Kids Today...

[ReTrO-pLaYeR]

This may not precisely pertain to classic video games- but it does involve them in a sense. I'd just like to blow off a little steam concerning my classmates up at my middle school...

They love to talk smack about the classic games (particularly NES and SNES) just to piss me off- they know I'm obsessed with 8-Bit Mario games in particular. They say those games are "stupid" (great vocabulary, kids!) because they don't have enough violent or gory scenes. What the hell!? Maybe there isn't blood dripping off my television screen, but hey- these games are FUN! The classics contain one element current-generation games will never have: gameplay. They revolve around one simple element, may it be navigating a frog across a busy highway or blasting aliens with a fragile tank. Have these kids even given the classics a CHANCE? I think they're being biased. Or maybe I'm just one of a kind at my school.

[Steven]

The sooner you understand and live this, the better.

Really -- who cares what someone else says? Especially if they trash games you yourself enjoy. You cannot change their minds nor should you care to. Let them play what they like and you keep doing what satisfies you. It's much better when you're not worrying about what everyone else says or thinks.

[ReTrO-pLaYeR]

Agreed. I just wish kids actually knew what a REAL game was- back before Xbox or Sony ever entered the market. I don't really care but it does "grind my gears" (Anybody who doesn't get that reference should watch Family Guy more often) to say the least.

[Ed Oscuro]

Agreed. I just wish kids actually knew what a REAL game was- back before Xbox or Sony ever entered the market.

Were you even born when this was the case? Xbox, okay granted you were maybe five at the time, but Sony has been around the fringes since well before there was a NES, and Microsoft about as long as the NES.

No disrespect, but you are a kid; I'm still borderline one really. We can't escape the age we're born into, but only try to make it better.

There's no blanket issue wrong with today's games; if anything, you're much better off that I was in the 90s because of the choices you have available, and I theoretically was better off than kids who only grew up with Atari, and whatever. Game development didn't stop with the classics; I also think that there was a directness and emphasis on some good design that isn't a part of many of today's highly visible movie games, but for the most part the old games aren't gone. There's still cartridges, there's MAME, and there's lots and lots of freeware games and cheap direct download titles that simply didn't exist before.

Props for focusing your attention on something a lot of people think is merely "history," but there's no need to slag off today's games, I don't think.

That's just my half a cent's worth.

-----

Also, folks would be well to remember that people (successful people) don't write prose like Edgar Allan Poe or poetry like Walt Whitman; blackface isn't welcome in the movies anymore, etc. Old games probably fare better than some other artistic mediums because of how simple and direct they are - they speak across the decades clearly (at least the great ones do), but the state of the art has had to change as well. It's just how things go. Even if there's nothing wrong or offensive about old games, it's just not with the state of the art, which is guided by fads and marketing.

[Graham Mitchell]

Were you even born when this was the case? Xbox, okay granted you were maybe five at the time, but Sony has been around the fringes since well before there was a NES, and Microsoft about as long as the NES.

No disrespect, but you are a kid; I'm still borderline one really. We can't escape the age we're born into, but only try to make it better.

There's no blanket issue wrong with today's games; if anything, you're much better off that I was in the 90s because of the choices you have available, and I theoretically was better off than kids who only grew up with Atari, and whatever. Game development didn't stop with the classics; I also think that there was a directness and emphasis on some good design that isn't a part of many of today's highly visible movie games, but for the most part the old games aren't gone. There's still cartridges, there's MAME, and there's lots and lots of freeware games and cheap direct download titles that simply didn't exist before.

Props for focusing your attention on something a lot of people think is merely "history," but there's no need to slag off today's games, I don't think.

That's just my half a cent's worth.

-----

Also, folks would be well to remember that people (successful people) don't write prose like Edgar Allan Poe or poetry like Walt Whitman; blackface isn't welcome in the movies anymore, etc. Old games probably fare better than some other artistic mediums because of how simple and direct they are - they speak across the decades clearly (at least the great ones do), but the state of the art has had to change as well. It's just how things go. Even if there's nothing wrong or offensive about old games, it's just not with the state of the art, which is guided by fads and marketing.

QFT. I used to be a real snob about this stuff, but the real motivation behind it was that I was in med school, and I was too busy to invest in a PS2 game because they were too time intensive. But NES games were great (for the most part). Play for 15-30 minutes at a time and you've gotten a fairly complete experience out of it. But when I bought a 360, I was so impressed with it that it renewed my faith in modern gaming. (I thought the Wii was gonna be the be-all end-all, but it wasn't.)

Anyway, sorry to derail...just felt like sharing.

[BHvrd]

As long as they stop playing that crap ass Call of Duty MW2 and start playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 all will be well in my book, but I guess that may a bit off topic, then again it all boils down to the same thing..... opinion.

[yoshilime53]

Uhhhg, dont get me Started. My classmates think that ANYTHING nes is SUPER ULTRA RARE AND EXPENSIVE. One of them quoted SMB/DH at being like 500 dollars. And when i told my friend he could sell his NES, his other friend said not to, becasue he heard something nes soldfor alot (refering to Stadium Events), but when i told him tht ne's and common games arnt worth alot, he denied it fully.

[Pichu]

Ugh how annoying. But remember, its their loss,
and you're the one playing the fun games.
As for that overpricing of NES thing, I just facedesked to that.

[buzz_n64]

I don't give a crap if a kid or adult doesn't like what I like, most likely I don't like what they like, and that's fine, the less demand for the classics means more for me until $40,000 sales for games have been happening, and now people that aren't even into games are going to purchase them as pure investments they think are worth fortunes.

[Flippy8490]

I don't really care, but it is really...sad to say the least. A completely immature, biased, unappreciative generation of teenagers are becoming next generations gamers. If this becomes widespread behavior, gaming will see its end in the hands of them. Remember, they are the next round of people to work in the industry. It makes me sad.

The people that can appreciate all 7 current generations of games are the ones who are the real gamers. They like EVERYTHING. They see the value in an 8-bit NES title, a hyper HD xbox 360 new release and the blip-bloops of Atari.

[Gameguy]

Uhhhg, dont get me Started. My classmates think that ANYTHING nes is SUPER ULTRA RARE AND EXPENSIVE. One of them quoted SMB/DH at being like 500 dollars. And when i told my friend he could sell his NES, his other friend said not to, becasue he heard something nes soldfor alot (refering to Stadium Events), but when i told him tht ne's and common games arnt worth alot, he denied it fully.

That's when you should offer to sell him your extras, like 10 copies of SMB/DH for $20 each. Either he sticks to his belief and buys your common games, or he admits he's wrong about the rarity and value of them.

To the OP: If your friends think all NES games aren't violent or gory enough, just get a copy of Chiller to show them. Or stop caring what they say, if they're just saying that stuff to get you angry why bother hanging out with them.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Visual Aid Time!

Panels 1 & 2 depict what your classmates think they are experiencing now...
Panel 3 depicts what they will find when they return to these 'awesome' games in 10-20 years...
And finally, Panel 4 depicts their reaction to their misspent youth.

[Famidrive-16]

Visual Aid Time!

Panels 1 & 2 depict what your classmates think they are experiencing now...
Panel 3 depicts what they will find when they return to these 'awesome' games in 10-20 years...
And finally, Panel 4 depicts their reaction to their misspent youth.

she's still cute, w/e

[Kyle15]

This may not precisely pertain to classic video games- but it does involve them in a sense. I'd just like to blow off a little steam concerning my classmates up at my middle school...

They love to talk smack about the classic games (particularly NES and SNES) just to piss me off- they know I'm obsessed with 8-Bit Mario games in particular. They say those games are "stupid" (great vocabulary, kids!) because they don't have enough violent or gory scenes. What the hell!? Maybe there isn't blood dripping off my television screen, but hey- these games are FUN! The classics contain one element current-generation games will never have: gameplay. They revolve around one simple element, may it be navigating a frog across a busy highway or blasting aliens with a fragile tank. Have these kids even given the classics a CHANCE? I think they're being biased. Or maybe I'm just one of a kind at my school.

I think everybody knows how that feels by now. Give them a while;elementary school kids can be absolute demons at times. They'll wise-up sooner or later. If anything, Icarus' picture chart is proof of that.

[aclbandit]

This may not precisely pertain to classic video games- but it does involve them in a sense. I'd just like to blow off a little steam concerning my classmates up at my middle school...

They love to talk smack about the classic games (particularly NES and SNES) just to piss me off- they know I'm obsessed with 8-Bit Mario games in particular. They say those games are "stupid" (great vocabulary, kids!) because they don't have enough violent or gory scenes. What the hell!? Maybe there isn't blood dripping off my television screen, but hey- these games are FUN! The classics contain one element current-generation games will never have: gameplay. They revolve around one simple element, may it be navigating a frog across a busy highway or blasting aliens with a fragile tank. Have these kids even given the classics a CHANCE? I think they're being biased. Or maybe I'm just one of a kind at my school.

Really glad to see someone as young as you really appreciate where games came from and where (IMHO) the best games are. Even if your friends disagree, enjoy what you enjoy, and know that there's a place on the internet where nearly everyone shares your love for retro games (that is... right here )

Also really glad to see that you can use proper grammar and spelling, etc. A lot of ADULTS on the internet can't even manage as much

[lagartija_nick]

Its easy to blame the youth for being ignorant.

Keep in mind people are automatically spoiled in most cases just from being born in a certain era.

With general peer pressure and online gaming to keep up with your pals, there's little chance a young person will ever get the opportunity to explore retro games.

Its what you are exposed to in your formative years that will probably set your standards. Thats your reality, anything that came before your time is not your reality, especially when there is a "more advanced, prettier and better version out there already"


Much the same way you probably do not like the music or tv shows of your parents era.


I was gaming pre Atari 2600 on clone pong consoles. Witch pretty much means I witnessed a lot of evolution.

Because of this modern games are not any more special to me than retro-games. Not that I don't like modern games, I do but I am still blown away by 2600 Adventure and the 8-bit and 16-Phantasy Stars are still my favorite rpgs of all time.

On the other hand my brother and few other people my age who grew up with me have a disdain for anything not on the cutting edge. They have no appreciation for retro-games even though these are games they grew up playing. I am not talking about strictly 8 and 16 bit games. They find Xbox 1 and PS2 graphics way below standard.

So its not just the young kids who are to blame.

I often wonder how I never fell into that type of thinking.

[joshnickerson]

Speaking as someone who grew up in the 8-bit era, it amuses me when I walk by the Wii kiosks at Wal-Mart and I see kids struggling to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They point the remote at the screen and shake it, seemingly only getting Mario to perform the spin jump. The first few times I saw this, I explained how they had to hold the controller sidesway, even demonstrated it to them, but as soon as I handed the controller back, they went back to pointing and shaking. After that, I just watch in amusement as they get frustrated.

Then they walk over to the PS3 kiosk and start performing all kinds of complicated tricks in a Spiderman game, and I'm like WTF?

[Graham Mitchell]

Ahh, Retro Player, my young friend. I'm glad that you enjoy the classics as everyone on this board does to some degree.

But when you argue with your bitch-ass colleagues, try to remember that their opinion is every bit as valid as yours. If you attack or persecute them for it, it's just gonna cause problems for you. Let them enjoy their MW2. It's sad that they'll probably never experience Super Mario World or Metroid, but as others have said in this thread--their loss.

And I mean this in the nicest way, but I do detect a slight bit of elitism in your posts. We all love the classics, but the truth is that some of the modern games are pretty good too. Don't sell yourself short and give up on experiences just because you're fighting some ideologic battle with the brats at your middle school. Try some of those modern games out. Some of them are pretty cool, and a lot of them make references and nods to older games as well, which is something you (and not your classmates) will appreciate given your experience with classic games. (Check out stuff like Metal Gear Solid or Little Big Planet).

The point of games, really, is to be enjoyed. Go for what you like, and don't worry about what anyone else says.

[Diatribal Deity]

Taboo topics of conversation:

(1) Religion
(2) Politics

And now...

(3) Taste in video games

Alright to discuss in general...never a good idea to criticize or try to convince.

[Cav]

Speaking as someone who grew up in the 8-bit era, it amuses me when I walk by the Wii kiosks at Wal-Mart and I see kids struggling to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They point the remote at the screen and shake it, seemingly only getting Mario to perform the spin jump. The first few times I saw this, I explained how they had to hold the controller sidesway, even demonstrated it to them, but as soon as I handed the controller back, they went back to pointing and shaking....

Ha! I could only think of the BTTF II quote: "You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy."