Monday, August 09, 2004
Old computers never die...
I've been trying to recapture my youth and find out what made those old computer games so great by setting myself up with a few emulators and downloaded games. I've known for a while that this kind of thing was out there, but getting into this in a bit more depth (I'm now running a Commodore 64, a BBC Model B, and an Amiga on my laptop) I have been amazed at the sheer size of the community dedicated to preserving and lovingly recreating these older platforms. I've spent some time tracking down a copy of a game I was particularly fond of, only to find that web sites devoted to it and how to get it playing as well as possible using an emulator. I can honestly say this is more than just nostalgia - there's a quality to the games that I think is missing from the more recent wave of 'console' entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I think consoles are great, as my hours on my PS2 will testify. But the sheer addictive quality and sense of groundbreaking, classic gameplay? That's something I haven't seen since my Amiga. These machines, especially the 8-bits, really were pushed to their limit to deliver new and innovative titles. I guess my thought for today is that this relentless advancement of hardware takes away the game programmer's need to perform a minor miracle in code, and addictive gameplay elements all too often give way to enhanced lighting and shading effects. All my old favourites demand the exercise of my imagination because, put simply, the graphics are crap. But I still enjoy playing them. Some might sayI'm just a nostalgic geek, but others will understand (won't you?) :)
I've been trying to recapture my youth and find out what made those old computer games so great by setting myself up with a few emulators and downloaded games. I've known for a while that this kind of thing was out there, but getting into this in a bit more depth (I'm now running a Commodore 64, a BBC Model B, and an Amiga on my laptop) I have been amazed at the sheer size of the community dedicated to preserving and lovingly recreating these older platforms. I've spent some time tracking down a copy of a game I was particularly fond of, only to find that web sites devoted to it and how to get it playing as well as possible using an emulator. I can honestly say this is more than just nostalgia - there's a quality to the games that I think is missing from the more recent wave of 'console' entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I think consoles are great, as my hours on my PS2 will testify. But the sheer addictive quality and sense of groundbreaking, classic gameplay? That's something I haven't seen since my Amiga. These machines, especially the 8-bits, really were pushed to their limit to deliver new and innovative titles. I guess my thought for today is that this relentless advancement of hardware takes away the game programmer's need to perform a minor miracle in code, and addictive gameplay elements all too often give way to enhanced lighting and shading effects. All my old favourites demand the exercise of my imagination because, put simply, the graphics are crap. But I still enjoy playing them. Some might sayI'm just a nostalgic geek, but others will understand (won't you?) :)
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(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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