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We all love games ... BLAH BLAH BLAH! For whatever reason, but games aren't just there for the fun of it ( oh no ), they are also there to make us think, some more than others.
Hand to eye coordination is one way it racks our brains. Ever felt uncomfortable or disatisfied with a new game? I have, and this is mainly due to the standard of hand to eye coordination. Some games tend to make us think more than we really need to, giving us an impossible control system. Whilst the better games give a challenging control system that CAN be worked with and mastered, adding to the longevity of the game.
Gaming has certainly reached a higher standard. Look at the difference between todays control pads and control pads of the past. We were first introduced to the two button controllers gradually moving up to three, four, six and so on. And with these controllers came not very visibly-challenging games - most games were based on linear progression. But now the minimum amount of buttons on a pad is a massive ten. Not even Nostradamous could've predicted such a change. And with this evolution in controllers has come a massive increase in visual display, making us think and work harder as we play.
But the real task is knowing how a game works and what it requires from you. Take Goldeneye for example, a FPS. As it's visual display you're in first person vision meaning all you can see in front of you is what Bond would be able to see. This immediately sends signals to the brain telling it that whatever you do, you will be given the same view at all times. Then as in game tasks come your way, you have to think how to tackle them with the given controls, which are obviously going to need a little getting used to. Goldeneye is an all action game. About 95% of it is based on shooting and the other 5% on strategy. Strategic thinking is where you really need to use your common sense though. It may be a game, but don't forget it was made by HUMANS. Say if you were given a task that asked you to disarm bombs, you're going to need to use your common sense and think how to disarm the bombs, without either getting killed or getting noticed at all.
Most of the fun in games comes from thinking. Even beat 'em ups require a good amount of brain as well as man power (bashing those buttons). Fighting games are another one that take getting used to because most of them nowadays seem to have a different feel to one other, in how fast the characters respond to the controls and what moves correspond to the controls. Beat 'em ups require the most button bashing I must say, especially if you're the amateur kind of gamer that loves to experiment by bashing random buttons. But take your time, master the games controls and you'll find it more rewarding. I must admit though, you also feel pleased with yourself when you bash random buttons and perform an amazing move ... it HAS happened.
Use your common sense in games and you'll find it much easier. Sometimes we try to overstep the border and perform something thats amazing but hard to execute and fail, when even the simplest of things could've worked better. Games certainly weren't as challenging as they are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw. But now gameplay has got more in depth adding such things like skilful tricks in football games as well as hanging and grabbing, and lots more in action games.
So next time you wonder why you like playing games ... know that it's because they make you think!
Thanks for Reading
PK
Hand to eye coordination is one way it racks our brains. Ever felt uncomfortable or disatisfied with a new game? I have, and this is mainly due to the standard of hand to eye coordination. Some games tend to make us think more than we really need to, giving us an impossible control system. Whilst the better games give a challenging control system that CAN be worked with and mastered, adding to the longevity of the game.
Gaming has certainly reached a higher standard. Look at the difference between todays control pads and control pads of the past. We were first introduced to the two button controllers gradually moving up to three, four, six and so on. And with these controllers came not very visibly-challenging games - most games were based on linear progression. But now the minimum amount of buttons on a pad is a massive ten. Not even Nostradamous could've predicted such a change. And with this evolution in controllers has come a massive increase in visual display, making us think and work harder as we play.
But the real task is knowing how a game works and what it requires from you. Take Goldeneye for example, a FPS. As it's visual display you're in first person vision meaning all you can see in front of you is what Bond would be able to see. This immediately sends signals to the brain telling it that whatever you do, you will be given the same view at all times. Then as in game tasks come your way, you have to think how to tackle them with the given controls, which are obviously going to need a little getting used to. Goldeneye is an all action game. About 95% of it is based on shooting and the other 5% on strategy. Strategic thinking is where you really need to use your common sense though. It may be a game, but don't forget it was made by HUMANS. Say if you were given a task that asked you to disarm bombs, you're going to need to use your common sense and think how to disarm the bombs, without either getting killed or getting noticed at all.
Most of the fun in games comes from thinking. Even beat 'em ups require a good amount of brain as well as man power (bashing those buttons). Fighting games are another one that take getting used to because most of them nowadays seem to have a different feel to one other, in how fast the characters respond to the controls and what moves correspond to the controls. Beat 'em ups require the most button bashing I must say, especially if you're the amateur kind of gamer that loves to experiment by bashing random buttons. But take your time, master the games controls and you'll find it more rewarding. I must admit though, you also feel pleased with yourself when you bash random buttons and perform an amazing move ... it HAS happened.
Use your common sense in games and you'll find it much easier. Sometimes we try to overstep the border and perform something thats amazing but hard to execute and fail, when even the simplest of things could've worked better. Games certainly weren't as challenging as they are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw. But now gameplay has got more in depth adding such things like skilful tricks in football games as well as hanging and grabbing, and lots more in action games.
So next time you wonder why you like playing games ... know that it's because they make you think!
Thanks for Reading
PK
Good post PoSh Kid!
I agree with what Pb said though, have you ever played the original Alex Kid on the Sega Master System? It was the game that was actually built into the system and although it did have a fun image the game was one of if not the most difficult games that I have ever played (bar Command and Conquer Red Alert 1). The game was great fun to play and as I have said before I believe that gaming today isn't as fun as it used to be as we emphesise too much on the graphics and sometimes leave the fun gameplay until the last thing which then makes it rushed in time for release and the result is a great looking game that doesn't play well.
For all 3 next generation consoles I would love to see Sega and Nintendo joining together to release some of the old classics onto our systems at budget range prices. The games should be left alone and only the frme rate and controls should be optimised for the next generation systems, just imagine playing Sonic again on your Xbox or GameCube, or playing the first Mario for the Snez, I for one would love the idea of playing the old classics on updated systems and I am sure that there are a few other people who would also like to do the same thing. It wouldn't take long to port them and it wouldn't cost a lot, but the companies would make so much money for doing so and it would make me for one a very happy gamer.
I have downloaded Sega and Nintendo games and played them through an Emulator on my PC, but it just doesn't feel the same as using a pad and console. The controls on the Keyboard make playing Sonic and Streets of Rage again more of a task than a fun activity.
I have just purchased Swat 2: Police Quest for the PC today from a budget range for £4.99 and the difficulty level is very high indeed but the gameplay is superb. Some of the games today involve a high level of thinking where as others don't, but the market demands both types of games as they involve both pick up and play styles and games that require time and effort to get into (Swat 2 is a good example of this). Max Payne wasn't hard to complete but the game was a joy to play, the gameplay was superb and the graphics equal this.
I think the big problem today is that gamers are struggling to release games that we havent' seen or played before. First Person Shooters follow the same path (although others do invlove extra tweaks) and other xamples is the new Mario game for the GameCube, although some hail it as innovative at the end of the day it is a platform game with Mario in it, who hasn't seen this before? Back when games were just being released there were many new genres in production, First Person Shooters were of a very low standard and the first game of this genre to bring it into the lime light was Doom for the PC. As more and more games come out there are more and more ideas being snapped up, this makes revolutionising gameplay even harder than ever before, the result of this is sometimes a game that is boring to play and very easy to complete.
Anyway once again that was a good post and I do agree with some of the comments you made!
I agree with what Pb said though, have you ever played the original Alex Kid on the Sega Master System? It was the game that was actually built into the system and although it did have a fun image the game was one of if not the most difficult games that I have ever played (bar Command and Conquer Red Alert 1). The game was great fun to play and as I have said before I believe that gaming today isn't as fun as it used to be as we emphesise too much on the graphics and sometimes leave the fun gameplay until the last thing which then makes it rushed in time for release and the result is a great looking game that doesn't play well.
For all 3 next generation consoles I would love to see Sega and Nintendo joining together to release some of the old classics onto our systems at budget range prices. The games should be left alone and only the frme rate and controls should be optimised for the next generation systems, just imagine playing Sonic again on your Xbox or GameCube, or playing the first Mario for the Snez, I for one would love the idea of playing the old classics on updated systems and I am sure that there are a few other people who would also like to do the same thing. It wouldn't take long to port them and it wouldn't cost a lot, but the companies would make so much money for doing so and it would make me for one a very happy gamer.
I have downloaded Sega and Nintendo games and played them through an Emulator on my PC, but it just doesn't feel the same as using a pad and console. The controls on the Keyboard make playing Sonic and Streets of Rage again more of a task than a fun activity.
I have just purchased Swat 2: Police Quest for the PC today from a budget range for £4.99 and the difficulty level is very high indeed but the gameplay is superb. Some of the games today involve a high level of thinking where as others don't, but the market demands both types of games as they involve both pick up and play styles and games that require time and effort to get into (Swat 2 is a good example of this). Max Payne wasn't hard to complete but the game was a joy to play, the gameplay was superb and the graphics equal this.
I think the big problem today is that gamers are struggling to release games that we havent' seen or played before. First Person Shooters follow the same path (although others do invlove extra tweaks) and other xamples is the new Mario game for the GameCube, although some hail it as innovative at the end of the day it is a platform game with Mario in it, who hasn't seen this before? Back when games were just being released there were many new genres in production, First Person Shooters were of a very low standard and the first game of this genre to bring it into the lime light was Doom for the PC. As more and more games come out there are more and more ideas being snapped up, this makes revolutionising gameplay even harder than ever before, the result of this is sometimes a game that is boring to play and very easy to complete.
Anyway once again that was a good post and I do agree with some of the comments you made!
Thanks for the replies guys!
You're right pb, games were quite hard with the likes of space invaders and so on ... damn end level bosses ... but they didn't much challenge in hand to eye coordination, more hand to hand coordination if there is such a saying.
And Microchips, I have found myself to be more aggressive after playing a fighting game, so I would say that survey was correct. Think too much in a game and it could mess with your head.
:)
You're right pb, games were quite hard with the likes of space invaders and so on ... damn end level bosses ... but they didn't much challenge in hand to eye coordination, more hand to hand coordination if there is such a saying.
And Microchips, I have found myself to be more aggressive after playing a fighting game, so I would say that survey was correct. Think too much in a game and it could mess with your head.
:)
PoSh KiD wrote:
> Games certainly weren't as challenging as they
> are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all
> simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was
> jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw.
No, I disagree. Games WERE sometimes more challenging than they are now, because games now are written for a wider audience. Play some of the older games on the 8-bit computers now and you will realise that they were rock hard, with the difference between a few button presses meaning certain death.
Back in the days of old there were many arcade machine conversions, and these were the games which often required little thought in the way of puzzles, but they still involved the same requirements as today's fighting games or platformers to complete them. Others, such as Sentinel or the many text adventures required a lot of logical thought too, some more than games of today.
Anyway, beside that, a good post, and you are right about games making you think, though some of them perhaps make you think about why you bothered buying them in the first place...
> Games certainly weren't as challenging as they
> are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all
> simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was
> jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw.
No, I disagree. Games WERE sometimes more challenging than they are now, because games now are written for a wider audience. Play some of the older games on the 8-bit computers now and you will realise that they were rock hard, with the difference between a few button presses meaning certain death.
Back in the days of old there were many arcade machine conversions, and these were the games which often required little thought in the way of puzzles, but they still involved the same requirements as today's fighting games or platformers to complete them. Others, such as Sentinel or the many text adventures required a lot of logical thought too, some more than games of today.
Anyway, beside that, a good post, and you are right about games making you think, though some of them perhaps make you think about why you bothered buying them in the first place...
Great post Posh Kid. Games not only make you think, but they also affect your emotions too. A Survey was taken in Japan, and it was proved that games alter your emotions after about 20 minutes!
I always enjoy completing tasks and puzzles in games, plus iof you don't use a walkthrough, it makes it even more rewarding! I love it when you get stuck for ages, then the simplist thing is usually the way out of the problem, and you finally solve it.
Once again, nice one PK.
:D
I always enjoy completing tasks and puzzles in games, plus iof you don't use a walkthrough, it makes it even more rewarding! I love it when you get stuck for ages, then the simplist thing is usually the way out of the problem, and you finally solve it.
Once again, nice one PK.
:D
We all love games ... BLAH BLAH BLAH! For whatever reason, but games aren't just there for the fun of it ( oh no ), they are also there to make us think, some more than others.
Hand to eye coordination is one way it racks our brains. Ever felt uncomfortable or disatisfied with a new game? I have, and this is mainly due to the standard of hand to eye coordination. Some games tend to make us think more than we really need to, giving us an impossible control system. Whilst the better games give a challenging control system that CAN be worked with and mastered, adding to the longevity of the game.
Gaming has certainly reached a higher standard. Look at the difference between todays control pads and control pads of the past. We were first introduced to the two button controllers gradually moving up to three, four, six and so on. And with these controllers came not very visibly-challenging games - most games were based on linear progression. But now the minimum amount of buttons on a pad is a massive ten. Not even Nostradamous could've predicted such a change. And with this evolution in controllers has come a massive increase in visual display, making us think and work harder as we play.
But the real task is knowing how a game works and what it requires from you. Take Goldeneye for example, a FPS. As it's visual display you're in first person vision meaning all you can see in front of you is what Bond would be able to see. This immediately sends signals to the brain telling it that whatever you do, you will be given the same view at all times. Then as in game tasks come your way, you have to think how to tackle them with the given controls, which are obviously going to need a little getting used to. Goldeneye is an all action game. About 95% of it is based on shooting and the other 5% on strategy. Strategic thinking is where you really need to use your common sense though. It may be a game, but don't forget it was made by HUMANS. Say if you were given a task that asked you to disarm bombs, you're going to need to use your common sense and think how to disarm the bombs, without either getting killed or getting noticed at all.
Most of the fun in games comes from thinking. Even beat 'em ups require a good amount of brain as well as man power (bashing those buttons). Fighting games are another one that take getting used to because most of them nowadays seem to have a different feel to one other, in how fast the characters respond to the controls and what moves correspond to the controls. Beat 'em ups require the most button bashing I must say, especially if you're the amateur kind of gamer that loves to experiment by bashing random buttons. But take your time, master the games controls and you'll find it more rewarding. I must admit though, you also feel pleased with yourself when you bash random buttons and perform an amazing move ... it HAS happened.
Use your common sense in games and you'll find it much easier. Sometimes we try to overstep the border and perform something thats amazing but hard to execute and fail, when even the simplest of things could've worked better. Games certainly weren't as challenging as they are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw. But now gameplay has got more in depth adding such things like skilful tricks in football games as well as hanging and grabbing, and lots more in action games.
So next time you wonder why you like playing games ... know that it's because they make you think!
Thanks for Reading
PK
Hand to eye coordination is one way it racks our brains. Ever felt uncomfortable or disatisfied with a new game? I have, and this is mainly due to the standard of hand to eye coordination. Some games tend to make us think more than we really need to, giving us an impossible control system. Whilst the better games give a challenging control system that CAN be worked with and mastered, adding to the longevity of the game.
Gaming has certainly reached a higher standard. Look at the difference between todays control pads and control pads of the past. We were first introduced to the two button controllers gradually moving up to three, four, six and so on. And with these controllers came not very visibly-challenging games - most games were based on linear progression. But now the minimum amount of buttons on a pad is a massive ten. Not even Nostradamous could've predicted such a change. And with this evolution in controllers has come a massive increase in visual display, making us think and work harder as we play.
But the real task is knowing how a game works and what it requires from you. Take Goldeneye for example, a FPS. As it's visual display you're in first person vision meaning all you can see in front of you is what Bond would be able to see. This immediately sends signals to the brain telling it that whatever you do, you will be given the same view at all times. Then as in game tasks come your way, you have to think how to tackle them with the given controls, which are obviously going to need a little getting used to. Goldeneye is an all action game. About 95% of it is based on shooting and the other 5% on strategy. Strategic thinking is where you really need to use your common sense though. It may be a game, but don't forget it was made by HUMANS. Say if you were given a task that asked you to disarm bombs, you're going to need to use your common sense and think how to disarm the bombs, without either getting killed or getting noticed at all.
Most of the fun in games comes from thinking. Even beat 'em ups require a good amount of brain as well as man power (bashing those buttons). Fighting games are another one that take getting used to because most of them nowadays seem to have a different feel to one other, in how fast the characters respond to the controls and what moves correspond to the controls. Beat 'em ups require the most button bashing I must say, especially if you're the amateur kind of gamer that loves to experiment by bashing random buttons. But take your time, master the games controls and you'll find it more rewarding. I must admit though, you also feel pleased with yourself when you bash random buttons and perform an amazing move ... it HAS happened.
Use your common sense in games and you'll find it much easier. Sometimes we try to overstep the border and perform something thats amazing but hard to execute and fail, when even the simplest of things could've worked better. Games certainly weren't as challenging as they are now. Games that reigned on the NES like Mario and Zelda were all simple games that didn't require much thinking. All you could do was jump, run, slash, roll, pick up and throw. But now gameplay has got more in depth adding such things like skilful tricks in football games as well as hanging and grabbing, and lots more in action games.
So next time you wonder why you like playing games ... know that it's because they make you think!
Thanks for Reading
PK