoothness of user input and its responsiveness being a huge factor in a user's enjoyment, the graphics being more immersive, it all adds up so much that I can't imagine any other reason than nostalgia to play old games that weren't at least half-decent in most, if not all these aspects.

Take graphics for example. The younger generation seldom need to use their imagination for most games, therefore it would be less pleasing for them to slice up an enemy in Dwarf Fortress' adventure mode.
It's an age old argument: are these "improvements" for the better? Can't tell. Why don't we live like Amish people? They seem happy and they're extremely old fashioned. But for us, going back before our time most often feels impossible. We do not get the same joy out of things that these people once did or still do.

I'm sure the younger generation goes through similar experiences like us, possibly to things we are burnt out on already. Your first MMO game would be a good example. It feels amazing to be connected to so many people all at once. But over time, the feeling wanes, and your next MMO will begin with thoughts like "okay so what makes this worth my time" instead of just appreciating something similar but new, as a whole.
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cambertian
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by cambertian »

(Pardon the ramblings)

I actually grew up on more modern consoles/handhelds like the Gameboy Advance, PS2, Gamecube and such. However, I was lucky enough to live in a family that kept its older games, on top of getting newer ones. We were always financially unstable because of it, but I think it made me into a better gamer.

I can also remember one of my cousins digging through bargain bins specifically to find cheap games to make us laugh - we found a lot of gems that way. Most notable among them was E.V.O.: The Search For Eden, one of the most expensive SNES games, which my cousin still owns to this day!

If there's one thing I'm intrigued by, both then and now, it's hardware, as well as software that pushes hardware. The satisfaction of making games run on potatoes is somehow more pleasing to me than actual games. It's probably the reason I love Doom and Quake so much.
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Kinsie
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Kinsie »

Who gives a rats what The Great Unwashed think? Find what you enjoy and surround yourself with the likeminded.
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Naniyue
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Naniyue »

I failed to mention age/overall experience as a factor in things. I suspect that, as an example, being exposed to your first JRPG at age 5 versus age 12 might make a difference in one's perception.

Yeah, I myself like seeing games that push the hardware. Kind of like seeing a new magic trick come out of the old bag.
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GooberMan
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by GooberMan »

Damned kids these days don't give a rats about the true greats like Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin.
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Doom Juan
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Doom Juan »

Kinsie wrote:Who gives a rats what The Great Unwashed think? Find what you enjoy and surround yourself with the likeminded.
This :!:
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Trance
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Trance »

GooberMan wrote:Damned kids these days don't give a rats about the true greats like Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin.
In case anyone's curious, these were the three programmers that designed the original Mario Brothers back in 1858.
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ibm5155
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by ibm5155 »

it's all about the games people played in their chillhood, it could be new or old.
Older games they may like/play if there is some gameplay connection with new games, like Doom itself, it's an fps, and all his game logic is everywhere in new games.
Now, take the hobbit game, there's almost zero text adventures games today, and there's no connection with the type of gameplay nowadays, so people may think oh the hobbit is cool, shall I try, 2 minutes after he's erasing the game.

And also I think it's about graphics and sounds too, people who born in nes era may thinked on their times that atari games's graphics/sounds sucks, the same for ps1 era when they feel snes game sux cus graphics/sux were inferior.

The thing is, today, people are actually free to make game they dreamed, they don't even need to learn how to program (lego code), and on that time, even if people tried to push the machines to their limits, it wasn't many people, since, assembly language isn't human friendly, compared to a swift or lego like language.

Even doom 1 evolved, look how easy is to make a Doom map, the first mod was made in a hex editor, and I beat only one man did a map in hex editor :p
=====================================================================================================================================
And for me the best game is Mayhen in Monsterland, it makes c64 looks like a snes :D [ c64 processor was 5x slower than nes processor D:]
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SuperSomariDX
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by SuperSomariDX »

A somebody whos' grown up with a Nintendo 64, Playstation 1, and Dreamcast. I can say, I have a stronger appreciation for the classic consoles. My cousin had a Genesis and a Game Gear, and I love the older console as much as the generation of consoles I grew up with. wWhat really kicks me though, is children in the modern generation, whom never saw what games and systems were like in the past. Most that do, seem to flatly state out "Game Sucks, bad graphics." I'm not one for super duper fancy graphics, being totally honest. I like games that play well, and feel solid, as opposed to modern day shooters, and racing games. (Which are more list simulators honestly with their physics. I miss arcadey racers like Rush 2049 and Rollcage: Stage 2) But hey. I'm actually buying older consoles and games for them to see what exactly I missed before I was born. =P

@ibm5155: I don't own a c64, but I can say I myself love Mayhem in Monsterland. Heck, the fact that the game's fast scrolling capability was done because of a glitch amazed me. Too bad the control scheme didn't age so well. ^^;
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TheMightyHeracross
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by TheMightyHeracross »

I actually don't see people my age complain about traphics too much. Actually, you wouldn't believe how many times my friends ask me to borrow my phone to play Wolfenstein.

I'd agree with Kinsie here. Play what is fun to you.
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ibm5155
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by ibm5155 »

@SuperSomariDX plus, the overpowered SID that still have some hidden stuff on it :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM8anS_5nbA
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Naniyue
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Naniyue »

Video games are fun for me, period. I'll happily play an Atari 2600 game one day, and the latest utra-realistic graphics FPS the next. I'm simply curious how our different times, upbringings, etc., affect our perceptions and such of gaming. What are those secret gems and personal joys that you've experienced and I have not, and vice versa?

EDIT:

Here's one from me:

My first game system was the 2600. After I FINALLY got an NES, I was pleasantly surprised by the new controller. It looked weird to me, but felt natural, and I very quickly appreciated its responsiveness compared to the old joystick, as well as having more than one button. So, for example, how does someone who grew up with a playstation controller feel when they first see and use a 2600 one?

Or something like this:
I felt a rush of enjoyment when I first realized I could hook up a 2600 controller to my Genesis and vice versa.
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MetroidJunkie
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by MetroidJunkie »

And then, in the next generation, kids who grew up on Call of Duty will be adults complaining about how all them kiddies with their fancy (Whatever the next game craze is) just don't know how to appreciate what a masterpiece Call of Duty was. I'm not ashamed to admit that I kind of wish the Original Doom had the WADS/mouse scheme since it's so much easier to control than it was back in the day. :wink:
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Naniyue
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Re: Some gaming philosophizing

Post by Naniyue »

I was sooo happy when DooM FINALLY got proper mouse control! I wonder how even more popular DooM would have been back in the day with such a control setup.

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