I want to share something with you guys. I’ve spent a lot of my life with video games, from Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt on the NES up to Diablo 3 this weekend, and gaming the whole time in between. A lot of my younger years were spent playing whatever my parents bought me. Mario, of course, and I remember a track running game that even came with a mat. Gunstar Heroes on the Sega Genesis was another fond memorywhile I sadly missed the SNES almost entirely (Oh what folly in your console purchases, dear parents!). As I grew older I began to focus on games with heavier narrative structures. At the time, this meant JRPGs. I would get caught up in the story and I preferred the more tactical gameplay of something like a Final Fantasy 7 to the side scrolling action beat-em-up of something like Final Fight.
As anyone who played JRPGs through the mid 90s, you’ll know that these games took hours to complete. We’re talking about Skyrim length games being the norm and that’s only if you include the side content in Skyrim;The main quest line is comparatively brief. And I would play the hell out of these games. I think I went through Final Fantasy Tactics at least three times before the PS2 released, and by “went through” I mean 150+ hours on each save maxing out every character and getting every item. This was the rule, not the exception. Lunar: Silver Star Story? Star Ocean 2? Xenogears? These are all games with well over 100 hours of possible content.Though maybe not Lunar, but still. Tell me you can play that game just once and then walk away!
Someone told me you learned Super Guided Shot when you got Fei to level 99. I said Challenge Accepted.
My point is that during my childhood, I seemed to have an endless attention span. I could plug a game in and be good for the entire summer. not that I spent all summer inside gaming. But what now? Am I still content to sit there for hours on end and play the same game night after night? Not… not really. Most games I play, I do so for maybe an hour or two at a time. I look forward to having them be done, simply because I’m done with them. Skyrim became a chore pretty quickly, Spiral Knights saw about 3 hours of play, even Mass Effect 3, which is awesome, only about 20 hours awesome, and I’ve stagnated on a second play through on Insanity.
I always assumed that as I got older, I ran out of free time. I work three jobs now and I’m just not as captivated by narrative fantasies as I was when I was younger. Back then, games were games; some were good, some were bad, but now I see that it was me who had changed into a different type of gamer. I now play browser tower defense games like Kingdom Rush, or the odd Mass Effect 3 multiplayer match with my brother. I’m certainly not one that spends double digit hours in a single sitting playing one game, only to do the very same thing the next night.
You mean this computer doesn't just play games? I have to do work on it?
Well, about two weeks ago I flew out to cover PAX East in Boston, a 7 hour plane trip for me. As we all know, planes are terrible (We fly coach up in this bitch, because first class is laughably expensive). With whiny teenagers, crying children, and creepy older men, you’ve got to bring something else to focus on. For me, I had the complete works of HP Lovecraft and my PSP with a copy of The Lion Wars. After boarding, I began with reading The Rats in the Walls, as I couldn’t use my electronics in till quite a bit after takeoff. Once I could however, I decided to switch it up for a bit and start a fresh game.
I played that game for all six and a half hours of the remaining flight. 390 straight minutes of Final Fantasy Tactics awesomeness. And you know what? I did the exact same thing on the flight back. Another seven hours of tactical combat, gripping narrative, and party organization. Half way through the game and just under 15 hours felt like nothing at all.
But that’s understandable right? I’ve played that game almost a dozen times. It’s one of the best ever made, so certainly its ability to suck me is unique. Modern games can only hope to ever approach what that game specifically had; that any game could hope to be so enjoyable.
Then, this weekend, I popped in Legend of Dragoon.
Way more bad ass than any supporting character has any business being.
I still have my old PS1 and had gotten Legend of Dragoon as a gift this last Christmas, because I know the coolest people ever. What makes this important is that it’s a game that I’ve never played before. I don’t have any nostalgia glasses on my face when I look at it. Heck, I don’t even know anything about the story. The only thing I know is that some friends of mine really liked it. In fact, its graphics are pretty dated and the dialog consists of some of the most hysterically bad translations from Japanese to English that I’ve seen in a game ever. (“That….is none of your concern?!”)
I put another 15 hours into this game over the last two days and its fantastic. Shana whines, but Lavitz is awesome, and Rose is a mother fucking boss. I’m not terribly far into the story just yet, however, at least I don’t feel like it. Shana has been poisoned by a dragon and I need to find some medicine for her. But the point here is that I’m engrossed. I’m totally and wholly invested in this game, playing it for hours on end, and walking away wanting to play hours more.
So what the hell? I thought I’d grown out of this. That short games were by and large my primary focus. Sure I get wrapped up in the rare gem every now and then (::cough:: Dark Souls ::cough:: best game made in the last 5 years ::cough::), but we’re talking about two stints of serious gaming, two weeks apart, both games made pre-2000. And what does that mean? If it’s not me, then what exactly is it? The only other thing I can think of is modern game design trends.
I don’t even know really what to point a finger at. I’m not masochistic enough (or bland enough) to subject myself to Generic First Person Shooter 7, but I also find myself disinterested in any of the 3rd person brawlers, like the latest Prince of Persia or Bayonetta. They just have no staying power.
Even games like Uncharted that only last a few hours, while awesome when I play them, are not something I’ve ever had the inclination to go back and play again. Why is this? I don’t have a clear answer. In fact, I’m almost just rambling at this point.
I could say: These new games place too much focus on action and combat and don’t spend enough time creating interesting characters. Such character personalities can be something that you can only achieve with extremely long play times. Investment and emotional attachment are directly related to proximity, and I just can’t care as much about a character I see for 8 hours, compared to characters I see for 100+ hours.
This isn’t totally true though. I loved Gunstar Heroes and don’t really care for God of War. They have the same kind of gameplay, run around and kill all the things, but God of War certainly has a more in depth narrative than Gunstar. I mean, Gunstar named people after colors for Christ’s sake! But maybe that’s because that’s the wrong venue for a narratively heavy game. Maybe if you’re going for cathartic action, you should make the narrative as brief as possible so you can just get in, and stay in, “the zone”.
Pictured above: The Zone.
But what about the Elder Scroll series? They have tons of hours of gameplay there and yet still unfulfilling in comparison to old classic RPGs. Well, this comes down to the Western vs. Eastern RPG style, and in Western RPGs, there really aren’t any characters. Players control faceless supermen that don’t need a supporting cast; there really is no one to grow attached to.
It almost has to be picked apart on a per game basis. All that I can say is that games that I buy these days, on my PS3, Xbox, Wii or PC, fail to hold my attention more often than not. On the flip side, most titles I play on the PS1, PS2, N64 or SNES grip me, even without any nostalgia to credit for the attachment. As a scientist, I would say I see a trend, and wish I had more time to understand the root of this phenomenon…
Hi there,I enjoy reading through your article post, I wanted to write a little comment to support you!
I have not owned a Smackdown game given that “Here Comes The Pain”. I feel I only played 1 or two matches on the very first Raw vs Smackdown.
I’m not a gamer anymore, but I have witnessed clips of the games on youtube and they appear tempting. Reminds me of all the excellent wrestlers I utilized to create, and how significantly entertaining it would be to do it again. I seldom utilized any actual wrestlers on video games considering that WWF Mindset when I designed 300 wrestlers in much less than six months.
Just pondering what I have been missing.
I’m in a very similar situation to you. Past hardcore, 10+ hour days of gaming every day as a kid, but now I am married, finishing grad school, getting a real job. But I’ve had slightly different results.
For example, I tried to play through FF7 again, a game that I spent hundreds of hours on. To the point that I could spend like 8 hours just killing the same monsters on an island, over and over and over to level up my materia. Anyways, I tried to play through it again, and I couldn’t. I got bored. There was too much dialogue, too much grindy play, and as ashamed as I am to admit it, the graphics are awful. That shouldn’t affect things but it did for me.
On the other hand, games like Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Brotherhood, I just played for the first time a few months ago. I know, I suck at staying up to date! Those games though, they kept me into it. I was going to sleep thinking about the missions I’d do the next day when I got home.
So I dunno. I feel like game design is totally different these days, and I also feel like more games are bad than not. But it’s more than that, because I definitely HAVE changed. I don’t have that same patience that I once did, where I could play Contra and just die on the first level over and over without being so frustrated I’d want to quit. Maybe it is World of Warcraft’s fault for changing me :p
In other news, Legend of Dragoon is downright amazing. Another fantastic game, and I have to say that one of the things I loved about it WAS the combat style. It was a straightforward turn-based system like FF7, but the timed attacks was super cool. Just wait til you get Gust of Wind Dance. Also, when you get Albert as a character, tell me how you feel.
I have lately changed from a Battlefront 2er to a Battlefield 2 player, and there is substantial change. The major point getting that proper click on is iron sights/scope as in contrast to SWBF2′s middle button. This is the exact same for all of my other Star Wars games.
I not only noticed this on computers, but on consoles, Battlefront 2 had you pressing L3 (Sony), but now MW2 and other folks are R1. Why is there this difference? Did some thing change in how organizations set up their controls, or does the sport outline the setup?
Now that super mario galaxy 2 arrived out i have 2nd ideas about obtaining new super mario bros wii.Which is better?why?
I have lately transformed from a Battlefront 2er to a Battlefield 2 player, and there is significant change. The principal point being that proper click is iron sights/scope as in comparison to SWBF2′s center button. This is the same for all of my other Star Wars games.
I not only discovered this on computers, but on consoles, Battlefront 2 had you pressing L3 (Sony), but now MW2 and other individuals are R1. Why is there this difference? Did a thing adjust in how firms set up their controls, or does the recreation define the setup?
My personal computer has been working very slowly, so soon after checking the quantity of RAM, which is 1GB, I’ve decided to upgrade to 2 or 3GB. Opening programs and their capabilities will be faster, but what just will improve in games? For example, The Sims 3; will Sim steps be faster or will graphics load faster and be clearer?
Thanks
My graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForce 7500 LE
I totally feel you. I love games today, there are some really great things that can be done today that couldn’t even 10 years ago. But, I can’t help but feeling that with all of the mechanics and graphics the focus is sometimes shifted from the story and the characters and more onto pretty explosions.
For instance, I’m trying to replay Mass Effect 3 and I’m having a hard time getting through it. On the other hand though, I picked up Xenogears as a goof and I literally couldn’t put it down. I literally had to be dragged away from it, and I think it’s because of the fantastic focus on characters that hooks that characters. Legend of Dragoon is no different.
P.S. db SPOILERS!!!!!
There are many video games that I want that are for the 360 that I want, but I never have or like the 360. I have a pal who understands a person who can transform 360 games into PC games. However, I am unable to discuss with this person who my buddy understands simply because I will not even get to see this pal very often. How is it done?
I have to agree. I just looked back at my ps1 collection of games a while ago and noticed that my 360 collection is just as big. The key here is that most of my 360 games have all been bought within the last like… 2 years… And my roomate and I are almost on a weekly basis trying to find a new game to play because we either beat them too fast or they get boring too fast.
Replay value has definately gone done. For me, just looking at the Elder Scroll series, I put probably close to 400 hours in on morrowind (my brother possibly doubled that). Oblivion I had close to 250, but with Skyrim I have maybe 100. My frist character I was psyched. I got through the main story line and the companions guild but then my interest just died. I tried a few other characters but again my intrest just tappered off way to quickly.
Money is what runs the business, and making games short so that the consumer needs a new one makes the business a lot of money.
I was actually wrong about each game very last night. I picked San Jose, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey to win. I’m still standing by my very first round picks, but I Am pretty positive now that the Detroit – Phoenix sequence will go to 6 games, which was my original believed but due to the fact of my personal private bias, and in my enjoyment to observe the Wings win some playoff games, I transformed my decide on to 5 games. Phoenix really picked up their perform in the 2nd and third intervals soon after currently being dominated by Detroit in the first period. It is clearER to me now that Phoenix is no pushover team. I had respect for them prior to final night, but I didnt give them considerably of a possibility in this series. I even now think the Red Wings will win the series, but I never feel its heading to be easy.
Im not second guessing my other picks just yet (NJD more than PHI, PIT over OTT, and SJS in excess of COL), but it would look that the sequence will be closer than I expected in all cases.
I am also not a enthusiast of the no-call on Vernon Fiddler’s slash to Lidstrom’s face which split his lip and should have been a 4 minute minor with significantly less than 10 minutes still left in the 3rd. I imagine that would have altered the game, as the Wings had about 1:15 still left in their powerplay at the time of the slash. That wouldve granted them a 1:15 5 on 3 advantage, and a subsequent 2:45 5 on 4 advantage. I detest to make excuses, but I truly believe the Wings wouldve tied it up with that 4 moment powerplay. What I detest even a lot more was that the video game had to be made a decision by a no-call, as an alternative of the Coyotes successful honest and square. I would have rather had the Coyotes destroy that penalty win and not have to wonder what could have been, than have them win the way they did last night. Coyote fans, do you agree?
Wings fans, I would inquire if youre upset about the no-call, but its absolutely unforgivable to miss that slash. Its not like it was at the rear of the play…and it was a blatant, careless swing of the stick that Plainly rocked Lidstrom in the mouth. Its not like it transpired in a scrum in the corner, with a number of men combating for the puck. How can the officials skip an open-ice slash to the face that resulted in Lidstrom being benched for virtually 3 minutes of play at a vital time in the game due to his lip getting split wide open? I Am not trying to audio like a homer but that was actually a horrible no-call.
BQ – What other poor judgement calls (a undesirable call or a poor no-call) have been created in the other 3 games previous evening that may possibly have had a huge effect on the outcome of the game?
i like it when they allow em perform but they had been calling the game quite tight, but then didnt get in touch with the 1 penalty that actually HAD to be called, in any situation, in any game, at any position in the season. it was horrible, and inconsistent.
Sarah – what does FTW mean? For the Win? Ive witnessed that acronym used a number of instances just lately but Im not certain what to make of it.
SJSharks – I didnt say they cant acquire 4 of 6, in fact, I anticipate them to…I mentioned that in my authentic question details. I explained that Im nonetheless not altering any of my picks, just the number of game titles it will get for my picks to advance to the semis.
McCain wishes to boycott the motion picture because he understands what transpired at the rear of the scenes. Has any person else seen it yet. I know it on on Saturday but considering that Leno noticed it I assumed other people might. Really he might have watched it trigger Julianne Moore, Ed Harris or someone else from teh motion picture might have been on his show.
I used to locate them far more in depth, like the ranges would go on forever and Id be immersed/intent on acquiring past. Now I discover I’m just not that bothered or they’re too dumbed down, with the odd annoying area thrown in for excellent measure!
Not saying all games are bad but it is difficult to set my finger on. Do you ever assume this?
My personal computer has been running extremely slowly, so following checking the volume of RAM, which is 1GB, I’ve made the decision to update to 2 or 3GB. Opening applications and their features will be faster, but what just will enhance in games? For example, The Sims 3; will Sim steps be quicker or will graphics load more rapidly and be clearer?
Thanks
My graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForce 7500 LE
In ESPN 2K5 Football, during franchise mode before the game you can have players practice, do scrimmages, 7 on 7, film, even have coaches have meetings or change game plans. Could someone show me what would be the best prep for Monday to Friday in the game, and also changes I could make during the season?
I was literally wrong about every game last night. I picked San Jose, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey to win. I’m still standing by my first round picks, but I’m pretty sure now that the Detroit – Phoenix series will go to six games, which was my original thought but because of my own personal bias, and in my excitement to watch the Wings win some playoff games, I changed my pick to 5 games. Phoenix really picked up their play in the 2nd and 3rd periods after being dominated by Detroit in the first period. It is clearER to me now that Phoenix is no pushover team. I had respect for them before last night, but I didnt give them much of a chance in this series. I still think the Red Wings will win the series, but I don’t think its going to be easy.
Im not second guessing my other picks just yet (NJD over PHI, PIT over OTT, and SJS over COL), but it would seem that the series will be closer than I expected in all cases.
I am also not a fan of the no-call on Vernon Fiddler’s slash to Lidstrom’s face which split his lip and should have been a 4 minute minor with less than 10 minutes left in the 3rd. I believe that would have altered the game, as the Wings had about 1:15 left in their powerplay at the time of the slash. That wouldve given them a 1:15 5 on 3 advantage, and a subsequent 2:45 5 on 4 advantage. I hate to make excuses, but I really think the Wings wouldve tied it up with that 4 minute powerplay. What I hate even more was that the game had to be decided by a no-call, instead of the Coyotes winning fair and square. I would have rather had the Coyotes kill that penalty win and not have to wonder what could have been, than have them win the way they did last night. Coyote fans, do you agree?
Wings fans, I would ask if youre upset about the no-call, but its absolutely unforgivable to miss that slash. Its not like it was behind the play…and it was a blatant, careless swing of the stick that CLEARLY rocked Lidstrom in the mouth. Its not like it happened in a scrum in the corner, with a number of guys fighting for the puck. How can the officials miss an open-ice slash to the face that resulted in Lidstrom being benched for almost 3 minutes of play at a crucial time in the game due to his lip being split wide open? I’m not trying to sound like a homer but that was really a horrible no-call.
BQ – What other poor judgement calls (a bad call or a bad no-call) were made in the other 3 games last night that may have had a large impact on the outcome of the game?
i like it when they let em play but they were calling the game very tight, but then didnt call the one penalty that really HAD to be called, in any situation, in any game, at any point in the season. it was horrible, and inconsistent.
Sarah – what does FTW mean? For the Win? Ive seen that acronym used a number of times recently but Im not sure what to make of it.
SJSharks – I didnt say they cant win 4 of 6, in fact, I expect them to…I stated that in my original question details. I said that Im still not changing any of my picks, just the number of games it will take for my picks to advance to the semis.
By unit volume:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7709298.stm
Now, in the glory days of the Sega Megadrive, I was addicted. These days, I am out of touch with games, aside from a near-sexual obsession with Resident Evil 4.
Games now have huge production values, and my observation is that this, coupled with the breakthrough in making games fun and family orientated again (courtesy of the ubiquitous Wii) has made it a true entertainment medium, and out of the domain of the reclusive bedroom-dweller.
One thing I am curious of though – in my day (28 and the glory days of completing Streets of Rage 2 on ‘mania’ setting are long in the annals of nerd-like achievement) playing games made you a ‘nerd’. I remember one teacher saying they were ‘socially unsound’.
How is the perception these days? For any hardcore gamers out there, do you find people scoff – or has more mainstream participation helped to quell the mockery?
My ipod has the most recent update and all my friends have changed their game center pictures and statuses but i cannot. I looked up how to change them on youtube but the change picture thing and the status thing just doesnt show up for me. I dont know what to do and i really want to make it right.
I suppose this question can be asked in this category. I have a busy schedule so I can’t listen or watch every game, however when I do get time to watch a game I usually look up the game’s time on the TV listings that my satellite has as part of it’s service. Today’s game though was pushed back by about 3 hours so by the time I went to watch it, it was already over. I just found out this schedule change was made over a week ago, but my satellite company never bothered to correct it on the TV listings menu. The only response I was able to get from anybody at the satellite company was that “All dates and times are subject to change.” But no one was able to explain to me why they don’t fix the listings menu when they do change. This has also happened with non sports programing as well. I remember once a channel was listed as showing the film “The God Father” but instead “Good Fellas” was on during that time.
I am making hot chocolate (the hot chocolate that comes in the packets) and I like using hot milk instead of hot water because it makes it richer. My microwave is broken so how do I make milk hot without a microwave? And if it is on a stove or something like that, what do I use and how long and what temperature. Answer quick. Thanks!
Ty Cobb did it 54 times. I’ll bet if you added up the final career total of every player now active it wouldn’t come out to 54. Has the game changed drastically? For example were pitchers more apt to wind up with a runner on 3rd in Cobb’s day, thereby making it easier to steal home? Or has the strategy of wait for the the big inning and the homerun become so prevalent that the steal of home is considered an unwise strategy on most occasions? I think the image of Jackie Robinson stealing home in the World Series against the Yankees – you’ve probably seen the footage of Yogi arguing the call- is unforgettable and the steal of home is certainly an exciting play.
I was just woundering if video games can have that effect on people. The game that changed my life was the first metal gear solid for the ps1. Just the stuff that came up in the game kind of made me what to do better in life. Whats your story?
I was wondering if anybody knew why this is? I have something a program on my computer that fixes registry errors but if somebody could please tell me why games purchased from GameFly do this or if it’s just all computer games.
the registry “fixer” is part of a program that is from iolo’s system mechanic program
I can get into Yahoo pool lounge, but when I click on a room the Yahoo games homepage comes up. This happens with any Yahoo game. Yahoo changed servers. Does anyone else have this problem or know a fix?
I’m in a club that is going to go play at a football game. We will be in uniforms with no pockets and we cant carry purses with us. We are practicing from 9:30 to 12. Then we are eating for two hours, this would be a good time but the bus with my purse is gonna be on the other side of the parking lot. Then we are performing and watching the game until 10. Then its a two hour bus ride home. Ill probably need to change my tampon at least four times but ill have no access to them or time to do it . Does anyone have any ideas?
I only use this for Pokemon Pearl and Diamond. I have tried erasing everything but I cant. I can only make it half way down the list because it freezes on New Super Mario Bros. To make things worse, I lost my usb cord to connect it to the computer. WHAT DO I DO!?(home remedies)
I have a Worcester combination boiler. I have only used the hot water setting throughout the summer. A week ago I lost my hot water even though the heating is still working as normal. I have checked that the pressure in the system is OK.
What else can I try?
I went to make an account, but apparently I already have one, so I clicked on “create a new password” and gave them my email address. Then when I try to change my password, it says “error, maximum of 20 caricatures.” I count three times and it’s exactly 20 caricatures. So I type in a shorter code. same thing. I type in “a” because I’m frustrated at this point. “error, minimum of 6 caricatures.” I try again with several passwords less then 20 and more then six and it’s the same thing.
Even worse then that is I can’t contact them or get any support from them until I log in, but I can’t even change my password to do so. Help.