The (tragically under-watched) show "Halt and Catch Fire" did a terrific job of conveying that sense of wonder people felt about video games from the mid-80s to the mid-90s.
From text adventures to the single-dev games at Atari, from Mario Bros to DOOM.
Why don't I feel that anymore?
Last night, as I was playing the newest Ratchet & Clank, seeing the world's rich detail and astounding graphics, I wondered: Is it because our imaginations did most of the work back then?
@killyourfm I think people are sick of hearing me go on and on about halt and catch fire... But all they have to do is watch it and I'll shut up. Everybody wins. It's so good.
@ward True story: I just binged the entire series in the last 2 weeks (for the first time), and after the series finale's credits rolled, I just started over at Season 1.
@shipp I don't know. A few years ago I replayed games like Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Chrono Trigger and had an absolute blast with them.
@killyourfm Early video games had to be sold on simply but catchy mechanics, since graphics were so limited.
But also, those games still exist and can still be played. The fact that you don't play them anymore (or enjoy them the same way if you do) is because they aren't novel.
Video games were like a jump scare for your brain. Exciting at first, but now you know it's coming, so it doesn't land the same way.
New games aren't bad, but they definitely aren't revolutionary in the same way.
@killyourfm A couple of major changes happened inbetween now and then. First is that many games went on and became more and more of a collaborative project in the same way tv series, films, and comics are. Anti-capitalist as well as anti-egalitarian circles lean towards seeing that negatively. But I think there was merit to embracing film as a democratic form of art.
Second, the internet. We're subject to much more criticism as well as information.
@killyourfm Never thought about this before (granted, I wasn't around in the 90s to experience video games of the time) but it is kind of interesting.
Also, Halt and Catch Gire is a great show! I kinda stopped watching it after getting busy with school and never got back around to it, but I should pick it back up!
@killyourfm Wondering about imagination? Maybe it was partially due to imagination. Also remember that we were different ages at the time, and so that may have affected our perception and enjoyment of this medium.
I think we're so overwhelmed by the sights and sounds--and the music, oh how the music can make an entire game--that our imaginations almost... turn off--almost as if to say, "I see we're not needed here. Holy cow."
BUT, that being said, I feel that old feeling when I play smaller, indie titles a lot.
Just over the weekend I played Mega City Police and I felt like a kid again, astounded by every pixel and synthwave beat.
@killyourfm much of it is youth yes but games in the 90s and 2000s were going through a very rapid change in culture and technology. Consider that in 10 years we went from Doom to HL2. And in 5 we went from Mario to Quake. It's hard to be excited around that time with all the optimism and change. Then around 2007 we stagnated. There's a part of us that never left the 360/PS3 era.
@killyourfm It's a topic I ponder on almost daily. And not only about videogames: in a way, easy, quality and cheap streaming is doing the same to the mind a visceral classical and jazz music collector like me. Quality and abundance makes us satiated, less driven, even when the work in question is of unquestionable quality. We need to add something on our own, the work needs to leave some void for us to fill. The Minds They Are a-Changin'!
@killyourfm The good thought here is that maybe bigger, fuller, richer works or mediums can stimulate our minds to create bigger, voider, more barren plains to explore.
But it requires training. And time.
@killyourfm Yeah, totally underrated show. Excellent cast, great and accurate writing and all around 80's-90's vibe without being over the top.
About the feelings, I guess imagination is important, but it all felt fresh and inventive, and it's getting harder and harder as the craft evolves.
@mauriciobc I hear you. Someone else pointed out that there was so much wonder and discovery and new ideas pouring out, and then it kind of stagnated in the mid 2000s.
The great new ideas (mostly) stopped, while the technical side accelerated at a way faster pace than anything else.
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