We humans are a funny thing. In many ways, we are so unique, diverse and infinitely… us. In other ways, we are so similar. From believing, as kids, that the moon was following us at night when we drove in the back seat of a car, to thinking a little man was switching off the fridge light when we closed the door and trying to catch him. All of us also own a trusty pair of rose-tinted shades, which we adorn any time we take a trip down memory lane. But I am not here to suggest that nostalgia is overrated (It totally isn’t). I am here to say that sometimes the “good old days” are just that, especially when it comes to gaming.
Now, to clear the air, I do not believe that games were better back then. I will concede that I think there were some huge titles back in the day that are still played now, and it was more common to see something “revolutionary”. But these days, it is the easiest and most accessible it has ever been to make and publish your games, and as such we’ve seen the absolute flourishing of indie games and smaller teams of game developers. Besides some of the warts in the industry (the layoffs and corporate meddling, for one), I think we gamers got it good.
There is, however, one aspect of gaming that has slightly irked me, more so as I have gotten to the ripe old age of 24. From my childhood days of yore, some memorable games I played were Lego Star Wars and Batman, God of War 3 and GTA San Andreas, which I desperately hid from my mom as a kid. Something that I remember these games have in common, in my experience, was struggling to know where to go next. That might be because I was still in primary school or that I had no idea where the map button was, but the effect this had on me was interesting. Rather than being deterred by it, I was spurred on by it to find my way and figure things out.
And herein lies my conundrum. I am seeing less and less “figuring out” in the age of modern gaming.
I started a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption 2 not too long ago. Remembering a rumour that turning off the minimap completely means that you get more dialogue, I decided to do just that. So far, I have played three chapters worth of blind navigation, only consulting the large map when I set off towards a destination.
Simply turning off that small pocket GPS in the corner already set off an alarm bell in my gamer head. I thought to myself, “this is pointless”. You are going to wander in circles for a few hours. Turn it back on and thank your stars for the wayfinding that Rockstar built in.”
But it was not pointless. Not only was trusting the same memory that allows me to remember the directions to my nearest KFC completely doable in real life, but I also noticed something fascinating: I got more immersed during my ambles. Not only because I was stumbling upon collectables, interactions and secrets naturally but also because I was listening more intently to dialogue and looking for signs in the game world of where to go. Letting go of the virtual hand that I was holding in the game made the game more fun.
And then I realised why it felt so natural to me once I did it: it is the essence of gaming itself. To try, figure out, fail, try again, and triumph is what a “game” quite literally is, broken down to its core. Take out the trying and solving, and you are left with quite a hollow triumph.
This rings true for other things as well. Being able to play online with your friends from all over does make a lot of sense and connects us more than ever before. However, sitting on a couch watching each other’s screens or taking over the entire living room for a LAN party is likely how a lot of us got hooked into this crazy world we call home and made some steadfast friends.
So, I started my renaissance small by simply turning off the mini-map in a Red Dead playthrough. By next week, maybe I’ll be stuck on an old level of an SNES game, furiously flipping through my Nintendo Power magazine or using a Game Genie to help me. And I’m all here for it.
BigMacDaddy is a rockstar, MLG gamer and world-renowned knowledge base for all gaming studios… in his dreams. In real life, he is a full-time software developer and loves family time. His hobbies include a lil’ YouTubing, chess, game development and travel.