by Vome » Sun Jun 14, 2015 9:31 am
It was a magical time
when you could boot up the Nintendo
Entertainment System and you could go on
an adventure with Mario, Link or Samus. I'd
say something curmudgeony like “Those
were the days” but, let's face it, not much has changed for the Big N after all these years. They still rely on the same formula with the
same cast of characters and, you know what? That's quite alright.
Anyway, with video game consoles
becoming more commonplace, my
generation's parents saw those crazy
machines that you plug into the television as
little more than expensive toys. And, to be
fair, that's basically what they were at the dawn of the era. I'm not saying that adults
couldn't have just as much fun with an NES,
just that all of those simple graphics, upbeat
chiptune tracks and endless beeps and
boops didn't exactly scream “I am a
sophisticated piece of machinery that can be enjoyed by all ages.”
So, yeah, I grew up in a time when game
consoles were seen as mere toys and, no
matter when you grow up, “toys” are things
you are expected to grow out of. By middle
school, everyone I knew was playing video
games. Once high school rolled around, it was officially seen as one of those nerdy
pastimes; something only loners did or guys
and gals who had simply not grown out of
them yet. “Aren't you a little old to be playing video games?” Those words were never really
spoken by my own parents (They'd actually
play with my brother and I from time to time),
but it was definitely something that I heard
on a regular basis from classmates, teachers and other adults who visited the house and
saw me entranced by something like Metal
Gear Solid on the OG PlayStation. What's funny
is the fact that games like MGS were some of
the first to come along and make the
argument that more adult experiences could be had on these devices but, by then, our
culture's minds was made up when it came to
video games' place in the grand scheme of
things.
