Age, Experience & The Myth of the 'Gaming Veteran'

[effdeegee]

I'll be 42 this year and, yes, younger gamers can kiss every single fucking nook and cranny of my ass.
 

Back in my day, they were selling 8bit Nintendo games for $99.99. Can you imagine such bullshit? Mario 1 for $100? Can you imagine paying $100 for Shovel Knight? Or Undertale?

 

They tried to justify it by saying it used new technology, better than Atari,  and the fact that every game was a huge chunk of plastic, with a sticker on it, in a plastic sheath, in a cardboard box, with giant manuals filled with stories, colour pictures, ink, staples, etc.

 

Then Super Nintendo and Genesis came around and the games were better. Still, they charged $99.99 and tried to justify it because it was 16bit instead of 8bit, but the cartridges were smaller, the plastic sheath became a plastic cap on the end, the sticker was smaller, the manuals weren't as thick, less plastic, less ink, fewer staples, etc. Not to mention, sales tax had been invented, so we were now paying $115.

 

We started to notice that we were being charged more for less, but the times were good.

 

Nintendo 64 and others; smaller everything, but same deal. We said "No more. We want it cheaper, or you get nothing at all."

 

So PlayStation steps in and says "OOOH DISCS" and everyone went "OOOH SLEEK AND SEXY." Then we quickly noticed that they could print a bazillion copies for pennies, thin little cases, most games didn't even have a manual (just a single slip of paper) and they were being hyped as only $89.99 because they were saving so much on plastic, paper and ink, but we weren't having it. New tech be damned and we stopped. They quickly dropped the price to $59.99 and that seemed like a fair "middle ground."

 

PS2 comes around and the games are fairly long time-wise, and large technical-wise, so they flirt with the idea of raising the price back up around $69.99 and we were divided; $60? $65? $70? Either way, the games were pretty awesome and we had managed to keep the greed at bay for yet another generation.

 

So now they needed to figure out how to get back to that $100 sweet spot.

 

PS3 comes around and now dlc is a new thing. Thanks to our diligence, the games are still $60, but now there are extra costs like hardware, peripherals, PS+, and dlc that was hacked off of the original game and flogged for an extra $10-$20. Kind of cheeky, but these were the best games up to that point, cost millions to make, came on Blu-Ray discs, so we didn't raise too much of a fuss.

 

Then came PS4 and Star Wars Battlefront...

 

Online multiplayer-only with a $50 season pass?  and the little turds ate it right up.

 

Then Bethesda jizzed in their pants and said "Wow, the kids are dumb enough to pay $50 for dlc?" and promptly raised their prices for dlc to $50. Imagine the bullshit. Fallout 3 dlc was $5 a piece, or 5 packs for $20. Now a 10-year-old game has a $50 season pass? Same with Fallout 4 being $20.

 

Then the season pass was $55. Then $60. Then $65. Now it's $70. Then Fallout 76 happened. Then someone got a bullet in the head and they sold the company to Disney. Now every game has a $50-$60 season pass.

 

Remember Evolve? Titanfall? Destiny? CoD Blops III? Yeah, me neither.

 

Now games are almost exclusively created to fleece money from dimwits by using manipulative practices like slot machines, gambling, loot boxes, micro transactions, paywalls, and other garbage that stems from mobile gaming (yet another virus that managed to fester due to the kids' complacency).

 

And the little shits have the audacity to point the finger and say older generations fucked up the world and left them a worthless pile of shit to deal with, then twist the knife by judging me for whatever games I choose to play. I actually had several people call me a pedophile because I was 40 years old and played a few games like Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story 3.

 

To which I use my age and experience to point the finger right back at them and say no. We were the last generation to push back against the bullshit and you little bastards gave up as soon as you walked in the door. Now we have to deal with Call of Duty Black Ops 4 super turbo deluxe digital-only day-one gold definitive edition copy paste online-only multiplayer-only $60 season pass micro transaction gambling garbage for $149.99 on Steam and sit back and watch as our children use memes that say shut up and take my money and how straws are the biggest threat to the planet.

 

So munch on all sorts of my ass. Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story 3 were awesome movies and really fun and enjoyable games. Enjoy your 99% rarity stacks of indie trash and we'll be seeing you when you're the one who's 40 and the future kids are calling you a retard for liking Pokemon and Taco Bell.

 

If your age doesn't start with a 4, I've got no problem spitting on your VR helmet and telling you to shove your anime up your confused ass. Just shut the fuck up and go back to pawing at your computer like a lab rat where you belong because YOU fucked it up. Maybe your precious Amazon Prime will deliver you some brains.  

 

Fuuuck. Wait... What was the question? What were we talking about again? I'm tired. I need a grilled cheese and some medium-temperature soup, a nice cardigan and my rocker recliner.  Fucking whippersnappers need a belt whoopin' ... getting me all riled up and ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz...

Edited February 24, 2021 by effdeegee

[pogo_loco]

14 hours ago, effdeegee said:

I'll be 42 this year and, yes, younger gamers can kiss every single fucking nook and cranny of my ass.

 

[SNIP]

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by pogo_loco

[Z1MZUM]

21 hours ago, effdeegee said:

If your age doesn't start with a 4, I've got no problem spitting on your VR helmet and telling you to shove your anime up your confused ass. Just shut the fuck up and go back to pawing at your computer like a lab rat where you belong because YOU fucked it up. Maybe your precious Amazon Prime will deliver you some brains.  

 

Fuuuck. Wait... What was the question? What were we talking about again? I'm tired. I need a grilled cheese and some medium-temperature soup, a nice cardigan and my rocker recliner.  Fucking whippersnappers need a belt whoopin' ... getting me all riled up and ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz...

 

Hey anime has been around forever and I'm older then you. The Japanese had the largest influence on video games back then and now.

 

The parents of these kids (People our age that aren't gamers) are to blame for letting little Timmy no thumbs buy every microtransaction Fortnite has to offer. I'm just dreaming that piracy will take over, I know this kills trophies though what did trophies kill?

 

[AJ_Radio]

@effdeegee You sound like the 40 year olds I constantly bitched at on Retrojunk over a decade ago who insisted that the 1980s were far superior in every which way in comparison to the 1990s in terms of cartoons, toys, television shows, virtually everything.

 

You guys had your Thundercats, He Man, Transformers, GI Joe and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I came on a forum that was littered with Generation X morons who shot down everything that defined my childhood. They thought Gargoyles, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Aladdin, Quack Pack, Darkwing Duck, Animaniacs, Pinky & the Brain and Hey Arnold were all stupid and a giant waste of time. Even going down to the toys I played with were stupid. Steve Urkel was an idiot, Will Smith as the Fresh Prince I guess was something a lot of teens and kids clung onto.

 

You say you enjoyed the PS2 generation and what it offered, I have to agree. I complained as much as anybody else when LA Noire and Mass Effect 2 came out with DLC a decade ago. Dead Space 2 had DLC? How ludicrous, I already paid $60 for the game and now I have to pay even more money for it?!?

 

Nowadays we get a new Assassin's Creed game or Far Cry game, pay the now $70 for it because of the price increase, then fork in another $20 - 40 for the Season Pass, which is basically standard and commonplace in this day and age. So I guess you're right, we managed to go back to the $100 you guys paid for your NES, Super Nintendo and N64 games so many years ago.

 

With all due respect, I was influenced by your generation in more ways than one growing up. As much as I hate a lot of today's kids, a fact about me that I'm not afraid to hide under the carpet, I have to blame us. My generation are now the parents feeding our kids shitty mobile free to play games while at the same time we tell them they can't walk 5 - 10 feet away from the house without a crime incident occurring. We're the guys on Twitter holding the pitch forks and screaming to the top of our lungs over fucking Cyberpunk 2077 being a complete utter mess. So much so we've put CD Projekt Red on our shit list and want nothing to do with them from this point forward. Give me a fucking break. CD Projekt Red is guilty of many things, but this wouldn't of escalated so much if my generation wasn't the ones trying to bitch about it with shitty memes and pathetic statements on Twitter.

 

The kids need a belt whooping, but so do a lot of the Baby Boomers. And instead of trying to open that can of worms, I'm going to stop here.

 

20 hours ago, Z1MZUM said:

 

Hey anime has been around forever and I'm older then you. The Japanese had the largest influence on video games back then and now.

 

The parents of these kids (People our age that aren't gamers) are to blame for letting little Timmy no thumbs buy every microtransaction Fortnite has to offer. I'm just dreaming that piracy will take over, I know this kills trophies though what did trophies kill?

 

 

Anime was around back in the 1970s - 1980s before it became popular with western audiences. Were if not for Nintendo back in the 1980s, we'd probably be doing something else entirely right now.

 

Yes the parents are to blame. Not just your generation, a lot of parents in general fail to monitor the 12 - 16 year old kids on Fortnite, a cancer I want no part of and avoid entirely.

 

When I was 18 years old World of Warcraft was all the rage. Now it is Fortnite. I guess in a way, things haven't really changed much over the last 15 years.

Edited February 26, 2021 by AJ_Radio

[Z1MZUM]

1 hour ago, AJ_Radio said:

Anime was around back in the 1970s - 1980s before it became popular with western audiences. Were if not for Nintendo back in the 1980s, we'd probably be doing something else entirely right now.

 

Yes the parents are to blame. Not just your generation, a lot of parents in general fail to monitor the 12 - 16 year old kids on Fortnite, a cancer I want no part of and avoid entirely.

 

When I was 18 years old World of Warcraft was all the rage. Now it is Fortnite. I guess in a way, things haven't really changed much over the last 15 years.

I had a Sega Mk 3 and then Famicom, before that was Atari.

[AJ_Radio]

14 minutes ago, Z1MZUM said:

I had a Sega Mk 3 and then Famicom, before that was Atari.

 

My oldest was the original NES that my sister had for a number of years before she gave it to me. My first console that I had for myself was the Sega Genesis. Came bundled with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and that was where my love for Sonic started.

[Z1MZUM]

10 minutes ago, AJ_Radio said:

 

My oldest was the original NES that my sister had for a number of years before she gave it to me. My first console that I had for myself was the Sega Genesis. Came bundled with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and that was where my love for Sonic started.

 

I don't know your sister but she is awesome for giving you that. With the Genesis/MD the Japanese influence was huge really.

 

My next door neighbours where Japanese 1 side and from HK the other. Consequently we had access to Japanese consoles early and also trips to HK. We are all still friends today and I was very lucky as a child.

[AJ_Radio]

20 hours ago, Z1MZUM said:

 

I don't know your sister but she is awesome for giving you that. With the Genesis/MD the Japanese influence was huge really.

 

My next door neighbours where Japanese 1 side and from HK the other. Consequently we had access to Japanese consoles early and also trips to HK. We are all still friends today and I was very lucky as a child.

My sister turns 40 this Spring and she was lucky to have experienced the NES era firsthand. 
 

A bit later in life we played SEGA Genesis, Toejam & Earl in particular was a game we played a lot, so I was happy to see that get rereleased on PSN for the PS3. 
 

When I got older we played Mario Party on the N64. Goldeneye 007, Pokemon Stadium and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were played with a friend during junior high and high school. 

[PalaceOfLove706]

20 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

 

When I got older we played Mario Party on the N64. Goldeneye 007, Pokemon Stadium and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were played with a friend during junior high and high school. 

Played all those minus Zelda. I think I’m around the same age as you (33).

 

Being good at GoldenEye gave you social capital in school when I was in the 5th and 6th grade. I don’t think I was able to complete every mission on OO Agent (stuck on the Caverns) or crack the invincibility code in Facility at that age. And by the time Perfect Dark and Starcraft 64 came out, I moved on from caring.

 

But during my undergrad years when I was 22, my girlfriend at the time had an N64 and I decided to revisit it. I beat OO Agent on every level (Aztec was hard), and I finally, one and only time ever after hundreds of cumulative tries over all those years, unlocked the invincibility cheat code. And I got the allotted time spot on, too, I think it was 2:15. 
 

Texted my brother right away to tell him what I did. Doing that game 100% which I so dearly loved put to rest a dream for me.

[AJ_Radio]

3 hours ago, PalaceOfLove706 said:

Played all those minus Zelda. I think I’m around the same age as you (33).

 

Being good at GoldenEye gave you social capital in school when I was in the 5th and 6th grade. I don’t think I was able to complete every mission on OO Agent (stuck on the Caverns) or crack the invincibility code in Facility at that age. And by the time Perfect Dark and Starcraft 64 came out, I moved on from caring.

 

But during my undergrad years when I was 22, my girlfriend at the time had an N64 and I decided to revisit it. I beat OO Agent on every level (Aztec was hard), and I finally, one and only time ever after hundreds of cumulative tries over all those years, unlocked the invincibility cheat code. And I got the allotted time spot on, too, I think it was 2:15. 
 

Texted my brother right away to tell him what I did. Doing that game 100% which I so dearly loved put to rest a dream for me.

I was a lot worse at games back then. Me and a friend got stuck on the train level in Goldeneye 007 for ages. After you killed off a certain general you had to use your lasers on your watch to get out of the train. The strict time limit coupled with bad controls made for some real frustrating moments. 
 

Still, the game was fun. We had sleepovers back when they were fairly common with kids. 
 

Aztec was hard. The big seven foot villain (Jaws, played by 7 foot 2 Richard Kiel) killed me almost every time. My friend couldn’t do it so I settled with Secret Agent difficulty. Wouldn’t touch the last level for a long time. 
 

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time I still recommend. Probably my favorite N64 game.

Edited February 28, 2021 by AJ_Radio

[PalaceOfLove706]

9 minutes ago, AJ_Radio said:

I was a lot worse at games back then. Me and a friend got stuck on the train level in Goldeneye 007 for ages. After you killed off a certain general you had to use your lasers on your watch to get out of the train. The strict time limit coupled with bad controls made for some real frustrating moments. 
 

Still, the game was fun. We had sleepovers back when they were fairly common with kids. 
 

Aztec was hard. The big seven foot villain (Jaws, played by 7 foot 2 Richard Kiel) killed me almost every time. My friend couldn’t do it so I settled with Secret Agent difficulty. Wouldn’t touch the last level for a long time. 
 

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time I still recommend. Probably my favorite N64 game.

I remember the train. I think you had to shoot Xenia quickly on OO Agent to buy more time before or right after you took out the general, if you missed, the whole run was sacrificed. Had so many sleepovers playing that game and then watching James Bond movies...

 

Wish I had bothered to play Zelda. We owned 30+ n64 games, should’ve tried that one given the rave reviews.

[AJ_Radio]

2 hours ago, PalaceOfLove706 said:

I remember the train. I think you had to shoot Xenia quickly on OO Agent to buy more time before or right after you took out the general, if you missed, the whole run was sacrificed. Had so many sleepovers playing that game and then watching James Bond movies...

 

Wish I had bothered to play Zelda. We owned 30+ n64 games, should’ve tried that one given the rave reviews.

 

It was virtually unfair on 00 Agent difficulty. Enemies in the later levels were literally sponges, also you had to manually aim since automatical aim was turned off.

 

The control center was also a pain. Automated turrets fired at you once you got out of the elevator, you had to know where enemies were going to show up once Natalie was hacking the computers.

 

I believe you can get that game on the Switch. Some old N64 games like Super Mario 64 are on the Switch, which along with Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy are practically ideal for that console.

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by AJ_Radio

[PalaceOfLove706]

6 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

 

 

The control center was also a pain. Automated turrets fired at you once you got out of the elevator, you had to know where enemies were going to show up once Natalie was hacking the computers.

 

Ah yes, the control centre was virtually all about memorization with the turrets and enemies, and I believe you had to know exactly where to place mines to take out some guys preemptively. Even then, it was possible to get overrun during the hack, and even if Natalie survived it, you still needed to have enough health to get through the final dash to the other elevator because I think they took away the armour on that difficulty. Just brutal.
 

In those days, it’s not like you could fire up YouTube and watch a video, that was all just beginning, at most you had text tips and had to use your own creativity and strategies and just practice the game over and over.