When I talk to people about how video games ‘used’ to be, I feel friggin’ old. From the “When I was your age, we used to blow on our video games to make them work” fan page on Facebook, to trying to explain a youngin’ what Intellivision or ColecoVision was like, and how cool it was. I am always trying to get copies or emulators for old systems or games like the original Pokemon for Gameboy, or Conflict (the greatest political simulator ever) or Tom Clancy’s ruthless.com.

   I am not out of the loop at all with modern games, but in all honestly, there is something missing that these old games had in spades – difficulty. Yes, modern games have different modes to choose from, from easy to hellaciously hard. Older games, like Pacman for example, had no need – the further you got the more difficult it became, until it was so hard you couldn’t play the god damned thing anymore and had to put in Joust instead, which would follow the same progression. You may say, “Hey, douchebag – the needs of gamers have changed…” – but you are wrong. The graphics are better today – dummy, but our needs are the same as they were with Pong. We need competition, escape, entertainment, challenge, intrigue…all video games have progressed under these same terms. Today I am focusing on the challenge, as there is little to none today – and when a game comes out that actually challenges someone, it gets ripped up for this reason. On the business side of the industry, of course they want everyone to be able to play and win. We no longer go to arcades, for the most part, so there isn’t the need to keep plunking in quarter after quarter to get to the next level or stage – they want it all from us upfront. I doubt that I ever played the T.M.N.T. arcade game again after I finally beat it – why would I? I felt such a sense of accomplishment afterwards – I would walk by the machine and smugly think to myself – I own you. I am your master – and then proceed to another game that sucked me in. As I mentioned, I beat it. It was defeated, like an old adversary, bested in honorable combat, by me. We don’t say this anymore, do we? We finish Modern Warfare 2 – it is inevitable – the only deciding factor is the amount of time it takes. In some cases, the first time through is only to open up content, weapons, etc. for the second run, third run, eleventh run.

At what point did we become pussies? When did we decide that we needed game developers to make games that were easy to feel better about ourselves? Was I ever depressed when I couldn’t beat Mike Tyson in Punch Out? Never – but I was absolutely ecstatic when I knocked him the fuck out, Devo. Beating the first Final Fantasy was an event in my young life – huddled in the basement like Bastian and his book in Neverending Story, developing strategy after strategy of how to defeat Chaos. We couldn’t do it the first, second, third, eleventh time – but when we did – it was pure joy. There was confetti falling from the ceiling and angels appeared and played our victory song one golden horns. More recently, when I finish a game – the reaction is more along the lines of “well then…what’s next?”.

   Of course, we are all suckers for falling into this trap. We complain when a game is difficult and when it is too easy, but we will play both – and the business side of the video game industry will reap the rewards. Will I stop playing new games? Of course I won’t. I have been an abuser of cheat codes from Doom to Morrowind – but I also know that nothing – absolutelyfreekingfracking nothing can compare with a well earned defeat of a well made and difficult game. I am always on the lookout for the next one. In the mean time I have my old copy of Civilization II to keep me company.

-deadbaldy