I've read this article about a guy who died after 3 day gaming marathon and that question arose in my head.
Do you enjoy video games? What kinds? What titles? Which aspects do you like about them and which you don't? Do you think they have bad impact on people? Children? Would/Do you as a parent try to limit the time your children spends in front of PC playing?
I myself have been playing on my PC quite extensively up to somewhere around 18 years old. I liked adventure games the best (The Neverhood, The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: La Chuck's Revenge, Broken Sword: The Shadow of Templars, Gabriel Knight: Sins of a Father, Grim Fandango) , but tried a bit of everything, enjoying also titles like Grand Theft Auto, Unreal Tournament or TrackMania Sunrise. At some point I simply lost interest, primarily because I've mostly seen it as a waste of time. Now I also oppose the kinds of violent and unethical behavior many games promote.
Still l do sometimes check out, if there are some good indie/alternative games released and play few of them in a year. Braid, Kentucky Route Zero and Edna & Harvey: The Breakout are the ones I enjoyed the most in the last few years (FTL: Faster Than Light, Botanicula and Amnesia: The Dark Descent were also really good). Really great experiences. I sometimes play Civilization IV with my friend, but it's such a time consumer that she's literally afraid to play it.
I think videogaming has a big potential as a medium to create some really interesting experiences. Unfortunately it's tragically misused with so many games being mindless and so similar to each other. And the problem of promoting violence is a significant one I think.
Nowadays if I'm to play something indoors, I prefer board games. They exercise my mind and allow interaction with "real" people.
Ok, so. This was my introduction to vidjagames: I was four years old, at a wedding in Iowa, bored out of my goddamn mind, when my older cousin was like, "dude, here, you are ridiculously bored." So he handed me this: Now, Link's Awakening is a game heavy on text and puzzles. But I was reading at age 3-ish, so I was able to get into it. And holy SHIT it was so cool. It was like all the fantasy books that I had been reading at the time, but I was the main character. And since I was a 4 year old, my imagination filled in all the blanks that the limited hardware left open. My cousin had great taste. Zelda is the shit. So bored 4 year old 8bit turned into immensely satisfied and immersed 8bit. And like any kid that gets introduced to something early, I was HOOKED. That year I was turning 5. My mom and dad took me to Walmart on my birthday and asked me what I wanted. I trolled around, looked at some of the toys, was like "mmmeeeeh", then walked into the electronic section. And then I saw this on a shelf: The only reason I even noticed was because its box-art was similar to the game I had played in Iowa. So I was like, "that, please." So my mom and dad, bless their pretty little hearts, got me a Nintendo 64 and a copy of literally the best game of all time. I was just lucky, really. But by 5 I was pretty much either reading a shit tonne of Redwall/Harry Potter or playing a videogame. I wasn't interested in shooters, really. Adventure games, platformers -- my bro bought a PS1 and I got into Final Fantasy and Spyro the Dragon, who was my spirit animal till I was like 8. Pokemon, Harvest Moon...I liked immersing myself in the stories and the like. And it was like that through most of middle school and high school. My mom and dad were cool with it - I wasn't obsessing about girls, I was acing class, I wasn't a fat slob, I prayed five times a day, etc. etc. - so they weren't worried about me all that much. College shook things up a bit. My roommates, second semester freshmen year, were like, "oh, videogames are for dumb babbies, if we play them, we are also dumb babbies." So they cut games out entirely. So my love for the hobby sort of wavered. Was I being immature for playing? It wasn't my ONLY hobby, obviously - I still loved to read, and write, and screw around with computers. But I was worried about other people judging me. I stopped playing my 3DS on the bus, didn't really talk about games with my friends anymore. That lasted for like, 1/2 a year. Then I reached a point where I was like, "wait, this is stupid." I like playing games. I'm more into it than most people I know, yeah, but I realized that that was okay. Some people like football more than anyone else, some people like cars more than anyone else, I like videogames more than anyone else. Granted, I'm not 100%-ing every game I pick up nowadays. It doesn't take up as much of my time as it used to, just because I have less time now then I did in Middle or High School, and I've readjusted that time - but I think the stigma I attached to myself for playing games was dumb, and letting other people affect my hobby was dumb. Now, are games perfect? Hell no. I don't hang out on gaming forums, I don't like most people that play mainstream videogames, and I think there's a lot that's untapped in gaming, potential-wise. Also, I will never, in my LIFE touch World of Warcraft. That shit is, apparently, videogame heroin, and I like watching progress bars go up. I refuse to let myself get hooked. But videogames are the one thing I feel like I can be a bit of an elitist snob about. Well, that and hiphop, but that's neither here nor there. As for boardgames - my buddies come by every break to play Munchkin. It's amazing good fun. Oh, and about violence in games = I think you will find this interesting: The rest of his videos are amazing too. And just as an aside, my top 10 games: 2. Ocarina of Time 3. Metal Gear Solid 3 4. Shadow of the Colossus (SUCK IT KLEIN, AHAHAHA.) 5. Cave Story 6. The World Ends With You 7. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 8. Final Fantasy IX 9. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep 10. Super Mario Galaxy 2
1. Persona 4: Golden
That is a really interesting video indeed. I haven't realized that the mechanics possibilities are limiting the ways of expression of game producers.
This made me think back on what my first video game experience was. I've been playing them for almost the entirety of my life. It was Altered Beast Which, to this day, remains the hardest game I've ever played. EDIT: OH BUT WAIT! Among those first games I played was also one of my absolute favorites, Golden Axe!!
Have golden axe for my genesis, oh my god I love those games. Right up there with fireshark, which I really like as well. Although I'm not sure why I like that one so much...
Maybe you can help me. I had a ton of genesis games, and the name of one of them I've been looking for forever has escaped me. It was like a sci-fi side-scrolling shooter where the characters were two inhumanely buff dudes with sunglasses. One was blonde and the other a black dude. I want to say the name was something like 'another world' or 'another planet', but google has failed me, because there IS a game called Another World, but that isn't it. EDIT: Holy shit never mind. I found this list on wikipedia and found the game. It was Forgotten Worlds
Awesome! Glad you found it, time to hit up ebay it sounds like ;)
Ever heard of the Aesthetics of Play? It's a categorization of video games not based on what you do (platformer, FPS) but on the experience you're looking for in the game. The interactive element of video games allow for these eight distinct kinds of gameplay. Allmost all games can be described using two or three of these categories: 1. Sensation: games as sense-pleasures. Games in which you can have experiences that you wouldn't be able to have otherwise. 2. Fantasy: games as make-believe. Skyrim comes to mind, as well as most RPGs: games that transcend reality. 3. Narrative: games as drama. Games whose stories are told, either literally or through experiences. 4. Challenge: games as an obstacle course. Super Meat Boy is a good example of this. These games are often about highscores. Trackmania is a game I adore because it does this so well. 5. Fellowship: social games. Achieving something through working together. Often multiplayer, but not necessary. 6. Discovery: games as uncharted territory. Exploration. What I hope No Man's Sky to become. 7. Expression: games that are a blank canvas. Think of Minecraft, Gmod: games where you can put your creativity in and express yourself. 8. Submission: games as pastime. Games that you play to wind down after a long day at work. Yesterday, I played Euro Truck Simulator while catching up to my favourite podcasts. I find it a useful vocabulary when talking about video games, and what I'm looking for in a game (if I'm playing at all). I'm a big fan of games that have Narrative, Sensation and Discovery. The Uncharted games come to mind there, but so does Portal 2.
Put 2, 3 and 6 together and you have my cyber-cocaine. Mass Effect 1 nailed those points for me.
Haven't heard about that classification. It looks helpful indeed. As for TrackMania... I also had great times with TrackMania Sunrise. Ah, my mind wandered to the hours spent on nailing the tracks for an Author Medal... And then the next one. I always thought it's such a neat game, because it's stripped of all of those unimportant features you have in other games - like earning some reputation, money, new cars, some poor background stories. In TrackMania all you're left is the challenge (as you mentioned) to do it faster than the previous time. All this talk about TrackMania made me want to play it...
If you download the Trackmania 2 (Stadium / Valley / Canyon), you can play the full game for your first 48 hours unlimited free and after that one hour every day for free. And when you're done, you can head to this other thread from today!
In the end I think I'll give up TrackMania, at least for now. It'll be better, if I spend this time practising on the guitar, reading and looking for a job. Maybe after I'll find a job, I'll give it a try.
We think video games are great. People who blame the games for promoting violence and procrastination are simply trying to relieve people of their responsibilities. It seems especially absurd to us when they try to expose video games as the cause of such tragedies as shooting at school. Most people who play games, including “cruel” ones like GTA, are absolutely normal people. If the game could provoke some teenager to cruelty, in reality, it was only because he had big problems with his parents, teachers, or classmates. And in that case, anything could provoke him. As for addiction and procrastination, before the mass distribution of video games, people were addicted to TV and cheap fiction. Therefore, the games didn’t worsen the situation. Moreover, many games can well influence the development of cognitive abilities. For example, Minecraft. By the way, if you do not want to buy it, you can download Realmcraft for free. This free alternative has all the benefits of Minecraft and many seem even better than Minecraft.
I was not allowed to play video games growing up. They would make us "violent." Once, my aunt gave the three of us a Sega. My mom hid it for two weeks and then got rid of it. Nowadays, as a result, I don't game much. I don't own any consoles besides a beat laptop that could barely run anything. I greatly enjoy arcade games especially FPS like Area 51. I also like Tetris and Pac-Man. Uhm, in my teenage years, we were allowed to play Doom. Original Doom. I cheat-coded my way through that shit and enjoyed myself. But beyond that I have practically no familiarity and at this point in my life little interest. I've played Smash, etc, at parties and video game club meetings in college, it's fun, it's cool, but it never was a way for me to spend my time so now I don't generally consider it in my day-to-day. Lord knows I don't need another expensive hobby to keep me away from writing, natch.
Were you upset your parents didn't allow you to play video games when you were young? Do you now think it was a good decision?
I didn't much care at the time, I was always a big reader. I guess I didn't have friends that clearly played a lot of video games. I did think it was kind of stupid especially when my aunt gave us the Sega and then my mom got rid of it. I understood not wanting to spend the money but since the system was already there, I didn't really understand the objection. Frankly I think her actions, while protective, were mostly silly. We also weren't allowed to watch popular shows like Power Rangers because they too would make us violent. I was much more unhappy about Power Rangers. But Dad would let me watch Xena Warrior Princess weekend afternoons when mom wasn't home, so that was okay. It evened out a little. Even at the tender age of 10 and 12ish I think my brother and I were pretty convinced that video games didn't cause youth to become violent and that her reasoning was crap. However, I do value the ability to be entertained without a console. I value how much reading I did and do. Would video games have changed my passion for reading? Probably not. But the lack of them certainly made it easier to devote all my time to books and writing and 'art.' In general I am not a fan of overly controlling parenting.
I like video games. I mostly play 4x titles like civ (but I don't play civ). I control my kids screen time pretty rigorously but I let her play games. I really like to play board games but it seems like my friends and I are very busy with families and work now a days so we don't get to play all that often. We do try and table top role play every other week but it often gets called off. I get hit by heavy depression one to a few times a year. There is no getting out of it, just have to do the time. I find that I can sink into a complicated 4x game and lose myself in the tactics and little story I write about the game. It's a great way to keep myself from just sitting around and feeling hopeless. Now I also oppose the kinds of violent and unethical behavior many games promote.
I'd bet that crime rates are lower because people are home playing video games instead of doing violent and unethical things in real life.
I agree and we are not alone in that thought.I'd bet that crime rates are lower because people are home playing video games instead of doing violent and unethical things in real life.
I should have cited this directly, sorry about that. It's a bit of a chunky article to throw out there and be all "Yep!" All this had a major effect: It drove gang members indoors. Drug dealing continued, and so did other forms of crime, including identity theft. Gang members became more adept at using the Internet to promote their gangs and belittle rivals. But boasting and threatening online doesn’t require the commitment or violence of classic L.A. street gang-banging, nor does it blight a neighborhood. “When you don’t have kids hanging out on the street,” says George Tita, the UC Irvine criminologist, “there’s no one to shoot or do the shooting.” It's doesn't explicitly mention video games but it does speak to the larger point of people not being on the street has been one of the many factors that have lead to a drop in violent crime. This of course was precipitated by the gang injunction forcing them to clear out of sight.The LAPD also began to make use of a tool that had previously been used sparingly: the gang injunction, essentially a ban on gang members hanging out together in public. The gang injunction spent much of the 1990s in court before being narrowly ruled constitutional, but law enforcement valued it. Today, Los Angeles alone has at least 44 injunctions against 72 street gangs. Gang members seen on the street together can be jailed on misdemeanor charges. Other towns and counties followed LAPD’s lead.
I play video games all the time, but I've been really disappointed with what's been coming out lately. I can't tell if it changed or I did. I also have absolutely no desire to identify with anything that could be called 'gamer culture'. LAN parties seem like too much effort when I have a 100/20 net connection. I went to (central Canada) Comic-Con once and left out of boredom. I have never, and will never, post in the forums of any game or game-related social media. Most of the games I play are grand strategy, puzzle, or platformers. I will very occasionally play a shooter, but I'm usually not interested in them; the ones I like are the hyper realistic (read: super hard, unpopular) ones like ArmA. I strongly prefer curated single player experiences, and have been really disappointed that the industry seems to have fetishized Open World Sandboxes lately. I like indie games in general, but I'm really starting to not like them anymore. I liked them when they were high quality artistic passion projects, but it seems like they've become politicized lately (see: Gamergate) and I just want to play fun things. In terms of what I've played, I have sunk waaaay too much time into Civilization IV and V, and Europa Universalis 3 and 4 on the strategy front. I've also played a ton of Starcraft 1 and 2, but I'm not good at it competitively. I enjoy story-driven puzzley games like Braid, Portal, and lately The Talos Principle. I've probably dropped over a thousand hours into Minecraft. And my Kingdom of Loathing account turned 9 years old last December. I've ascended Nethack 8 times. I also used to really enjoy RPGs, usually of the Japanese variety but I've found a few western ones I've liked (Mass Effect for instance). Lately I've found I have much less patience for grindey gameplay, and the only new JRPGs I'll play are ones with novel mechanics (Radiant Historia and Bravely Default were two recent ones that were novel enough for me to enjoy). Finally, my absolute favourite types of games are games that are less game and more interactive movie (or interactive experience). I found Dear Esther to be really, really touching. Everything people criticized about Heavy Rain were exactly the things I loved. Despite how pretentious they are, everything Tale of Tales touches turns to gold. I keep a list of my favourite games here, though I'm really bad about updating it
When I was younger videogames were my life. They inspired me to go into programming. As I got older I found I spent more time analyzing the technical aspect of games and enjoying them less. Now I find it a chore to sit through games most of the time, and I really don't have the time to get invested as I want to. I still play some games, I spent almost this entire weekend playing pokemon. I beat it a couple days after it came out then didn't touch it for months until this weekend. I knew I wanted to relax this weekend and I used the game to facilitate that. I'll probably do something similar this weekend since I know from here on out it will be work and school 24/7. My mother was always strict on limiting game and computer time. She still is with my siblings. She loosened up on me when I got older as I spent most of my time on the computer programming and learning. I'm extremely glad she recognized that. All in all I don't think it affected me negatively, as refugee said I really enjoy reading and that gave me more time to enjoy it. Or to go outside and ride my bike around town. The way I see it is that videogames are harmless unless they're put in the right hands. But that can be said for anything. If someone is going to go on a spree of violence they would have done that whether they played games, saw movies, or whatever else. Games are just a good scapegoat. That said I never really got into the extremely over the top games like saints row or GTA. I just knew they weren't for me. I'm a nintendo fanboy and I'll probably stay that way.
I hate video games, but I play them. I think the problem is that I enjoy them for immersion and storytelling, but getting involved in the world to the point of enjoyment takes a lot of time, and I don't really have enough of it. I find a few minutes here and there for online activities like hubski, but rarely do I have a stretch of several hours to sacrifice on a game. I love pretty much any bioware rpg (So KOTOR, Dragon Age, Mass Effect), and I'm a fan of bethesda games, but I've never been able to get into games like Counter Strike or Team Fortress where the objective is just to win, and there isn't any story to carry that along or motivate me (although some of valves games are really good on the storytelling front.)
I know what you mean, though I think I have a higher tolerance for 'win-based' games. 90% of the time, I'd rather be playing something with an engaging story.
I had my VP for my company in town, working with me. When I mentioned to her that I don't have cable she thought I was crazy. She kept referencing television shows throughout the day and sporting events that I have no idea about. It's not that I don't like sports or television or that I'm somehow better than her or anyone else with cable, it's just that I know myself well and if I had cable, I'd watch a lot of television. For me, games are the same thing. If I had a gaming system or if I took the time to realize the vast array of games I could play on my computer, I'd play them.... TOO MUCH. So, I like games, I think they're an amazing medium/art form but they definitely have the ability to consume way too much of my time and energy.
Totally. The only time I've ever had a video game system as an adult was a brief period when I lived with my brother. I played the fuck out of a bunch of games. I didn't feel good about it. I'm not against them, either, but I hate getting sucked in. As for cable, I need it to watch hockey. I didn't have it for a while, and I actually spent more money, because I was always at the bar.
I just got the new iPhone and started using apple pay. It's nice as a notification for all of my card purchases, even ones that are automated, populate on my phone screen. This morning "NHL Interactive Cyber: $4.95" came up. Apparently, for the last year I've been giving them $5 a month and haven't realized. Fuckers. I need to cancel it. That's the kind of thing that happens when you don't have cable and are too lazy to audit your credit card statement.
I use ApplePay every chance I get - probably a few dozen times since early december. It's still awkward reaching for my wallet and then switching to my phone when I realize it's an option. It's quick - it works well. I don't know if I could ever leave my wallet though. Maybe. I don't like the idea of being single threaded.
I don't remember all of it - I think I just had my card in my hand, opened the passbook app and input the number. It did some kind of activation behind the scenes… anyway - now when I go to home depot, I just hold my phone up to the card reader, put my finger on the home button and the reader beeps, my phone buzzes and it shows that I paid. Kinda cool. EDIT: I just remembered - actually - I think you can even use the camera to capture your card info. It was super easy. My credit card just worked, but I think I had to log into my bank account online to activate the debit card.
so far, the biggest hit with the phone is the slow-motion video option. My daughter loves it.
I've only used it to pay for something once, at Whole Foods, but I shop there often enough that it'll be nice. I like passbook, I store my loyalty program cards there too, it's nice to have my hilton honors # handy, I travel enough.
I think videogames are amazing. Especially for small children. I was not allowed to play many "videogames" as a child and I was never allowed a consol until the wii because then I could move around. Not because of violence but because of childhood obesity. (I was a skinny kid but that might have had something to do with my mother being very health counsious - she's a nutritionist) But I was allowed educational/semi-educational/not-at-all-educational computer games. Sweden had a wonderful industry of Swedish children's games back in the day. My parents who are born in the 60's REALLY got in to a few of them and some of them and they would play with me. If I have children I think I will try to play with my kid on the computer but also let them play games suitable for their age by themselves. I would limit the time on the computer so they would go and play outdoors/move around but I think videogames are good for a developing brain. I was a smart kid and I think videogames helped that since the educational ones allowed me to learn things on my own at my own pace and didn't require an adult to have constant patience with me. On the violence aspect - I oppose the way videogames portray violence to - but I don't really play those kind of games - I think borderlands is the most violent one I own. There are many games that aren't very violent though - mario, zelda, many other borderline kids games... I play a lot of children's games actually - I own Animal Crossing. I don't know if the potential of videogames is tragically misused at all - there are A LOT of games out there and a lot of them are violent but many are not. I have had many interesting experiences in just small flashgames. Boardgames are fantastic, but I can't get anyone to play them with me (My family is 3 people and my friends are not interested) and if we are still talking about kids they do require a lot of participation from you as a parent. I don't think it's wrong to distract your kid with an Ipad sometimes because there are a lot of pussels and such that the kid can work on which is probably better for them than the parent being stressed and frustrated and trying to come up with something. As a sidenote on boardgames - I think every daycare/after-school-day-care should have a pile of them. Mine did and it was fantastic since there are enough people to play the interesting ones. I don't know about bad impact on adults - all of media has an impact and while videogames are interactive I think we would still be encouraging the same unaccepteble behavior even if all videogames were perfect. I have had bad experiences with the guys who play tons of videogames and treating me - a girl - as an actual person. But I think the other guys played the same games - it just wasn't their main hobby.
You're right telling that there are a lot of good video games around there. My view is probably more pessimistic, because these are simply not the ones which I see people around me playing. And just as you I've had some bad experiences with hardcore gamers.
I like video games, but I hardly ever play them. I am usually really busy with studying, hanging out with friends, playing/listening to music, idly surfing the web or reading. There are a bunch of other things I'd also like to do (more learning, cycling) and they're definitely a higher priority than playing games. That said, I have a few favourites: the old pokemon games (when I was little), party/multiplayer games (Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros), Super Mario Galaxy, Super Meat Boy (I remember the stunned look one of my friends gave me, when he noticed that I only ever play the game using the keyboard and not a game pad). One thing that has stuck with me is the soundtracks. I've never played Katamari Damacy but I've listened to the OST so so so so many times. Same goes for the various Mario soundtracks, (Mr) Gimmick, Calum Bowen's (aka bo en) soundtracks. Old video games is where chiptune had its genesis and it has influenced so many artists - if you grew up playing Pokémon then you probably had a favourite section where you would stop just to listen to the music. Here are some tunes I particularly like: (yes, the Plok Beach theme is in 5/4 time) (drum and bass!!! in a video game soundtrack!!! I love it) Here's an example of a song inspired by video game music:
I've never been into video games. It wasn't that my parents didn't want me to play them, it's just that they never really introduced them to me. My exposure to video games/TV/the internet was quite limited as a kid, partially because I didn't have time for them. The closest I ever got to "video games" was playing Super Mario Bros and Hunt for Red October on my dad's gameboy that is older than I am. Also, whenever I mentioned that my friends watched a lot of TV, they told me that screens turn kids' brains into oatmeal. I sure didn't want my brain to turn into my favorite breakfast.
Depends on the game, really. I like playing video games in general, and they're a fantastic way to spend down-time. I like online games because it's extremely easy to find someone random to game with. It's easier to pick up a P2 when they're already playing the game than finding someone you know in person, and going through the rigmarole of introducing them to the game and getting them up to pace. Usually, I don't have the patience for that. There's also an aspect of making new friends from different places, but that might just be a cop-out to spending time with friends offline...
I very much enjoy video games. I haven't played too many major titles as of late due to other priorities though. There's a lot of Indie games I need to catch up on too. I used to be a console game until December 2013 when I built my first gaming PC. The only game I still play every day is is Pacifism mode on Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 on the Xbox 360. I will go as far as to say that this mode in particular, is in my top 3 games of all time, if not number 1. The premise is simple. You can not shoot. The only way you kill enemies is by passing through explosive gates. They are a doubled edged sword though, as if you hit the explosive ends of said gates, you will die. You have one life. The enemies continually spawn, in larger and larger quantities, hunting you down until you are dead. Such a unique, thrilling, and addictive piece of game design rarely comes about. The way it balances luck, skill, and genius little touches is a marvel to behold. Just to elaborate on some of the touches so you get an idea: You see the gates? Even though you're are playing on an apparent 2D plane, the gates actually move in 3D space. Each end tilts up and down slightly making the gates momentarily bigger or smaller from a 2D perspective. You can see it in the bigger by looking at the explosive rings. Some appear flat and 2D, whilst others have the 3D shape. Couple this with the gates already having really weird physics/movement, and it becomes a completely different experience. Those blue enemies also pulsate in and out and the hit box moves with it. This means that with timing and/or luck, you can sometimes pass through impossibly small gaps. Furthermore, those little green objects are multipliers and are released every time you kill the enemy. They are essential to the highest scores. Do you risk going for them? Damn I love Geometry Wars. My top score is currently 799,000,00 and that's by no means near the world record. I just want to break a billion. Other than that I've played a lot of The Withcer, Fallout: NV and some Far Cry 4 lately, but those are on hold whilst I smash out my deadlines.
I did play the first part of Geometry Wars. It was nice.
I miss my videogames. I was into PC and Playstation in school but now with a job and a relationship there's just no time or money left to really indulge. I've got GTA on my tablet I like to screw around with but that's about all I can take on. Plus they really don't make games like they used to. It's nothing but Call of Duty warpigs and online circlejerk stuff these days. Bring me back Thief and Deus Ex. Those were games you could really feel the love and effort the designers put in. Portal was the last game I enjoyed but I gave up on Half-Life 3 a long time ago.
I agree that old titles on average basis were so much better than the current ones. It seems especially paradoxical when you consider how poorer the computer powers were back then. In many cases even the outward gameplay possibilities were limited by that. Still the whole experience was deeper and more diversified and that's what should really matter. Current games are mostly about audio-visual fireworks, but shallow when you look deeper than that.