old skool games all the way:)

When I was younger I used to be so into video games, I’m talking Sega Saturn, Sega Master System, Sega Mega drive etc. I guess I was only into them because of my big brother whose main purpose in life was to treat me like a boy. You see, he didn’t get the little brother he had prayed for, and I think it was a by-product from the fact my mum actually treated me like a boy; I still remember the time she gave me a bowl cut. Anyways, the days of street fighter and tekken was actually amazing, in comparison to these days, from my perspective, games just don’t have that same feeling of excitement. This nostalgic pleasure I have as a result of saving weeks of pocket money just so I could get a game boy pocket, still haunts me. Games have just started to get way too complex in their graphics. Maybe I am making a sweeping generalization, but I reckon games shouldn’t have to become so intensified by trying to become more ‘real’ or imaginative. When still playing Sega, I can still become immersed in the game, so why do game producers have to complicate graphics and all that stuff. At the end of the day, it’s just technological advancements and the need for more money I guess.

In continuance with games and their advancements, in the past week all my flat mates and I have been trying to clock ‘Crash Team Racing’, a game from the original play station. It is actually the best game ever invented, and actually also the best way to distract me from doing my essays. Games like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas on play station 2 are violent and X-rated, taking away the fun of cute characters like crash bandicoot. So why are the creators of games like these interested in representing such material? Maybe they are trying to push the boundaries of representation.

These are just a few things that I have pondered, so if you guys have any thing else to add or want to rebut my one sided view of games, feel free.

Rachael Chiu