Video Games or Memory Makers? You be the judge.
I’ve had many constants in life, one of the biggest has been video games. Video Games began on standup arcade machines in pool halls and the mall, transforming to the home systems of Atari, Jaguar. NES, SNES, and more. These were basic machines but they still had the power to hold the magic and storytelling that videogames provide.
My first system was a Sega genesis with one game, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. And after 25 years I still remember 4 years old me not being able to beat the boss every time and needing my dad to always beat it for me and I will never forget that.
That is one of the biggest things the multi-billion dollar per year game industry provides, making memories and enjoying time, no matter who you are. Be it in the pool hall playing pinball, Pac-Man in the arcade, or Mario on a number of devices, memories are made through positive experiences and video games provide this.
This is why I have fond memories of PS1 of Metal Gear Solid and Crash Bandicoot, numerous hours spent making sure Dr. Cortex would not get away with it or figuring out how to beat Psycomantis with the other controller slot. The reason I got a PS2 for my birthday was for Metal Gear Solid 2 for the story, but my fondest PS2 memories were playing Gran Turismo 3 with my dad. This is why I saved up and bought a ps4 for Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4, and of course Gran Turismo or Madden so I could play my dad in something.
Now I have a switch, PS4, Xbox One, and a gaming PC. Even with all these fancy consoles, my favorite one is my SNES mini remake, being able to relive games of another time was priceless. A trip to a world where communication is done through landline phones and Nintendo Power is the supreme source of video game tips, tricks, and information.
It’s a great option to have as we are currently living in the golden age of gaming. While games quality used to be easy to judge based on performance and graphics, quality has shifted more so to play mechanics and story with graphics being pushed to the limit on most platforms available. This is why I mailed my dad my SNES mini and I have been playing newer titles.
Current day game developers can focus on story and presentation. Instead of just making sure a game looks good they can additionally pour their efforts into story and gameplay, a mechanic that has always been key but can shine in today’s world of games. I mean, games already look 100x better than those games I thought had the “best graphics ever” on the ps1, it’s great to see studios like Suckerpunch and Riot games, focusing on the gaming experience and not just graphics or investor gains.
So because of this games of different styles and tempos have emerged, like simulators, team-based, battle royale, and indie games which give up graphics for storytelling and gameplay.
In the past 5 years we have seen the presentation become more personal with virtual reality making its way to home systems in an affordable way that does not sacrifice the experience with cheap gimmicks, but instead uses this experience to grow the way story and presentation is presented to the person gaming. From a VR set up on your PS5 to a VR headset that uses your phone, games are more interactive than ever before.
With the Nintendo Switch, virtual reality, and Steam gaming’s Steam Deck, a new mini mobile pc. It’s clear the future of gaming is based on mobility while still providing gamers with the story and presentation they love in the new worlds they explore. Do you agree that developers have more freedom to focus on tory and development or am I full of it? Let me know what you think the future of video games has in store I the comments below, do you plan on getting any new gaming systems being released?