Re: An Engineer's View of Game Design

"PizaZ" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]: 

> I'd like to see more threads on the historical evolution of games and
> gamers.  Do gamers really get jaded by advancements in graphics
> technology?

I can't speak for other gamers, but I know that I have. I am one of the 
minority (or so we're led to believe) who doesn't enjoy First Person 
Shooters. In a world full of 3D gaming I long for my teenage years! What 
choice do I have now? I'm sure there are plenty of PC games around for 
me, but where are the 2D commercial big-hitters? I'm so excited about R-
Type Final coming out, and I was pleased to read about Metal Slug 
hitting the PS2. Perhaps patience is indeed a virtue and I will be 
rewarded for my waiting...?

> If a game like Pitfall were created today with the exact
> same gameplay, but with a 2003 graphical facelift, would it have any
> appeal?  Has the gameplay in the genre passed it by?

I'm still hoping that as graphics reach a "realism plateau" the focus 
will shift to gameplay, and as developers try to make their games stand 
out, they may shift towards 2D. I've only just found out about the "Sega 
Ages" games that are being released for the PS2 in Japan, and to me this 
is huge! There is a lot of reference to "retro" gaming these days, but I 
think that's a misguided term. If I listen to and enjoy Elvis' music, am 
I "retro listening"? There is a surge of activity in the classic gaming 
arena and I believe there is a big market for reduced complexity 2D 
games (but have no evidence to back this up other than gut feeling).

> Then again there
> are kids coming of computer game playing age everyday who'd probably
> still get a kick out of such games. Would be interesting to hear
> discussions on the relationship between a gamer's age and their
> ability to stay immersed in any computer game. 
> 

I'm 26 and I find it difficult to immerse myself in FPSs (as I mentioned 
earlier). I love games like Jak and Daxter and Super Mario Sunshine 
because it's the closest I can get to a 2D platform game. If a Super 
Mario Bros. game were released with 3D characters but a side-on 
perspective (like the early games) I would be buying it like a shot and 
would be willing to spend money on buying a system to play it if that 
were necessary. I still play Sonic the Hedgehog 1,2 and 3 a great deal, 
along with Super Mario 3 and World. Strangely, I find them more 
challenging now than I did when I was younger, and I appreciate the 
experience much more because I now have the patience to look for all the 
"secrets" in these games and am not just blindly rushing towards 
"completion".

I think there is a definite yearning (within me at least) to return to 
simpler games that you can play in short bursts and not think "where was 
I? Where do I have to go in order to get to that puzzle that I was 
trying to solve?"

Games such as Vice City have appeal for me because I don't have to 
remember anything between sessions. I can pick it up after not playing 
for weeks, and straight away I can get into a mission and spend maybe an 
hour to complete a mission or two, and then switch off again and deal 
with other commitments.

When you're a kid you have hours and hours to spend playing games, 
listening to music, watching films... But I have found that now I'm an 
adult I don't have the time or inclination to complete long games. I 
want quick hits. Gran Turismo 3 for the PS2 is a good example of this. I 
really want to complete that game, but I'll never do it because I don't 
have the spare time to complete the endurance races, and even if I did 
have the time, could I really justify sitting in front of the TV for 
hours going round and round a track in my car? That *is* repetitive and 
tedious to me, and I love driving games (it's the one genre where I 
really appreciate the 3D graphics and the advances made).

That's just my 2 cents worth!

As a bit of background, I'm not involved in the games industry and am 
not a "hardcore" gamer like I was in my early teens. I am, however, a 
programmer and an average guy in his mid-twenties who enjoys a bit of 
gaming when it fits in with his lifestyle.