Back to the Classics: Why We Are Missing Out With Today’s Games

I’m going to level with you.

I’m not much of a “die hard” gamer. My geek genes are more securely lodged in the realm of television, movies, or books. As a BFA Creative Writing major, I’m drawn to plots and in-depth characters rather than the mindless shooting that seems to come with most games today. I’m all for post-apocalyptic settings, but can we throw in something more than the sad excuse of a storyline that pops up between the mind-numbing plethora of zombie grunts or alien shrieks? I mean really, I wrote better stories in middle school.

I understand these games are supposed to be frightening or action-packed, but I am dying for a game where my biggest challenge isn’t making sure I turn down the right corridor. Seriously, I get eaten once and I know not to go that way. What ever happened to games with intelligence? I find myself more interested in playing my ancient Playstation Wheel of Fortune game than the newest hit. At least it keeps me guessing.

I miss the days when Pacman was hot stuff.

Granted, our entertainment today is force-feeding us this idea that we should get bored with something as simple as a yellow circle in a maze chomping on white dots, but why play games that resemble our standardized tests? Do we really want a No Gamer Left Behind policy? What ever happened to games that required more than just common sense?

Maybe it’s just the non-gamer side of me that is spouting out these concerns, but I’m tired of sitting in front of my console or computer and praying that I can hit the same button with enough speed to not die this time.

Give me the classics any day!

I can’t be the only gamer who has been turned off by today’s markets. It’s time we stop expecting our gamers to be of a lower caliber. We have the intelligence to tackle smarter games. It might even be nice to play a game we can’t beat in a solid 48-hour period because it is challenging intellectually, rather than having a brute force that continues to maul our characters.

Am I the only one out there who’s struggling to stay interested? Is anyone else ready for change or am I seriously missing the point of the “new and improved”? Let me know by commenting or sharing!