Slushi's Stuff: Retro Gaming Nostalgia

Kids these days will never understand it.

 

As a kid growing up in the 90's I've had the opportunity to see technology come and go and with it memories of the past. Kids are more focused on graphics, pixels and frame rates rather than actual content and game play. Most main stream console games these days consist primarily of first person shooters (FPS) and respond to the demand in the market. I feel sorry for kids these days because of the lack of genre selection available to them.

Fortunately with the growing Indie game industry and the competitive Steam market place, new and original concepts are being created by smaller teams which allow for investment in risky idea's rather than larger budget project which sick with "safer" formula's.

The following is a short list of games and consoles that personally resonated with me nostalgically.

Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros 3
 

[Console]
My first gaming console was the Nintendo Entertainment System I received in 1997. I still remember when my cousin gave me his old bulky 12 inch CRT, a miniature recycling bin full of games and the console with 2 controllers. Sorting through the bin I recall all the vividly detailed and coloured labels against the dull gray cartridge. Newer consoles these days are moving away from hard copies of video games and encouraging downloading straight to the console for better convenience and cost efficiency. Personally though I still miss blowing the dust out of my favourite game because It added to the tactile experience.

First Nintendo Entertainment System

 
[Game]
The bright yellow cartridge of a flying mustached raccoon man was what caught my attention to Super Mario Bros 3. I remember not knowing what to expect and being fascinated with all the colours and design. Back when the Internet was a new concept learning through trail and error was what made this game a true adventure. Before YouTube let's plays or game walkthroughs, players would beat levels based on skill and not advantage. Despite the 8 bit graphics the game was just challenging enough to keep the player driven and the rewards gave the player satisfaction in their accomplishments. The more and more I played it, the more secrets  I learned and the deeper I became engrossed.

Super Mario Bros 3

 

A few of my fondest moments I recall the best include:

1. Discovering the tanooki suit and flying to the secret warp pipes.

2. Moving behind the scenery and bypassing enemies [Blew my mind]

3. The secret warp pipes behind level 2 that allow you to portal to other worlds.

As someone who owns a WII U I can say that the new Mario games available do capture the spirit of Mario Bros 3 and add new things to it. Kids growing up with the WII U as their first console will experience the adventure of Mario games and allow them to connect with older generations of Mario players.

Game Boy Pocket: Donkey Kong

 

[Console]
The first portable gaming console I received was the original Game Boy Pocket. I remember the day my grandparents gave me a tiny grey box for my birthday and being excited to see what It was. I remember not knowing what it did, but recall seeing the Nintendo logo. Turning it on for the first time and hearing the start up sound blew my mind. Being able to play a game anywhere without all the wires and heavy equipment was ground breaking for me. Despite only being shades of grey, It was special to me and bring me memories of my grandparents.

Game Boy Pocket

 

[Game]
Donkey Kong was the game that was included with the console. No matter where I was, I would always bring my Game Boy with me. When I was at school I would dodge springs, and when I was at home I would climb ladder's. Compared to sophisticated portable games such as Monster Hunter this game is primitive but, at the time it was revolutionary. Although I still have yet to beat Donkey Kong, It still ignites memories of my grandparents and childhood which makes me happy.

1994 Donkey Kong Commercial

 

PC: Counter Strike

[Console]
2006 was a great year for PC's and technology was at it's peak. By today's standards though, a computer run by a hamster wheel would probably run faster. My first computer that had Internet was an old Dell desktop. It used to have a floppy disk and ran games at the same frames per second as a picture book (5 fps). I remember getting the Counter-Strike:Anthology from my cousin for my birthday and not knowing what to expect.

Dell Desktop

[Game]
Back in 2006 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero was huge phenomenon. The game was explosive in popularity and had an active community. This game specifically brings me nostalgia because it was the first game I played using the Internet. My cousins used to play in clans call DSK and would compete in ranked ladders. Watching them play with their teammates in Cal-I really expressed a genuine bond they had for each other. Pro's and enthusiasts would spend thousands of dollars on premium computer parts (liquid cooling) so that they could run the game at the highest quality (1000 frames per second). When I finally started playing, It was simply amazing. The teamwork, communication and reflexes needed to play this game were completely different from my NES. Today we have it's predecessor Counter Strike: Global Offensive and it's still an amazing game which added new elements while still keeping the spirit of the original alive. Overall playing Counter Strike back in the day was some of the earliest memories I've had using the Internet and reminds me of a age when I had more time on my hands.

Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Commercial

In conclusion gaming since the 90's has allowed me reflect on the progression technology and myself. While kids today complain about graphics or frames, what they really need is a perspective. Although people will always complain about image quality, what they really should consider is the experience and the memories that game creates. These games act as an archive of my youth and kids growing up now will no doubt defend their favourites when they get older and technology becomes more real.

 

What's your best gaming nostalgic memory?

 

-Slushi- 

Console Wars: Past and Future

Video gaming consoles are a great way of socializing with others and relaxing after a hard day's work. Although they are fun experience video gaming consoles cost can be quite costly and can average between $300-$600 depending on the offer. That's not even including access to online,additional games and equipment.With all these options selecting the correct one for you can be challenging.

This fierce competition to be the best has created a unique microcosm of conflict among the player bases of the top 3 companies; Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Each company provides its customers with their own unique IP's (Intellectual Properties) and gaming experiences that reflect what the consumer is looking for. For example the Nintendo Wii is marketed around a family focused target market and promote games such as the Mario franchise and the Wii Sports games. Consoles such as Sony and Microsoft however are targeted towards the more "hardcore" gamers and promote IP's such as Halo on the Xbox One and Killzone for the Playstation. What's interesting about these two consoles are the fact that despite being identical technically the amount of passion and support from their respective fans is intense.

The "Console Wars" is a term which refers to the conflict between which console is superior. Weather it is technologically superior, better game IP's, better frame rate and even larger console sales, the player bases of each console are determined to express their opinions everywhere online. Examples include gaming discussion boards, YouTube comments and social media are just a few locations of where people will ignite a debate over which is better.

This phenomenon was even parodied in a 3 part mini series on South Park where Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Stan must choose between their friendship and which console to choose.The series ends in a literal physical fight between Bill Gates and the president of Sony which personifies the conflict and leads the children to come to a realization.

But is this conflict really negative or is it a win-win situation?. Personally I think this console war is the best thing that could happen to these companies. When 80% of your profits come from 20% of your loyal customers base, having consumers who will go out of their way to promote your brand can only help benefit your company. Consumers advertise and promote all over social media and defend their console choice as If it was their own country they were defending.

Even though the console wars are seen as primarily between the Sony Playstation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo has also seen it's fair share of competition in the late 80's - early 90's between Sega. Similar to today where graphics and processing are used as support in arguments, in the 90's it was all about bits and blast processing. A great example includes this Sega Jaguar advertisement which solely focuses on the graphics of the console making the product superior. Despite heavy advertising on the amount of bits compared to it's competition, the Jaguar provided little in entertaining game play or audio which lead to it's slow decline.

In conclusion the console wars have been happening since gaming was invented and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. As long as there are options people will fight in order to prove that their decision was the best one. This conflict can be harnessed in order advertise each console and providing your consumer base with USP's allows them to micro market your console all over the internet. It's interesting to see how much passion individuals will have when promoting their plastic boxes and it's interesting to see the psychology behind it. Lets just hope we don't let this jingoism impede research and development of new consoles and technologies and that future tech is determined by consumers and capitalism.