What's Your Golden Age of Gaming?

[Thandran]

Every year is in my eyes a Golden Age of gaming in some sort of way or form.

I'm a 90's kid so I have fond memories of my NES, SNES, Sega, N64, PS1, PS2, GC, Xbox, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, PSP and of course PC days.

There was a time for RPG's, FPS's, RTS's, Point and Click's, Fighters etc. and it's like a cycle... so every generation, year brings me something delightful to the table.

I'm an optimist.

 

[MorganL4]

1997-2003

really that was the period during which I became a gamer.

Pokemon Red Version, Diablo 2...... yay

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Few years ago when I had my GBA and Gamceube, many hours spent there

 

[Twilight_guy]

Way back in the day before my time, early 80s or there-abouts. The new golden age of gaming is either started or about to start soon. I consider the current age to be a transitional age since we are overall moving towards a more cloud based and network based system and things are changing considerably.

 

[Joccaren]

I agree with you 100% OP. Those were some great years of gaming. Most of the more recent stuff has been... disappointing to say the least.

 

[Dango]

I'd say 2001-2007. Many, many great games were released, but after 2007 and the rise of Call of Duty, gaming lost a lot of its originality and flair.

 

[Sneezeguard]

This is it right now, for all people bitching about various publishers and all the DRM we have to put up with this is the golden age. The technology is at a point where it no longer limits what a dev team can do. I mean this is the only generation where we get games like mass effect 3 that have made people so immersed into them and the universe that they are willing to throw more money at EA to change something they don't like. Like it or hate it but it takes something quite special to get that kind of reaction.

I disagree, I think gaming is falling. I think technology is not advancing gaming but killing it. Why? because developers can't keep up. The amount of effort/manpower/time required is constantly increasing as technology increases and also an increase in the cost to produce games.

Games have become riskier to make, if it fails you're losing ten's of millions. As a result the industry is becoming more publisher driven. So publishers have been trying now more than ever to reduce costs and get more money out of the customer. At the same time they have been taking only safe bets, so the market is getting over saturated with very simiular games design for mass market appeal and what's popular.

A while ago it was possible to make a 9/10 triple or double A game with 50 people, now you have thousands working on one game.

Technology is moving too fast and developers can not keep up, the dramatic increase of crunch time for games in the last couple of years and how most smaller developers have died out/are dying or have joined to large companies. These are all syptoms of this and it will not stop while we keep up the graphics arms race. Things are only gonna get worse unless the industry stops a while to catch it breath or technology does.

 

[The_Lost_King]

2006-now
Oblivion
Bastion(it really surprised me at how good it was)
Mass Effect 1-3
Skyrim
Fallout: New Vegas
Diablo 3
The WoW expansions
Starcraft 2
Dragon age Origins(one of my favorites)
and not from that era but Battlefront 2(still play it)
oh and pokemon games ruby-platinum
almost forgot saints row 2

These are games I have really enjoyed. I put in soo much time into dragon age. Countless hours into new vegas(well 50 on my pc countless on my ps3). I put 300 some hours into Skyrim and I absolutely love bastion.

With all due respect, you were 6 when the Playstation came out - perhaps you lack some perspective...

"Why is it when people say 'with all do respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?" -Ashley Williams

 

[The_Lost_King]

2006-now
Oblivion
Bastion(it really surprised me at how good it was)
Mass Effect 1-3
Skyrim
Fallout: New Vegas
Diablo 3
The WoW expansions
Starcraft 2
Dragon age Origins(one of my favorites)
and not from that era but Battlefront 2(still play it)
oh and pokemon games ruby-platinum
almost forgot saints row 2

These are games I have really enjoyed. I put in soo much time into dragon age. Countless hours into new vegas(well 50 on my pc countless on my ps3). I put 300 some hours into Skyrim and I absolutely love bastion.

With all due respect, you were 6 when the Playstation came out - perhaps you lack some perspective...

"Why is it when people say 'with all do respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?" -Ashley Williams

edit: I wish I could have been alive to enjoy the old days of gaming you guys are so nostalgic for.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Gamecuuuuuuube! Gamecube's among my favorite game systems. Incidentally, I managed to get ahold of another Gamecube today, after my last one busted all to Hell a long, LONG time ago. Although truth be told, I'm a little disappointed I wound up getting a silver Gamecube rather than a purple one.(those little cardboard boxes they fit refurb'd consoles into don't offer the ability to see what color said console is, unfortunately)

But definitely Gamecube era. Screw people that said it was a flop, I call it a success.

 

[Meight08]

Current gen because i can play games from the previous generations.
Duhhhh.

 

[Meight08]

This is it right now, for all people bitching about various publishers and all the DRM we have to put up with this is the golden age. The technology is at a point where it no longer limits what a dev team can do. I mean this is the only generation where we get games like mass effect 3 that have made people so immersed into them and the universe that they are willing to throw more money at EA to change something they don't like. Like it or hate it but it takes something quite special to get that kind of reaction.

I disagree, I think gaming is falling. I think technology is not advancing gaming but killing it. Why? because developers can't keep up. The amount of effort/manpower/time required is constantly increasing as technology increases and also an increase in the cost to produce games.

Games have become riskier to make, if it fails you're losing ten's of millions. As a result the industry is becoming more publisher driven. So publishers have been trying now more than ever to reduce costs and get more money out of the customer. At the same time they have been taking only safe bets, so the market is getting over saturated with very simiular games design for mass market appeal and what's popular.

A while ago it was possible to make a 9/10 triple or double A game with 50 people, now you have thousands working on one game.

Technology is moving too fast and developers can not keep up, the dramatic increase of crunch time for games in the last couple of years and how most smaller developers have died out/are dying or have joined to large companies. These are all syptoms of this and it will not stop while we keep up the graphics arms race. Things are only gonna get worse unless the industry stops a while to catch it breath or technology does.

The witcher 2 cost 10 million to make.
It depends on how you make it,Look at the gameplay video´s on this http://www.renegade-x.com/site/ site.
This game is a free fangame,It all depends on how you make it and with what tools.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

For me, the Golden Age of gaming was probably last gen (with the Gamecube, Xbox and, PS2). There were still a whole lot of exclusives for whichever console you chose, the 3D graphics were good enough so that it didn't look like you were playing as a first-grade paper-craft and, there were some truly groundbreaking games released that still look remarkable today (like Okami and, Wind Waker).

I was going to say the SNES/Genesis era at first and I may even change my opinion once I've had more experience with some of those games. Hell, those were the days when a licensed game was actually pretty good...shit...ya know what? It's a tossup. I'll just cop out and say it's a toss-up between those two eras.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

1985-2012.

Still in it guys. We get dark ages when games start getting worse.

 

[Tanis]

Probably the PS2 Era.

It felt like that sweet spot where games didn't take a small army to be quality and the graphical power was 'good enough'.

Then again, I DO collect PS2 games...so...yeah.
I'm a tad bias.

 

[Nazulu]

I think it started about 1995 till 2005, they were the most creative years. So many games to choose from and so many classics that inspired me to make my own.

 

[Pat8u]

2005-2011 ah yes Wow,Oblivion,skyrim,BC,Wotlk,Cata,half life 2,portal,portal 2 and many more

 

[InfernalGrape]

For me, Golden Age is ~ 1995-2005, though sometimes hard not to add 1991+ to it.

Here go some my favs

Anachronox - 2001
Enclave - 2002
Deus Ex - 2000
Omikron - The Nomad Soul - 1999
Outcast - 1999
Evil Islands - 2000
Psychonauts - 2005
Populous: The Beginning - 1998
Silent Hill - 1999
Chrono Trigger - 1995
Giants: Citizen Kabuto - 2000
Parasite Eve 1 - 1997
Hellnight - 1998
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment - 2000
Killer 7 - 2005
Illbleed - 2001


and hey, i.ve played Deus Ex1 first time in 2008 and was blown away, as Chrono Trigger defeated me in 2010

 

[RustyParker]

My golden age would have to be back from 2007 - 2010ish. I played a hell of a lot of Halo in those days, and to be honest, it was probably the only thing that got me through. Now I lack a 360 and those days are long gone, but I still look back and think very fondly of how it used to be.
I guess one could say I am in a different golden age now. I play WoW and Dragon Age for the most part now, really got absorbed into the RPG spectrum of things.