Video Games Make Me Feel Old

The other week I was helping my father set up his e-mail account. Keep in mind the man is 70-odd years of age, and the only computer experience he has is the solitaire program. And as I was teaching him, I realized just how much we take for granted when we use the internet. We know what a browser is, what a window is, how to find a link, the fact that links come in different colors and tabs and sizes etc. etc. My father of course was completely baffled at first by the whole process, and when you think about it, who can blame him? We're so de-sensitized to the internet's complexity, not just because we've used it so frequently, but also because it's not that revolutionary to us. We were all born into a world with computers; my dad's birth predates ENIAC by like...2o years. Obviously, the jump from typewriter to internet is a bigger leap than one that we've faced.

The reason I bring this all up is that I've noticed with dread that the same thing is happening to me and this New Generation of video games. I remember back in the day that to play a video game you put the game in the thing, hit the power button, that's it. But having fallen out of touch with these new systems, due primarily to financial restrictions and a general fade in interest, I realize how old I am. Xbox live? Wii menu? What is this? Of course, I realize that if I owned these systems they're not that complicated to pick up. But nothing makes me feel more ancient than fumbling around on xbox live trying to play the damn game and I end up drooling all over myself and falling asleep at 2 in the afternoon.

But of course, it's not just the complexity of the games themselves. It's the quality also. Games today are trying to emulate Hollywood blockbusters--more graphics, more explosions, more violence. But where's the heart, friends? Where's the heart? This fascinating discussion by Slate.com video game edtiors (courtesy Ben Mauk) discusses how the median age of the first gamers has obviously risen while games have refused to age along with them, creating an unfulfilling generation of games that seek to entertain but not provoke (among other philosophical conundrums.)

Of course it's hard to argue with the big budget approach of games nowadays, given the unstoppable success of the industry as a whole. Video games are making more money than ever, eclipsing Hollywood itself in total revenue. And perhaps you've heard of the various video game tournament and video game leagues out there, offering six-figure contracts to the best players? There's no denying that video games are grabbing the younger generation of gamers even more powerfully than it did the first generation(s) of gamers.

This game requires a Pentium 8 computer with 3 gigs of RAM and 5 kajillion MB of hard-drive space.

In the end though, the march of high-tech gaming is unstoppable. When I started this post, I thought I'd be able to find a deeper meaning in it all, but I realize I'm just a bitter old man who can't get behind these newfangled systems. Bah! Who needs 'em? When those kids throw away their soon-to-be obsolete PS3s and 360s and they move on to the new $600, 50 lb. system with blu-ray capabilities and a built-in shoebuffer and coffee grinder, me and the old folks will still be rockin' Super Metroid and Ocarina of Time, and we'll be damn grateful for the opportunity too.

Now this is a game.