Video Games: The Rules Have Changed

I grew up playing video games, starting with Pac-man and Pitfall on the Atari 2600. Gaming has changed significantly over the past 25 years - mostly for the better:

Forgiveness: Super Mario Bros. vs. Lego Star Wars

As a kid it was not rare to play the same level hundreds of times (who doesn't have SMB Level 1-1 memorized), and each game ended in death. Flash forward to 2009 where a Lego Star Wars player can die dozens of times and still "beat" a level. Additional points/powers/etc. are earned by completing the level with greater skill (collecting certain items or killing so many enemies).

Saving = Longer Stories

I'm a fan of a good, long story, be it a television series, a book, or a game. The ability to save your game to a backup system increased the depth of video game stories. The Legend of

Zelda's original 1986 release was one of the first games to allow battery backup, and made it the first "long story" game for me.

In-game Tutorials

Super Mario 64 is the first game I remember with a significant in-game tutorial, teaching me to play the game inside the game. It eliminated the need to read through the manual before starting.

Sandbox

The open feel of some games (Legend of Zelda, and to a greater extent, Grand Theft Auto) give players the opportunity to play at their own pace, working on side quests and participating in the story as they like. The story can even change based on decisions made by the player.

Graphics

For better or worse, games are prettier and/or more realistic than ever. Blocky graphics of the 80s have been replaced by beautiful 3D visual candy. The beauty is more beautiful, the violence more violent and other inappropriate content even more inappropriate. It's my opinion this is a parental issue and complex enough for a blog post of its own. I do think the rating system of the 90s has provided guidance to otherwise unknowing parents.

Playing the World

This is the most important change of the last 25 years. The ability to play with friends and strangers online is huge. There is some satisfaction in beating the computer and progressing through a story, but it pales in comparison to competing with and against other real people from around the world. It started for me with 3 other college roommates playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. But now I've enjoyed online play with Wii Mario Kart, and I'll never be able to go back.

So there we go. The good ole' days are still good, but IMO gaming is much improved over its beginnings in the 70s and 80s.