Generations of Gaming

Progression through gaming technology has happened fast. It has only been 20 years since gamers were amazed by the graphics and gameplay of the NES. Today, we see consoles like the Xbox 360 creating realistic worlds and complex environments. Gaming is definitely not what it used to be.

The saddest part of technological advancement is the lack of appreciation towards the past that comes with it. It makes me sad to see gamers of today ridicule old games that I used to play.

A website called Addicted Geek conducted an experiment. They took a 12 year old gamer, dubbed Mini Geek, who hasn’t played any consoles older than the sixth generation (PS2, GameCube, Xbox) and gave him a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye 007, the classic title that helped shape the FPS genre into what we know today.

After roughly 20 seconds of playing, Mini Geek dismissed the game as the boring with “clunky graphics” and a “forced” storyline. Mini Geek called up several of his friends to try out multiplayer, but after a few minutes they “tossed it aside” and began a game of Halo 2.

It breaks my heart to see gamers of today have no respect for older titles. As they become more and more exposed to games with photorealistic graphics and spot-on controls, they come to expect that level of expertise from all titles, even ones of the past. Gamers like Mini Geek don’t understand that titles like Goldeneye 007 were a stepping stone to more advanced titles like Halo 2.

The point of all these is to provide a warning towards all of you. We are entering the seventh generation of gaming, and it will be easy to forget about past generations. No matter if you are going to buy a PS3, an Xbox 360, or a Wii, do not lose sight of the games and consoles that brought us to where we are today. There is nothing more arrogant than someone who does not know the history behind a game or a system, just like the kids who refereed to Majora’s Mask as Zelda 2.

“History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” –David C. McCullough

Progression through gaming technology has happened fast. It has only been 20 years since gamers were amazed by the graphics and gameplay of the NES. Today, we see consoles like the Xbox 360 creating realistic worlds and complex environments. Gaming is definitely not what it used to be.

The saddest part of technological advancement is the lack of appreciation towards the past that comes with it. It makes me sad to see gamers of today ridicule old games that I used to play.

A website called Addicted Geek conducted an experiment. They took a 12 year old gamer, dubbed Mini Geek, who hasn’t played any consoles older than the sixth generation (PS2, GameCube, Xbox) and gave him a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye 007, the classic title that helped shape the FPS genre into what we know today.

After roughly 20 seconds of playing, Mini Geek dismissed the game as the boring with “clunky graphics” and a “forced” storyline. Mini Geek called up several of his friends to try out multiplayer, but after a few minutes they “tossed it aside” and began a game of Halo 2.

It breaks my heart to see gamers of today have no respect for older titles. As they become more and more exposed to games with photorealistic graphics and spot-on controls, they come to expect that level of expertise from all titles, even ones of the past. Gamers like Mini Geek don’t understand that titles like Goldeneye 007 were a stepping stone to more advanced titles like Halo 2.

The point of all these is to provide a warning towards all of you. We are entering the seventh generation of gaming, and it will be easy to forget about past generations. No matter if you are going to buy a PS3, an Xbox 360, or a Wii, do not lose sight of the games and consoles that brought us to where we are today. There is nothing more arrogant than someone who does not know the history behind a game or a system, just like the kids who refereed to Majora’s Mask as Zelda 2.

“History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” –David C. McCullough