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I wrote this while the servers were off yesterday, hoping to put it up in prime... turns out I can't post there :'(
What made pre-32 bit games so much more original than games nowadays?
Simple: The power of processors was so feeble and pitiful that no game designer would ever dream to make a “realistic” game. Instead designers had to create completely new worlds in which to set their games- 2 dimension universes for their characters to play in. Mario’s massive Peach Kingdom and Sonic’s rolling Green Hill Zone being but two examples.
So, here we are- an age where processors are so powerful that designers need not think beyond the real world for inspiration. No more need for those fantasy unrealistic universes of old. Sonic’s green hills have been replaced by an urban metropolis and Mario’s kingdom with a castle.
The next evolution of games looks even worse- worlds so perfectly real that they be like a playable film. Even minute details like the pattern of knots in wood will be unique to every piece of wood in the game thanks to dynamic fractal algorithms. Great.
But is this really where gaming should be using the new-found power of processors?
I certainly think not. Rather games should be becoming more diverse than ever. While games like realistic survival-horror games and racers exploit the technologies available to produce ever more lifelike worlds, other games (the proverbial Marios and Sonics) should instead use technology to venture further and further into the fantasy zone.
Why don’t game designers produce whole self-contained worlds that have their own feel and rhythm. They could, like the 2D games of old, even have their own physics- your character can perform cartoonistic leaps into the air or walk on water.
Such simple game ideas were rife in the pre-32 bit era because they had to be- there was no other way for games to be. But now we’re near to losing such a great part of games all in the name of “advancement”.
Is it really advancement, or just a play-it-safe regime to guarantee sales?
What made pre-32 bit games so much more original than games nowadays?
Simple: The power of processors was so feeble and pitiful that no game designer would ever dream to make a “realistic” game. Instead designers had to create completely new worlds in which to set their games- 2 dimension universes for their characters to play in. Mario’s massive Peach Kingdom and Sonic’s rolling Green Hill Zone being but two examples.
So, here we are- an age where processors are so powerful that designers need not think beyond the real world for inspiration. No more need for those fantasy unrealistic universes of old. Sonic’s green hills have been replaced by an urban metropolis and Mario’s kingdom with a castle.
The next evolution of games looks even worse- worlds so perfectly real that they be like a playable film. Even minute details like the pattern of knots in wood will be unique to every piece of wood in the game thanks to dynamic fractal algorithms. Great.
But is this really where gaming should be using the new-found power of processors?
I certainly think not. Rather games should be becoming more diverse than ever. While games like realistic survival-horror games and racers exploit the technologies available to produce ever more lifelike worlds, other games (the proverbial Marios and Sonics) should instead use technology to venture further and further into the fantasy zone.
Why don’t game designers produce whole self-contained worlds that have their own feel and rhythm. They could, like the 2D games of old, even have their own physics- your character can perform cartoonistic leaps into the air or walk on water.
Such simple game ideas were rife in the pre-32 bit era because they had to be- there was no other way for games to be. But now we’re near to losing such a great part of games all in the name of “advancement”.
Is it really advancement, or just a play-it-safe regime to guarantee sales?
LOL that was pretty decent :D
I smell a 'rav'.
(laughs at his pathetic attempt at a joke)
(laughs at his pathetic attempt at a joke)
Another one??!? Another newbie post that's good!? My word...
And look at that: no replies!
Tell u what mate, I'll stick it on prime.
And look at that: no replies!
Tell u what mate, I'll stick it on prime.
I wrote this while the servers were off yesterday, hoping to put it up in prime... turns out I can't post there :'(
What made pre-32 bit games so much more original than games nowadays?
Simple: The power of processors was so feeble and pitiful that no game designer would ever dream to make a “realistic” game. Instead designers had to create completely new worlds in which to set their games- 2 dimension universes for their characters to play in. Mario’s massive Peach Kingdom and Sonic’s rolling Green Hill Zone being but two examples.
So, here we are- an age where processors are so powerful that designers need not think beyond the real world for inspiration. No more need for those fantasy unrealistic universes of old. Sonic’s green hills have been replaced by an urban metropolis and Mario’s kingdom with a castle.
The next evolution of games looks even worse- worlds so perfectly real that they be like a playable film. Even minute details like the pattern of knots in wood will be unique to every piece of wood in the game thanks to dynamic fractal algorithms. Great.
But is this really where gaming should be using the new-found power of processors?
I certainly think not. Rather games should be becoming more diverse than ever. While games like realistic survival-horror games and racers exploit the technologies available to produce ever more lifelike worlds, other games (the proverbial Marios and Sonics) should instead use technology to venture further and further into the fantasy zone.
Why don’t game designers produce whole self-contained worlds that have their own feel and rhythm. They could, like the 2D games of old, even have their own physics- your character can perform cartoonistic leaps into the air or walk on water.
Such simple game ideas were rife in the pre-32 bit era because they had to be- there was no other way for games to be. But now we’re near to losing such a great part of games all in the name of “advancement”.
Is it really advancement, or just a play-it-safe regime to guarantee sales?
What made pre-32 bit games so much more original than games nowadays?
Simple: The power of processors was so feeble and pitiful that no game designer would ever dream to make a “realistic” game. Instead designers had to create completely new worlds in which to set their games- 2 dimension universes for their characters to play in. Mario’s massive Peach Kingdom and Sonic’s rolling Green Hill Zone being but two examples.
So, here we are- an age where processors are so powerful that designers need not think beyond the real world for inspiration. No more need for those fantasy unrealistic universes of old. Sonic’s green hills have been replaced by an urban metropolis and Mario’s kingdom with a castle.
The next evolution of games looks even worse- worlds so perfectly real that they be like a playable film. Even minute details like the pattern of knots in wood will be unique to every piece of wood in the game thanks to dynamic fractal algorithms. Great.
But is this really where gaming should be using the new-found power of processors?
I certainly think not. Rather games should be becoming more diverse than ever. While games like realistic survival-horror games and racers exploit the technologies available to produce ever more lifelike worlds, other games (the proverbial Marios and Sonics) should instead use technology to venture further and further into the fantasy zone.
Why don’t game designers produce whole self-contained worlds that have their own feel and rhythm. They could, like the 2D games of old, even have their own physics- your character can perform cartoonistic leaps into the air or walk on water.
Such simple game ideas were rife in the pre-32 bit era because they had to be- there was no other way for games to be. But now we’re near to losing such a great part of games all in the name of “advancement”.
Is it really advancement, or just a play-it-safe regime to guarantee sales?