So I have been thinking recently about the emerging age gap that can be seen in videogames at the moment. An age gap is not really something has ever been present in gaming, because it has always been seen as a very "youth" medium. But now those "youths" who started gaming 20, 30 years ago, are grown adults, and are still gaming. This brings up the issue of how people who have been gaming for years digest the games they play when compared to younger, less experienced gamers. It's a common sight to see a teenager (or older) flicking around TV channels, see a black and white movie, and instantly move on, disregarding the movie as unwatchable because it is in black and white, from a different era. So what reaction might we see if a young gamer is presented with a classic point and click adventure perhaps, a gameplay device that is now all but redundant. Would there be the same reaction as the teenage movie watcher, unable to watch the black and white film? The thing is, while people can go back and listen to old records, or go back and dig out old films, games are different. Because you can go back and listen to music from a different era, and people do, the whole consumption and production of music has a somewhat cyclical nature, where there are waves and movements, often based on things that have happened in the past, and a similar thing happens with movies. But a game can't just be reissued on a new format, like a CD or a DVD. So much of gaming history is so time specific because of the way the industry works, with consoles and machines that are redundant every 5 years or so. I understand the emulation argument and I am aware of the rise of "reissues" on Playstation Network and so on, but in general, much of gaming's mythology and history is unavailable to younger gamers, and as such, they have a much narrower frame of reference of where their games come from, as opposed to their music or films.
So is there space for games to even become "classics"? Games that are referred to as classics, like Final Fantasy 7, Monkey Island, System Shock 2 etc, must seem like myths or legends to younger gamers with a proper interest. If they can't play them, can't find them in shops...how can anyone play through a history of games? How can games have a proper lineage?
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I recently told a guy i work with to play Final Fantasy VII, i asked him had he heard of it, instantly his face changed and he was all excited. I knew the feeling. But the first question he asked was; "how are the graphics" In truth the graphics i think still sort of hold up. But it upset me that since i spoke to him he did buy it but has only played a tiny segment cause he felt the graphics did not live up. The guy is eighteen. I guess it says alot for how graphics have come on and made me feel a little old. Anyway, as you said this game was like a myth to him, but a myth he could not enjoy. I also thinks its interesting that will ourselves still be playing videogames in our later years. I guess games may be very different then, or will or seventy year old bodies still be reminising about metal gear, fallout or final fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the advancemnt of technology means old black and white films or games from yesteryear can help make them classics. Because in the eyes of new gamers they are something they pass by, but perhaps as they grow older they will accidently pick up a dusty copy of one of our beloved games.
Yeah, the graphics thing is interesting, although I think at the moment we are seeing a shift away from the reliance on advancing graphics by the industry, as smaller games, mobile or downloads or whatever, are doing well and becoming popular, and crucially, profitable. So who knows, maybe the whole gaming culture will change over the next few years and graphics won't be such an issue, and older games will get a look in.
ReplyDeleteI saw the other day that some university has come up with a universal emulator that will play literally anything. Pretty cool...
That is really cool, i like how you have really delved into your smaller games with stuff like braid cause it opens up gaming in a massive way, cause as you say graphics to many, myself included are almost irrelavant. Like going back playing older games, yes i notice the difference but soon get over it cause the story and gameplay is so good. Its like anything i guess. A good story is sometimes all you really need. i suppose because of the improvement in graphics it has made real gamers pay attention to more than just the looks of a game. Cause graphics dont cut it anymore. We want a bigger experience. Interesting stuff.
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