4 ms·

Most games definitely fade, and deservedly so. Others, from various incarnations of Mario, to various "Tycoon" games probably will stay around for at least as l

by M_Grey 10y ago

Most games definitely fade, and deservedly so. Others, from various incarnations of Mario, to various "Tycoon" games probably will stay around for at least as long as some classic movies. I would still happily play SMB on a NES right now... and I think a lot of people would. It's not just nostalgia, it's a good game, it looks good, it sounds good. I say this, and I'm not generally into retro for the sake of retro.

lr4444lr 10y ago
Right, and you played it in your formative years. I can watch a movie like "The Third Man" or "12 Angry Men" or "Scaramouche" in my adult years, made decades before I was born, even though I was reared on more flashy stuff, and find it as much as if not more satisfying than what I had encountered before. Could you get a 7 year old today who's had a couple of years of XBox 360 and Wii under his belt to enjoy SMB on the NES more than just to play it for 3 minutes to examine it as an artifact of another age? Even when he's older and can understand the evolution of video games?
- hx87 10y ago
  Why not fire up an SNES emulator or DOSBox and find out?
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    Oh I have, I still enjoy it. I took about 15 minutes of getting used to, while thinking, "Oh man, it's just blobs on the screen!" and then I realized I couldn't put it down.
    - grasshopperpurp 10y ago
      I had a similar experience with Super Tecmo Bowl - after recently receiving it and an emulator as a gift. The nostalgia was strong, but, in terms of game play, it really is the sweet spot between something like NFL Blitz and Madden or 2K. And, it has QB Eagles.
      - M_Grey 10y ago
        Yes, I would agree with that specific example too. I also got a chance to play an old NeoGeo cabinet with a game that was basically a jazzed up version of Pong... and it was still fun. Some gameplay just clicks at a deep level, and if the visuals and the sounds are there (i.e. not a distraction at the very least) I think it's possible. I also would point to something like Day of The Tentacle as a true and lasting masterpiece.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
- mrob 10y ago
  I think that 7 year old would be bored by the films you listed too. They might prefer the works of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, which are appreciated by adults too. And I first played SMB as a child, so my claim that it's still great today could be tainted by nostalgia, but I first played Defender and Robotron as an adult, and those are every bit as fast paced and exciting as the best modern games.
  - lr4444lr 10y ago
    True, but what about the Wizard of Oz? Most kids will relate to and enjoy that, despite its age. There are just so many other aspects of movies. Maybe video games will hit that point, but right now, the impression I get is much like only the special effects element of movies - inevitably limited by our appreciation of the technology of the time behind them. Maybe games will eventually reach a point of broad cultural acceptance as complex art form that can produce timeless classics in the same way as film, but I'm not sure we're there yet. Will we ever be? Yet to be determined.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    >I think that 7 year old would be bored by the films you listed too. Yes, but then again we don't judge aesthetic merit but what 7 or 13 year olds find entertaining.
- M_Grey 10y ago
  I don't have the same affection for 99.999% of the games I played in my formative years, most of which I played much more than Mario (I wasn't allowed to have a NES cry). If nostalgia were driving me, I'd be into earlier games, or slightly later Genesis games (I made bad choices). I agree that most games of the past don't translate well, and there's a barrier to entry for any vintage... anything. Most people don't watch old B&W movies, most people don't wear or collect vintage clothing, etc. Edit: I've shown kids 'Babes in Toyland', and 'The Point', and 'Wizard of Oz'... they seem to enjoy those movies still.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- jawilson2 10y ago
  My oldest kids (5 and 7) happily go from playing Halo, NBA2k17, the new Zelda, and Madden to playing Mega Man 2, SMB, and the old Zelda. This is an N=2, but it does happen!

by M_Grey 10y ago

lr4444lr 10y ago

Right, and you played it in your formative years. I can watch a movie like "The Third Man" or "12 Angry Men" or "Scaramouche" in my adult years, made decades before I was born, even though I was reared on more flashy stuff, and find it as much as if not more satisfying than what I had encountered before. Could you get a 7 year old today who's had a couple of years of XBox 360 and Wii under his belt to enjoy SMB on the NES more than just to play it for 3 minutes to examine it as an artifact of another age? Even when he's older and can understand the evolution of video games?

hx87 10y ago
Why not fire up an SNES emulator or DOSBox and find out?
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Oh I have, I still enjoy it. I took about 15 minutes of getting used to, while thinking, "Oh man, it's just blobs on the screen!" and then I realized I couldn't put it down.
  - grasshopperpurp 10y ago
    I had a similar experience with Super Tecmo Bowl - after recently receiving it and an emulator as a gift. The nostalgia was strong, but, in terms of game play, it really is the sweet spot between something like NFL Blitz and Madden or 2K. And, it has QB Eagles.
    - M_Grey 10y ago
      Yes, I would agree with that specific example too. I also got a chance to play an old NeoGeo cabinet with a game that was basically a jazzed up version of Pong... and it was still fun. Some gameplay just clicks at a deep level, and if the visuals and the sounds are there (i.e. not a distraction at the very least) I think it's possible. I also would point to something like Day of The Tentacle as a true and lasting masterpiece.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
mrob 10y ago
I think that 7 year old would be bored by the films you listed too. They might prefer the works of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, which are appreciated by adults too. And I first played SMB as a child, so my claim that it's still great today could be tainted by nostalgia, but I first played Defender and Robotron as an adult, and those are every bit as fast paced and exciting as the best modern games.
- lr4444lr 10y ago
  True, but what about the Wizard of Oz? Most kids will relate to and enjoy that, despite its age. There are just so many other aspects of movies. Maybe video games will hit that point, but right now, the impression I get is much like only the special effects element of movies - inevitably limited by our appreciation of the technology of the time behind them. Maybe games will eventually reach a point of broad cultural acceptance as complex art form that can produce timeless classics in the same way as film, but I'm not sure we're there yet. Will we ever be? Yet to be determined.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >I think that 7 year old would be bored by the films you listed too. Yes, but then again we don't judge aesthetic merit but what 7 or 13 year olds find entertaining.
M_Grey 10y ago
I don't have the same affection for 99.999% of the games I played in my formative years, most of which I played much more than Mario (I wasn't allowed to have a NES cry). If nostalgia were driving me, I'd be into earlier games, or slightly later Genesis games (I made bad choices). I agree that most games of the past don't translate well, and there's a barrier to entry for any vintage... anything. Most people don't watch old B&W movies, most people don't wear or collect vintage clothing, etc. Edit: I've shown kids 'Babes in Toyland', and 'The Point', and 'Wizard of Oz'... they seem to enjoy those movies still.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
jawilson2 10y ago
My oldest kids (5 and 7) happily go from playing Halo, NBA2k17, the new Zelda, and Madden to playing Mega Man 2, SMB, and the old Zelda. This is an N=2, but it does happen!