Video Gamer Generations?

[The Mad Plumber]

Some while ago, I rented Punch-Out for the Wii. I went with the classic control when I realized my fingers were faster than the rest of my body, and it was getting too cumbersome to try to figure out the complicated nature of using it with the Nunchuk and Balance Board. Anyways, I played a couple of levels, stopping at Aran Ryan since I was dumbfounded at figuring out his weaknesses. I was pleased with how reminiscent of the controls and gameplay of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out this game was. However, I was left to wonder who was Nintendo's target audience with this game, given that I wouldn't believe that many of today's younger gamers have played Mike Tyson's Punch-Out.

One of my sister's friends described me as being old school. I don't know what prompted that description, but I find it hard to disagree with it. I don't want to say that I have conservative politics in regards to video games, but I do have conservative tastes and I found myself repelled by what video games seemed to become: an endless stream of war-glory and gangsta-life simulators. In fact, I remember one day during my emissions class at college (which I dropped out of because I was flunking, and it's not my fault), I was listening to two other students during lab work and they were talking about one of these games. They were talking about a part of the game where you could fornicate with a prostitute and murder her afterwards. They both looked at me and could easily see the bewilderment and disgust in my face.

Beyond Punch-Out, I see a video on the "Nintendo Channel" for a release of Bubble Bobble. How many young people remember Bubble Bobble? Or how about games inspired by Pong, Breakout, and Arkanoid? I am reminded of videos on the "Nintendo Channel" for another game that was clearly being marketed to those like myself who were old enough to have played games on systems such as the Odyssey and the Atari 2600. Or how about making a sequel to Mega Man with graphics reminiscent of the series' 8-bit days on the Nintendo Entertainment System?

How many kids who have played those Metroid Prime games have ever played Metroid? How many kids who have played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess have ever played The Legend of Zelda? Then again, while I did play Breakout as a kid, I wasn't old enough to have played Pong. Nevertheless, I'm forced to question the logic of marketing a franchise that's older than the target audience, and why it even works.

If I am old school, what is the difference between old school and new school, and where does new school come from? Or am I wrong in that maybe today's youth has played the games of my own youth? After all, one could go to sites like Vimm's Lair or Zophar's Domain to play vintage games, and the Wii is hosting vintage games itself.

I like what Nintendo does because it does draw me back into interest for video games. I myself take programming classes and learn about tools such as Allegro so that I myself can make games for people with similar tastes in games. However, I wonder how viable a market it is for people with my tastes and age.

[Trumpy's Magic Snout]

I don't know how it is in the States but over here retro games are pretty big, I even occasionally pick up a magazine called Retro Gamer that's entirely about old games.

As for generations of gamers I think this is indeed the case. I've been gaming since about 86. My first machine was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k which loaded the games from cassettes. I'd say then that I'm second generation (the Pong crowd being first) but I went back and played all those old machines thanks to older cousins and friends owning them, things like the Atari. I'm not as intense a gamer as I was when I was younger but back in the day I was obsessed with my Sega Megadrive (Genesis) and SNES. I still own those machines, sadly my Spectrum packed it in years back, and I love the games I own for them. There is great joy in playing something like Gunstar Heroes or Rocket Knight Adventures and I feel personally that the 2D platformer at its height is the finest example of pure gaming. Older games also display wonderful creativity that games today, mainly on X-Box and PS3, don't. The emphasis on everything being realistic, and thus violent it seems, has meant that most games now don't have any charm, and most importantly don't have that ability to suck you into their world. Ironically enough making the game world feel like the real one distances me from it as I want my games to be about escapism.

Sadly it seems the vast majority of younger gamers don't feel this way, but then they may not know anything different. I work with a number of people younger than me and when I talk about older games they look at me blankly, including one who wants to get into games development. As I was becoming hooked on Mario World they were just escaping the clutches of their mother's wombs. As a result they look at the PS1 as retro, which it is to an extent. So yes there are definitely gamer generations.

As for why try selling an old franchise to them, well firstly, something like the Metroid Prime series is a reboot of Metroid. It's an attempt to not only shock older fans but gain new ones. It's interesting that the new Metroid coming soon is a mix of Prime and "old skool" Metroid in what seems an attempt to appeal to old and new fans alike. Even if younger gamers are not aware of the history of an iconic series that doesn't stop this being a new game, there and ready for them to play. You site Twilight Princess which even though is part of a long running series still stands alone. A great example is Ocarina Of Time which is full of references for older fans to the earlier games, but anyone who started playing Zelda at that point still played an exceptional game. If they choose to then seek out earlier games and, hopefully, enjoy them then great. If not then so be it. Older gamers will always have the memories.

Basically I love old games, but a lot of it comes from the nostalgia. Most of my early memories are linked to them, in the way other people's are linked to music, for me that came later. As such blowing the dust out of the cartridge slot then slapping in the original Streets Of Rage will forever be tied to the Christmas when I got the Mega Drive for the first time and even more so going to bed only to hear my Dad swearing at it because he decided to have a sneaky game but was rubbish at it. A newer gamer won't have that if they play, and would really only see the game for what it is not, a clunky, repetitive brawler. They're right, but it'll always be something a bit more for me.

I agree with you about Nintendo. Thankfully the Wii still shows some of that creativity I was talking about before. Playing games like Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Little King's Story, Madworld and Geometry Wars shows a diversity in both gameplay and visuals that really draws me to the system over the others. Add to that that Nintendo have been very savy in trying to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike and you have to take your hat off to them. The first time I played a Wii was a magical moment that brought me back to gaming after having been left cold for a number of years. I played against my six year old niece and an eighty year old who had never played any video game and as it was motion controlled we were all equal. In fact with 22 years gaming experience behind I got beaten by both. But this has given rise to another argument amongst gaming fans about "hardcore" and "casual" gaming. Most advocates of "hardcore" are younger and mainly play stuff like GTA and COD. The irony is is that most wouldn't even see level three of Mega Man 2 as games today are nowhere near as tough. Most self proclaimed "hardcore" gamers wouldn't even consider playing Mario Galaxy and as such have shut themselves off from a simply wonderful gaming experience. As such it may actually be they who are the conservative gamers.

Anyway I've rambled enough, but safe to say you are not alone in your love of older games. Personally I feel privileged to have been gaming so long and to have experienced games at their most basic level. It really helps you appreciate them all the more.

[mummifiedstalin]

I've talked to a lot of high school age kids who have played the originals of many games. Plus, there's a market for remaking old games (the Virtual Console on Wii or XBox Live Arcade or all the remakes on DS and PSP) as well as a huge online emulator community. Plus, a lot of people simply enjoy the ones that seem to age well.

Oh, and re your comment about playing games where you can have sex with a prostitute and murder her, it's actually BETTER: in GTA, you can have sex with a prostitute, run her over with your car, AND get your money back!

[Afgncaap5]

I think the sense in marketing a game to a demographic that might not be familiar with the original is that they believe they can make money if they make the game be a fun experience. Truth be told, I can't find a flaw in their reasoning.

I've personally enjoyed games that are "before my time." Like Gabe, I was a Genesis kid, playing Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 and Sonic Spinball and Sonic & Knuckles...and Sonic 3D Blast wasn't that great (and the other things that Sega had goin' for 'em. Anyone else remember Vectorman or Ecco? ...anyone?)

But I sought out an Oddyssey 2 and loved it (I considered looking for an original Oddyssey, but since the Oddyssey 2 had all the Odyssey's games on it, I decided not to spend the cash to get truly classic Pong.) And seeing the pre-Nintendo Atari games has always been a treat for me. And of course, my first gaming love was the Zork franchise which arguablydates back to '77. (anyone want an invite to the new Zork game? I need the extra action points!)

[Bix Dugan]

Jun 8, 2009 16:17:33 GMT -5 mummifiedstalin said:

I've talked to a lot of high school age kids who have played the originals of many games. Plus, there's a market for remaking old games (the Virtual Console on Wii or XBox Live Arcade or all the remakes on DS and PSP) as well as a huge online emulator community. Plus, a lot of people simply enjoy the ones that seem to age well.

Oh, and re your comment about playing games where you can have sex with a prostitute and murder her, it's actually BETTER: in GTA, you can have sex with a prostitute, run her over with your car, AND get your money back!

In GTA IV they expanded the options to
manual,
oral,
or full intercourse.
Plus, the graphics actually include touching. Before, your character just sat still in his seat, while the hooker also just sat still in her seat.
If you pull up to a hooker in something like an (one-seater)airport cargo hauler, she says "I don't think that will work..."
Greatest game yet, IMO.

And I heard the 2nd Downloadable extension will be out soon. Plus they said they'll release both DLs on a DVD soon. Yeah!

[Chuck]

If you can get them in the Wii library, play all the Zelda games. They're a riot. (If you google the zelda game + cheats, you'll find walk-thrus that are really helpful.

Chrono Trigger was one of the best SNES games ever.

And I was a real fan of Killer Instinct. I ruled as the skelton character.

[Pierre Trudeau]

I've been a gamer since before I could literally speak in complete sentences. I was lucky that my dad, being a kid himself, was into video games in the mid 80s, which let me have access to them so young. One of my first memories is holding an Atari joystick in my hands and playing some bike game.

I've had tons of systems over the years. My dad loved Sega, so I had the Sega Master System, then a Genesis, then a 32x and finally a Saturn before we finally succumbed to getting a N64 and bypassing the Dreamcast (which I still want to own to this day).

Luckily by the time I was old enough to realize how sweet Nintendo was too, I could get access to those. That was about the time that the PS1/N64 came out, so I had the best of both worlds, playing retro games with the brand new games. I still remember playing Mario 64 in a Sears and being blown away at the graphics when you would jump into a world and the picture or whatever would ripple.

I'm still playing retro/brand new games to this day. I'm so super geeky in fact I just got the Hyrulian crest tattooed on my foot. I also play Fallout 3 on a nearly daily basis... games are much easier now then they used to be! I remember getting so pissed off at the Vegas level in Sonic the Hedgehog because I would always die while fighting Robotnik for some reason there... now there's rarely a time when I have to try a feat in a video game over and over, although, thank you Wolverine and Deadpool for bringing that memory back to me!

[Mod City]

I was a child who grew up on upright arcade games, and they're still my favorite. And probably the most difficult - even those that allow you to continue will cost you small fortune in quarters to advance to the furthest-reaching stages.

As for home systems, I followed the order until I finally grew up enough to get out of them:

Atari 2600 - Got it for Christmas one year, and I wish I could remember which year it was. It came with Combat (of course), Street Racer and Breakout. Spent many, many hours with this machine. Played lots of Defender, Asteroids, Cosmic Ark and Demon Attack.

Nintendo (NES) - As far as outright fun goes, this was and remains the system for me. There were a gazillion games available, and the graphics for a home system were, for a guy like me, once thought impossible for a home system. I could go for some Skate Or Die or Metroid right now, in fact.

Super Nintendo (SNES) - I was not a Sega guy, so this was the obvious next step up. It had its moments, but it didn't have near the magic of the previous system. The last system I paid attention to, as I left for college shortly after that.

N64 - I owned one just to say I owned one, but barely played it.

Playstation/Xbox - I didn't own a Playstation or Xbox while they were big, but I played on some friends' systems when I was hanging out with them. I still remember playing and having a lot of fun with Striker '96 on the PS with my buddy from our Spanish course at school. And I hate soccer, so you know it must have been fun.

Xbox 360 - I broke down and bought my first new gaming system about a year ago. It's fine, but I use it more as a backup DVD player than a gaming system. The advancements they've made over the years are indeed impressive, but it's hard to really dive in and enjoy it like I once could.

One thing I noticed since my peak gaming days (early 1990s, before college) is that I don't have nearly enough time to waste (yes, waste) playing games like I once did. I could kill an entire summer afternoon playing Contra or Final Fantasy on the NES and not think twice about the six hours I just flushed away. Now, after work, I play a couple rounds of GRAW2 and the next thing I know it's midnight. I just don't have that kind of free time anymore.

Anyway, I have at least one original NES system, a SNES system and my N64 lying around here somewhere in addition to the new Xbox 360. Most of the retro playing I do now is on emulators, and only when it doesn't hurt my general productivity, which I really love despite the legal gray area it occupies.

Jun 25, 2009 20:35:44 GMT -5 Chuck said:

Chrono Trigger was one of the best SNES games ever.

You are right about that, and I didn't discover it until a few years ago playing on a SNES emulator. I wonder what other gems I have yet to discover out there.

[Trumpy's Magic Snout]

Right there with you about not having the time any more Mod! The only time I really commit hours to a game now is when a new Zelda comes out. Mario Galaxy is the only other recent one I've played at length, and so the announcement of a sequel has made me very happy indeed! Still a long while away though so hopefully I'll motivate myself to finish stuff like Little King's Story and No More Heroes!

[Joker]

I saw a kid with a The Legend of Zelda T-shirt when I was out one day and remembered when that game was new. I realized that I was pretty old then, being 31.