June 13, 2003

It is a different world we live in now

AstreaEdge has a great post about the trend in which video games are becoming more like interactive movies, with more observation than actual playing activity. As one who has had a lifelong tendency to put a quarter after quarter* into a slot for some interactive entertainment**, I have noticed that video games do not have as much fascination for me as they once did. I spent many an hour playing Donkey Kong Jr. and Hogan's Alley, then I got a Nintendo, the original and played Super Mario Bros. and most especially Tetris. Most games, other than puzzle solving games such as Blix or Acno's Energizer, are beyond my current level of abilities. I really have not invested too heavily into gaming software for my computer. Despite three weeks of effort in learning how to manipulate the controls, I still cannot swing across any obstacles on the rope in Tomb Raider. I feel like the world of electronic gaming has passed me by.

How I long for the days when the best games had four legs, bells, lights, flippers, and part of playing the game was actually bumping the machine. The one thing that got lost when video games replaced pinball machines is the free games. With video games, the big prize is getting to put your name/initials up for everyone to see and to try to beat. To me, that does not compare to racking up so many free games that you and your college friends could play the same machine for free for over 4 years. Ah, Xenon was our favorite. We all knew how to flip that ball wherever we needed it to go, over and over and over. Click! There's another free game. Oh heck, Tiny, I am late for Geology, take over.

*During the grand old days of my Donkey Kong Jr. addiction, I actually began to refer to quarters as "monkey donuts."

**Yeah, I know what you are thinking, but I have not been hanging around XXX Adult Bookstores in a loose overcoat.

Posted by Tiger at June 13, 2003 08:31 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Buy a Playstation 2.

Posted by: Glenn at June 13, 2003 11:21 PM

But then when would I find time to blog? But then again, there might be a few who would rather have me spend my time playing games than spending my time putting my stupid opinions on the Internet for all to see.

Posted by: Tiger at June 13, 2003 11:39 PM