Our children will n'er know the beginning, will not remember first and second generation videogames.

[Mjolnir07]

For a time I was concerned that my children, of which I am not too many steps behind beginning to have, will not know a world before the instant gratification of mass media and the world wide web. My worry extended to how the world as we know it now will shape them if they weren't around to know it before became what it is today- a giant net of free exchange between information and what I like to call Spongebob Squarepantsosity- or mindless, unreasonably unfounded primal-ly unrefined garbage intended to stroke no sense of morality or pressure a higher class of response from its audience than fart humor and bald tragedy.

Anyway, then it occurred to me that I could give a fuck less about that, what about when they first awaken to the world of videogames no shorter advanced than holographic? To me it seems that in much the same way that at one point in time, atleast a decade and a half ago, videogames had a greater depth in them because there was less focus on visual presentation than on making a well thought out story entertaining to interact with as in that same era were dying the final notions of when children's television programs always had a clear protagonist with a definitive moral dilemma which in the end taught a life lesson. I speak of course about Batman.

Thoughts? Our children born after the NES, even the Nintendo 64 and I might even go so far as to the say the Dreamcast and Sony Playstation 1, do you fear for their sense of value and integrity? I know I do.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

I used to, but now I don't care cause if they EVER say Zelda sucks, there getting a boot up their ass. XD

EDIT: Hmm maybe I should of used a better example, because chances are Zelda will be around FOREVER

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Heck, I wasn't even born by that time, or, atleast, wasn't old enough to be screaming at the screen.

So, if one of my children ever say something along the lines of "Mario doesn't make sense.."
I will say,
"I always thought so too."

 

[Mjolnir07]

There was more focus on story back then? Really?

You consider that stories like Mario and Battletoads, and pretty much almost every game from back then actually had a deep story? Most didn't. I'd even argue that there were more completely story-less games in those olden times then there are today.

They did have some gameplay value, of course - but otherwise, it was pretty much garbage.

And don't even mention the superhero junk, or at least most of it.

Everyone knows I was referring to Final Fantasy and Burger Time, silly.

 

[JRCB]

If my kid is a gamer, he will receive history lessons on the past of video games. Never forget the mindless fun, or occasional good story. And try to avoid making some of the same mistakes.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Well, I'm keeping all my really good games, even my dead copy of Mass Effect. Im not letting my children forget the good stories of gaming (or the consoles). While most people would never even heard of a "Legend of Dragoon" my kids would be getting lectures on how cool the story was when i got it.

 

[lostclause]

Slightly more intelligent than an anti-youth rant but I still have to disagree. Is anyone here any worse off for not being around when the arcade games came out? I came to gaming in the last generation by the way and I don't think that anything is worse. As to the morality point I think that games these days deal more with morality than ever before. Maybe the visuals slow the process but I think that they can work hand in hand to make something great.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I don't think that much has changed regarding the story element of games. In fact if I recall most games from back in the day had stories that could be summarized on one page of the tiny instruction manual that came with it. The only thing is that now a-days I don't think they're even trying anymore.
As for my future children, no I'm not overly concerned as I have control over what they see and hear... to an extent.

 

[Scrythe]

Haha, I will finally get to say "You kids have it easy" with a straight face. Seriously, I'd like to see the latest "Masters" or "31337" of Gears of War or Halo try to attempt to play Pac Man until it freezes, or Battletoads, or old school Mega Man, Bomberman, or even Super Mario Bros. 2 (the "Lost Levels" one).

My brother is only four years younger than me, and it's a scary thought that he does not know a life without broadband internet. He hates on console gaming because they "have no point", yet spends all his days on MMO's, grinding away endlessly to do more endless things for the sake of endlessness ARGH! My freakin' head hurts already just thinking about it.

 

[Mjolnir07]

There was more focus on story back then? Really?

You consider that stories like Mario and Battletoads, and pretty much almost every game from back then actually had a deep story? Most didn't. I'd even argue that there were more completely story-less games in those olden times then there are today.

They did have some gameplay value, of course - but otherwise, it was pretty much garbage.

And don't even mention the superhero junk, or at least most of it.

Everyone knows I was referring to Final Fantasy and Burger Time, silly.

Which are, I believe 2 games. Well, one long-ass and fairly badly thought out (in my mere opinion, of course) series that outlived itself, and one game that I haven't really heard of.

Out of how many games?

It's like saying that all today's games are works of art because I liked Half Life series and, I don't know, Morrowind or something.

Most of the "awesome value" that people tend to see in older games is sadly nostalgia.

I was kidding about Burger Time, I don't believe I've ever even so much as looked at it past its cover. Allow me to reevaluate my initial meaning of depth. Creativity. More thought went into games before graphics were such a big focus.

Battle Toads is actually a prime example. Who the hell thinks up such a rivetingly bizarre idea and actually manifests it into an endlessly iconic form of entertainment these days in the vein of videogames. It's all the same regurgitated trash. Any attempt at innovation today is weakly contrived and wrenching. Nostalgia aside, I am not one of those people who looks fondly upon the old days of Mario just for the sake of being hip, I actually found Mario frustratingly repetitive, but it had merits to it that games in this age seem to never grasp, and may never again.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

I was born after the SNES, and I'm perfectly fine. I grew up with playing the classic Mario games, and I was introduced to gaming when I was 2, which was 1996. I won't say I've experienced all generation of games, my love for gaming didn't really kick in until the PS2 era, and I might be not as educated when it comes to all games, but I still love games to death and am aware of the difference in the olden days. What I fear is that the children of the future will be shallow and call out the most genius games of the past for being boring cause of lousy graphics, and then I'll wave around my cane and yell swear words with a grindy voice and then go back to Chrono Trigger, FFVII and Shadow of The Colossus. Even now, most in my generation who play games are annoying FPS addicts who reject games with the arty label.

 

[Mjolnir07]

Slightly more intelligent than an anti-youth rant but I still have to disagree. Is anyone here any worse off for not being around when the arcade games came out? I came to gaming in the last generation by the way and I don't think that anything is worse. As to the morality point I think that games these days deal more with morality than ever before. Maybe the visuals slow the process but I think that they can work hand in hand to make something great.

The morality I presented in the original post was intended to be conveyed as a parallel. I'm not disagreeing that morality is present in videogames today, just that it isn't present in childrens cartoons in the same way that ingenuity is lacking in videogames today.

 

[Mjolnir07]

I was born after the SNES, and I'm perfectly fine. I grew up with playing the classic Mario games, and I was introduced to gaming when I was 2, which was 1996. I won't say I've experienced all generation of games, my love for gaming didn't really kick in until the PS2 era, and I might be not as educated when it comes to all games, but I still love games to death and am aware of the difference in the olden days. What I fear is that the children of the future will be shallow and call out the most genius games of the past for being boring cause of lousy graphics, and then I'll wave around my cane and yell swear words with a grindy voice and then go back to Chrono Trigger, FFVII and Shadow of The Colossus. Even now, most in my generation who play games are annoying FPS addicts who reject games with the arty label.

Agreed. To all.

 

[Standby]

Well, I'm keeping all my really good games, even my dead copy of Mass Effect. Im not letting my children forget the good stories of gaming (or the consoles). While most people would never even heard of a "Legend of Dragoon" my kids would be getting lectures on how cool the story was when i got it.

I freiking loved the demo for that game, lost count of how many times i played it, never found anywhere that had the full game is stock though, GAME never rang me back

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

On whole, I disagree; but on a certain level I think you may be correct. Currently, I'm trying to get my substantially younger brother into the works of art that are Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. It's a bit of an uphill battle to get someone younger to backtrack from Halo 3 graphics and gameplay to understand a more refined story, even if the graphics cannot tell it. But I think it depends on what you look at. Look at the enthralling story of Half-Life 2 or Beyond Good and Evil. Hell, by the time my children are old enough to play videogames with a story, Half-Life 2 Episode 3 will probably only be available for pre-order.

To use your TV analogy, I don't see Bugs Bunny as all that different from Spongebob. Comic antics. It's a different generation, same content.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Well, I'm keeping all my really good games, even my dead copy of Mass Effect. Im not letting my children forget the good stories of gaming (or the consoles). While most people would never even heard of a "Legend of Dragoon" my kids would be getting lectures on how cool the story was when i got it.

I freiking loved the demo for that game, lost count of how many times i played it, never found anywhere that had the full game is stock though, GAME never rang me back

There was a demo for Dragoon? Sweet, sucks i missed it though... Anybody ever played the MGS1 demo?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I was born after the SNES, and I'm perfectly fine. I grew up with playing the classic Mario games, and I was introduced to gaming when I was 2, which was 1996. I won't say I've experienced all generation of games, my love for gaming didn't really kick in until the PS2 era, and I might be not as educated when it comes to all games, but I still love games to death and am aware of the difference in the olden days. What I fear is that the children of the future will be shallow and call out the most genius games of the past for being boring cause of lousy graphics, and then I'll wave around my cane and yell swear words with a grindy voice and then go back to Chrono Trigger, FFVII and Shadow of The Colossus. Even now, most in my generation who play games are annoying FPS addicts who reject games with the arty label.

I also agree 110%!