Lead The Way
They grow up so fast. One moment, they're a tiny bunch of pixels bleeping and twinkling in the corner and then before you know it they've moved in and got themselves per-pixel shading.
Though legions of us game and consider ourselves 'gamers' (http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=47989), there is a particular generation that experienced the defining moments that the rest of us can merely read about. They have been the upper echelon of the gaming world for so long and, like the wise masters that they are, have set the trend for the new generation of games, and culture they are bathed in.
When they searched for entertainment, the games appeared.
When they sat in their bedrooms, coding and hacking their games, the fledgling industry shied away with them. In the xenophobic era of videogaming, gamers contented themselves with their own creations, and were sufficiently pleased by the introvert world around them. They were at the forefront of something new and even though it was being ignored now, that much they could feel.
When the flamboyant Japanese home console market collided with the West in the mid-eighties, our new wave of gamers were hit by the comfort food gaming of bright lights and strong protagonists. Characters like Sonic and Mario, now iconic today, were brought jumping and spinning into the world. This continued to grow until the birth of 3D gaming. The leading generation was beginning to grow up, as well as grow out.
True 3D, aside from PC Gaming, was what changed home consoles into the powerhouses they are today. From the Nintendo 64 through to the XBox2, the leading generation voted with their wallets and decided the rise and fall of both Sega and now, potentially, Nintendo.
And now, to today. That generation is now realising that games are ceasing to be entertainment - they now realise that the more of their lives games take up, the more they expect the games to reply. They demand them to reply. And reply they will, or bad things tend to happen.
Gaming has always seemed bland. It's just been a source of entertainment, but those who use it know it is so much more. Now, with the unpredictable world of MMOs, developers such as EA and NCSoft are beginning to realise that gaming is not the gullible cash-cow it always seemed. Gamers are people, and people are dangerous in large groups.
So where will it stop? After all, damaged economies such as that of Star Wars: Galaxies can be solved with some careful switch flicking, but what about when the whole community turns against you? Political corruption? Why not, indeed. Stuntmen and Filming? Anything real life can do, virtual reality can do with a lower injury count.
The gaming industry just graduated from high-school, and its still looking for leaders. Time to step forward?
Though legions of us game and consider ourselves 'gamers' (http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=47989), there is a particular generation that experienced the defining moments that the rest of us can merely read about. They have been the upper echelon of the gaming world for so long and, like the wise masters that they are, have set the trend for the new generation of games, and culture they are bathed in.
When they searched for entertainment, the games appeared.
When they sat in their bedrooms, coding and hacking their games, the fledgling industry shied away with them. In the xenophobic era of videogaming, gamers contented themselves with their own creations, and were sufficiently pleased by the introvert world around them. They were at the forefront of something new and even though it was being ignored now, that much they could feel.
When the flamboyant Japanese home console market collided with the West in the mid-eighties, our new wave of gamers were hit by the comfort food gaming of bright lights and strong protagonists. Characters like Sonic and Mario, now iconic today, were brought jumping and spinning into the world. This continued to grow until the birth of 3D gaming. The leading generation was beginning to grow up, as well as grow out.
True 3D, aside from PC Gaming, was what changed home consoles into the powerhouses they are today. From the Nintendo 64 through to the XBox2, the leading generation voted with their wallets and decided the rise and fall of both Sega and now, potentially, Nintendo.
And now, to today. That generation is now realising that games are ceasing to be entertainment - they now realise that the more of their lives games take up, the more they expect the games to reply. They demand them to reply. And reply they will, or bad things tend to happen.
Gaming has always seemed bland. It's just been a source of entertainment, but those who use it know it is so much more. Now, with the unpredictable world of MMOs, developers such as EA and NCSoft are beginning to realise that gaming is not the gullible cash-cow it always seemed. Gamers are people, and people are dangerous in large groups.
So where will it stop? After all, damaged economies such as that of Star Wars: Galaxies can be solved with some careful switch flicking, but what about when the whole community turns against you? Political corruption? Why not, indeed. Stuntmen and Filming? Anything real life can do, virtual reality can do with a lower injury count.
The gaming industry just graduated from high-school, and its still looking for leaders. Time to step forward?
posted by FinalSin at 5:08 pm
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