We've all heard that tired old argument that games these days are too easy. Hell, as a relatively old school gamer I can see why it crops up every so often. Back in the industry's infancy, games were short but insanely difficult, and in some cases literally unfinishable. Back then, the gamer's reward came not from a lavishly directed cut-scene, but from overcoming challenges through trial and error, memory and natural reflexes. Finishing a game like Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man required time and dedication; running out of lives no matter where you were in the game meant you'd be back to square one, and had no choice but to start the process all over again.
Now, while many modern games certainly hold the player's hand, that doesn't mean hard games have gone away. There's still very much a market for them. The popularity of Dark Souls, for example, shows that many people are still up for putting themselves to the test, while Day Z's brutal permadeath makes for incredibly tense gameplay. These are very modern games embracing a very old-fashioned take on the virtual life.
Continue reading…
No comments:
Post a Comment