The evolution of the best video games into popular culture which go beyond tech, know how and game life cycle and into player consciousness.
In the same way that there are timeless classics in cinema or music that are still enjoyed today or more than when they emerged, a brief but intense history of video games have emerged offering works that have penetrated general culture enough to go beyond concepts such as technological limitations or market trends.
However, the first generation of persistent players has managed to extend the life cycle of certain games far beyond what was expected when they were developed. And it’s hard to think today where games without current online functions or continuous expansion have been completed in such a way that people, not only don’t forget it, but rather play it against the current proposal. Even, if we want to play slot, we prefer to play slot machine online.
Why?
Video games now come to market with a “life cycle” that is controlled by post-launch content and online support. The first thing to remember is that when designing games the life cycle is calculated. It might seem logical that if we were to make a new annual release of ‘Call of Duty’ or ‘Assassin’s Creed’ we would have to stop giving continuity to the same IP titles that came out two or three years ago, because they extended the excessive support of the story annual report and will condition the sale of shipments in the future.
But if we think carefully, when developing the first ‘Donkey Kong’ recreation or with the premiere of ‘Tomb Raider’ in the 32-bit console era, users and sales volumes and distribution methods will be very different.
This does not mean, far from that, that the latest games and those that have adapted to the new market model do not have the capacity to become new classics that are able to resist the passing of time. As we saw earlier in fields such as the continuity of remake or continuity of game crackers, once again the key is again in the user community itself.
The first generation of persistent players
Unlike other new artistic or cultural expressions, during the early years of the video game industry, this has been focused as a product aimed at younger players, by way of modern and pleasant claims, and others as substitutes. However, it was from the late 80s and especially during the second half of the 90s that users continued their passion for video games after their teenage years.
Surprisingly, it is normal to see people of all ages and social classes enjoying their favorite games on tablets or mobile phones, but keep in mind that video game consoles that are permanently connected to the main television are not something that was extended extensively 20 or 30 years ago and moreover the concept of a home or portable digital entertainment device is in almost every home.
People of all ages and social classes enjoy their favorite games on tablets or mobile phones.
The current generation of video games demands new experience and that conditions the industry itself and makes it reinvent itself year after year, change the monetization system, explore the boundaries of software and hardware and even look for new immersion and entertainment systems.
However, and despite all of the above, there are a large number of players who continue to play today with their favorite games in the past. Does that mean that a particular title or genre reached its peak 20 years ago?
Nostalgic factor, an important element
We will not cheat at this time. Despite the fact that pixel art is on the rise and minimalist polygonal designs are increasingly taking on a bigger role, if we are willing to go back to technical solutions 20 or 30 years ago, it is caused by charisma or nostalgia that comes from games whose graphics are far from the high definition and 60fps standards they really like right now.
In some cases, we relate these graphs to specific stages of our past in the case of players who are more veteran, or we have internalized them as part of popular iconography, as is the case among younger users. This happens in some casino games like the ones offered by mr.bet online casino Canada. What was I doing when I started playing the first ‘Age of Empires’? Is this the legendary ‘Blue Pokémon’ that has been talked about so much on the internet? Will Counter Strike still be as addictive as those afternoons that I spent in the “cyber” with my group of friends?
The gamers of “Generation X” knew perfectly what it was to take advantage of each game.
Nowadays it is very common that we get used to accumulating huge amounts of games in our digital libraries thanks to promotions of premium subscriptions on consoles or the legendary offers of platforms like Steam, GOG or Humble Bundle, but the gamers of generation X know perfectly what is to take advantage of each game. That’s the difference!
