A reader looks back at his 40-year experience of playing video games and his undiminished enthusiasm for how the medium has evolved.
To say I’m jealous of youthfulness and kids today is an understatement, to say the least!
Let me explain why though, before you immediately jump to conclusions!
I’m a 48-year-old Xbox gamer and sometimes I just stop for a minute or two (not to catch my breath… I’m not that old!) and marvel at whatever game I’m playing.
Kids today are so lucky. I remember the first time I ever played a game on our family television. It was Pong. My dear old dad got it for me and all you could do was move a paddle controller left or right, which moved a large white line up and down on the black screen. To say that blew my mind when I was young was an understatement! Back then the British public got to enjoy three channels and when I discovered that you could play a game on the television things for me changed forever!
After that I got an Atari 2600 console (google it kids) way, way back in the late ‘70s. My mum and dad bought it for me as I birthday present, I think.
Again, this was, for me, mind-blowing. Full colour graphics with characters I controlled with a joystick. Amazing! You couldn’t get me away from it. Suddenly I was playing Pac-Man on a portable television (albeit the TV in my room was black and white. If I wanted to see my games in colour it meant carrying the whole thing downstairs and hoping that no one wanted to watch Blockbusters) in my bedroom instead of staring longingly at someone playing it in the arcade.
I carried on from there with a Spectrum 48K, PlayStation, N64, and Dreamcast, etc. and, as I said, I never looked back. But here’s my point. Kids today can play football on their consoles with players that look just like their real life namesakes, become a witcher, they can ride horses through a replica of the Wild West or drive a car at high speed on a life like race track. The games today look amazing.
I often imagine being eight or nine now. What kids today are experiencing is out of this world. Back in my day I never imagined playing against an opponent from the other side of the world. Again, kids today just hit the power button and away they go.
Can you imagine kids now playing Pac-Man or Pong, etc? Games on mobile phones today are more advanced than what I had as a nipper.
This is why I’m jealous! It’s only been 40 years for me since I first made a white blocky line move up and down on our old TV and yet look what’s out there now!
Goodness knows what the next 40 years will bring!
So enjoy it kids. 40 years seems like forever but trust me it isn’t! Gaming has never been better and we are on the eve of a new generation. What this new generation will bring is just pure imagination at the minute. I’m getting old but I for one can’t wait.
By reader LilleyJnr
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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