Cerise Magazine

Separation

My first recalled memories all involve video games: The Intellivision, playing Utopia and Dungeons and Dragons with my mother, or watching my father play TRON: Deadly Discs. I remember the graphics and sounds vividly, even though I was only three years old. I continued to play games as I grew: Atari Track & Field and Pitfall, Lode Runner and The Incredible Machine on the PC. I still play NES games, and have sporadic and horrible obsessions with Heroes of Might and Magic II and Sonic CD.

My earliest experiences are what is now deemed “classic gaming” and reproduced on contemporary consoles. I’m only 23, and having first-hand knowledge of the Intellivision makes me feel old! Unbelievable. Spending a night with friends playing an “every level, every world” game of Super Mario Bros. 3 rather than a Super Smash Brothers tournament may seem stuck in the past, but we’re really just returning to our gaming roots.

Classics Never Die

Consider the dictionary definition of “classic”: ‘of enduring interest, quality.’ I recently purchased the Intillivision Lives collection for PS2 and shared hours of old school fun with my father. Nintendo continues to bring its old favorites back for both new and old audiences, and have now launched a library of downloadable classic Nintendo games for the Wii. Sony’s Playstation Store and PSP ports also revive older Playstation titles. Refurbished systems and the production of new pins for cartridge consoles are allowing the older generations of systems to re-emerge (and turn quite a profit on E-bay.)

The March issue of Playstation: The Official Magazine ran an ad on page 85, clearly targeting older gamers with an ad for 80’s T-shirts. IGN.com now has a site entirely dedicated to retro gaming, complete with reviews. Demands for “remakes” of old favorites and collections prove that old games retain their popularity long after being technically outdated.

But who is playing these re-releases, remakes and collections? Surely the target audience is the old school gamer who can remember playing them the first time around, especially now that most of them have their own source of income? I have a lot of questions that will probably never be answered, but I do have one theory: labeling something a classic is an excellent marketing device.

Hardcore?

Compared to most contemporary games, older games were substantially more difficult to finish, being unforgiving of the slightest mistake and only offering a finite number of chances to continue after losing. There were also few, if any, chances to for the player to record their progress, forcing them to complete the entire game in one sitting. With limited access to game reviews, tips and playguides, we were forced to see our purchases through to the end using only our determination and analytical abilities. I constantly frustrated and lost myself in Dragon Warrior and The Legend of Zelda with no guide to turn to. Final Fantasy on NES turned players loose on its world map with little guidance, forcing them to explore and experiment to progress, whereas newer FF games have linear paths and highlighted destinations; Final Fantasy X doesn’t even have a world map.

“Game Over” also used to mean exactly what it said: the game was over, and you had to start again from the beginning. Not today’s convenient, comfortable “reload” or “continue” options, which make failure an annoyance rather than the end of the game. Of course, the length and depth of today’s games makes recording your progress a mandatory feature, but in games like Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, I felt like I saw a save point every five minutes. Was it skill that saw me through the game, or was my fear of failure muted by the knowledge that my death only set me back, at best, five or ten minutes?

“Back in the day,” we beat games with minimal outside help. Confused? Lost? Too bad! When I did find information in a book or magazine, I felt privy to top secret info, exclusive tips. Now I feel that everyone, at the first sign of trouble, relies on not their own capacity for problem-solving and learning new skills, but turns immediately to online guides. I certainly feel more accomplished when I solve the tough puzzle or defeat the tough bosses without outside help.

Embrace the Role

I am proud to be an older gamer. Though I was not around for the birth of gaming, at least I saw the dawn, witnessed the growth and development of games and systems, even the changes in game manuals. I hope other old gamers also share my pride and excitement when we return to our roots.

Article © March 2008 by Melissa Velte.