Great thread ! I'm in my late 30's, started off with a Sinclair Spectrum (Regularly post over at worldofspectrum.org - great site!). I was amazed when i first saw an ipod touch and the variety of games for it. But being an 'old skool gamer' its all about playability for me, i dont care so much for graphics/amazing sound effects etc. Some of my favourite games are Vector games (So you could say 'simple' graphics) and basic platform games. The graphics dont matter so much, just about the gameplay I find it shocking that so many kids seem to moan constantly about games when theyre 69p etc ! In my day games were mostly £7.95, you had the cheap range for £1.99 but many of these were hit or miss. But if you blew a weeks pocket money on one of these you didnt care so much as you could get copies of games from other people, plus also you just got another game with your money a week or so later. Now we have SO many games on iOS, amazing prices, even the 'expensive' ones at £3.99. But still you get people moaning about IAP's and other things, find it amazing. Then you get the (oh oh controversy !) people who get all the evaluation codes to download a game, never tell you what its like but theyre quite happy to grab a code and get a free game. Waste of time as the whole idea is for them to spread the word and say if its good or not. Great comment by farmboy, Bruce Lee on the Speccy is a dream game, nearly perfect (only criticism is that its too easy) but look at classic arcade games, Space Invaders, Galaxians, Pac Man, Frogger. All basic as anything, crude graphics and sound effects but its all to do with the playability. I find 'some' kids nowadays dont realise how lucky theyve got it, even now theyre moaning at some free game as they realise they have to pay 99c to unlock further levels. Laughable
I'm 32 closing on 33, and by and large, my iOS experience has been an 8 and 16 bit one. The NES, Gameboy and SNES time period comprises my golden age of gaming. That's what I seek out. When a game tries to be realistic, I see all of its limitations as flaws. When a game makes no pretenses of being realistic, I just enjoy the game. It's the same with movies for me. Snow White is untouchable as an animation. Final Fantasy The Spirits Within on the other hand, got so close to real life that instead of seeing great CG modelling, I saw lousy real people. I think pixel games age better over time than 3D, CG games because they are exactly what they're supposed to be, whereas the latter are more or less the best attempt at being something better that technology allows. Well, that's my take on it.
Good points psj. For the pricing, if I throughly enjoyed a game for 2-3 hours, it's well worth .99, I find it head-scratching that people expect a console experience out of $10 and if it's anything else then it's not worth $1.99. Most candy bars are about a dollar, do you complain that it didn't satisfy your appetite and that it was too expensive? No, because you didn't expect it to do so, same applies to games in my opinion. People need to get a different view on iOS games and maybe expect less, games turn out to be more fun like that.
I also dont get the hate for IAP This is how i think it works (may be wrong) A game may be free but have IAP. As long as you know beforehand theres IAP's i dont see the problem. To be fair i would be a bit annoyed if i bought a game and then found out afterwards i'll have to pay xxx to unlock level 2 etc Companies do IAP's so people cant pirate their games, if i jailbreak my device (i wont) i could then start downloading dodgy pirate versions of games, however if theres IAP's to unlock the content i have to pay for that, cant crack that. And yes back in the 80's as a schoolkid on £1 a week pocket money i used to have tons of C90's of copied games, loved games back then. Now years later i work (and lots of kids here get decent pocket money) and games are only 99c, i dont see the point of piracy. As i'm older i now want to support small indie companies who dont have the backing of million dollar parent companies. I find it frustrating that i'm 'legal' yet i cant play emulators like jailbroken devices can, just wish Konami and other companies (Capcom only have about 7 games in their arcade app) dont release more and more old arcade games, surely easy money to be made. Wish someone could own the rights say to the Vectrex and release a Vectrex app. The Atari app 'could' have been so good but again its all down to rights for the games so thats why we're missing most of the key ones. But i talk over and over to my friend about iOS, i'm amazed every week at how great games are for just a quid or two. 9mm i completed in about a week but got a ton of enjoyment out of £2.99. Bit like renting a movie for that price or seeing a film at the cinema, well worth the cost even if the game lasts you a week. But seeing the kids leaving games 1/5 stars and moaning about some tiny issue with a 99c game is laughable.
I agree with the comments here, it's unrealistic to expect console quality games for the average price of a app. I would say Galaxy on Fire 2 is pretty damn close to console quality and also shows how good IAP's can be when done right. As always I think it's the simplest games to play that make great games on IOS (flight control, peggle, plants Vs zombies etc) the gameplay mechanics are straight forward but you can find yourself losing quite some time to apps like these.
Also (I'm turning into my dad !) i dont think some people realise how good theyve got it, a tiny small device (I've got an ipod touch) capable of installing so many great games on it, or read graphic novels, play movies, music/podcasts etc. Amazing. The Pocket PC had a chance to be really huge, i was addicted to that in the early 00's, was great, had tons of emulators on it, again could play music/watch movies, buy commercial games, Morphgear was the best emulator (Could run GB, GBA, NES, SNES games etc). But here we have a very lightweight device, tons and tons of apps to look through (and granted a fair amount of rubbish) but a huge amount of variety, and best of all (This is what i couldnt believe when i came over to iOS), the games are so cheap ! Okay a 'blockbuster' game might be £2.99 but thats still stunning value. People dont realise how good theyve got it ! Instead some people are moaning when they complete their 69p game in a fortnight and say it wasnt worth it !
Great reply - thanks. And I quite agree. When you're only paying a few pounds for a game I don't see how you can complain. Growing up with games when they were in their infancy I can appreciate how much goes into developing a game, especially when it's only small developers / individuals doing it. And games like Shadowgun - you're going to have glitches and bugs with a game of that complexity running on a small device. A lot of the big games on consoles have bugs & glitches even when they're developed by major companies, because the games we're playing now are so complex. In a lot of ways it feels like the early days of gaming with people writing and creating games in their bedrooms... But that's the thing I love about iOS - there's room for more complex games like Shadowgun and Dead Space but also for 'old-school' games where gameplay comes first. I personally love 2D platformers, and have loved some of the ones that have come out lately. The good thing about there being so many small developers for iOS is that they can be more imaginative with gameplay without feeling they have to push 3D, high polygon graphics.
I so agree. I have never quite understood the draw of "achievements" and "Awards" and heaven forbid if a game doesn't have "multiplayer". I just couldnt comprehend the fact that StreetFighter Volt was released as a separate game because it had multiplayer! The good old days when kids had to actually go to their friends place with the cartridges to play two-player games!
I agree with Prhaber about the point where there is room on IOS for the more complex games like Shadowgun and for old school games. The smaller devs are I think more imaginative with the games they produce. Look at what Llamasoft are producing some truly bonkers ideas.
I'm not into multiplayer at all. I play games to be immersed in a believable world and much prefer going up against ai enemies rather than 'real' players - most of whom seem to be the worst sort of gamer. I remember my first online experience - playing a fps (can't remember which - must be my age!) on the Dreamcast. There was me getting all excited because i was in contact with another human being in a game - I was walking up to him full of the wonder of the moment - at which point he shot me. And that continued being my multiplayer experience in most of the games I've played since (the only exception to this being Left 4 Dead - a game where you have to co-operate to survive). And whilst I generally prefer the single player experience (and always have)- I really enjoy playing games split-screen on the same console. I've had some fun and frenetic sessions playing games with friends & family - but online multiplayer just doesn't do it for me. But a lot of younger players seem far too obsessed with it IMHO.
I can't remember if the Vectrex ever made it to the UK, but if you are after playing something close to a Vectrex game then Space Junk is a must for anyone with a passing interest, a great app showcasing old school gaming.
Wow, what a surprise - a thread and not one single flame or effing comment in it. Well, I am 39... uhm, ok, 40 and a gamer since I've started with my first Vic20 (Loderunner) (at the age of 12) and shortly after that, my C64. I remember so much great games from back then. My uncle had some Atari before (Asteriods and Donkey Kong), but that wasn't the real start. I also had a Gameboy first gen and NES, SNES, Amiga 500 and 1000, a PS, a PS2, a Wii and other stuff. I still visit gaming cons and network gamer meetings on a regular base. I am amused when some kids make funny faces at me and laugh when they get challenged at Unreal, but what I may have lost in reaction time and dexterity, I replace easily with experience. It is quite enjoyable to not be taken seriously and then just hand them their asses over. I like these puzzled faces. My favourites on iOS are Match-3's of any kind, RPGs, Dualstick Shooters and Tower Defense.
Exactly IOS has made games fun again and brought gaming back to the masses. Just like in the eighties you can buy a top quality app for between £3 - £6 or take a punt on a 69p special. I agree with the comment about needing a ph.d to play some console games as the amount of button presses can be at times insane.
I feel the opposite, I think the consoles are responsible for dumming down games to a point they are just no fun to play anymore.
As other's have echoed, great thread! I'm 36 and have been gaming since I was 5. I've owned A LOT of consoles in my lifetime and would say that I've always considered gaming as my hobby. I think coming from times before flashy graphics let's you appreciate good unique gameplay for what it is. I still enjoy my Gears of War or other popular franchises, but absolutely love the uniqueness of some of the App Store games. I think this ecosystem allows developers the opportunity to experiment and try new things. Way back before gaming became so mainstream, there were more genre's to explore since everyone was experimenting with new gameplay mechanics. I think it's rare to find that now since it's all about playing it safe with the bigger consoles and making a profit. iOS gaming is convenient, affordable and offers up some really great games with such a huge variety. I'm glad to see other "older" gamers here who can relate and not dismiss it simply because of lack of buttons or crappy graphics.
I'm 25 but was always about a generation or so behind when it came to PC gaming, and never got consoles usually till two years after launch (the exception being the 360 which I bought with my first XMas bonus - sadly I rarely play it ). While I was cutting my teeth playing games like System Shock 2 and Deus Ex - my friends would be playing Half-Life 2 or Halo. My favourite era of games was from about 1993-2001 - I still regularly play games like Strife, Cybermage, Stonekeep, Dungeon Master 2, etc. There is just a level of creativity (especially considering the hardware limitations of the time) that I don't think will be matched by commercial games ever again. I usually find myself at a disconnect with my peers when it comes to discussing games (let alone music, books, or movies) - and I can't stand talking to the gamers just a little younger who (usually) haven't got a clue about anything before 2006. I was recently talking about Grim Fandango and Little Big Adventure at work - out of the 40 people there, only one other person knew of these games. The only games pre-90s that I usually play are on the NES or old Sierra AGI adventure games like Kings/Space Quest. There is just something about 90s gaming that feels unique - kind of like movies in the 80s.
One huge reason why I love iOS gaming is the comeback of the 'bedroom coder'. Just like the 80s you have big corporates but also lots and lots of one man band indie developers producing games. Bit again, 69p for a great game? Happens several times a week, amazing Every Wednesday night at 00am I'm like a kid at Xmas downloading new games. And for old retro fans you should check out the magazine Retro Gamer. Best mag out there
Perhaps that's our maturity shining through! Lol Thanks for all the comments - I think all the posts have made really interesting reading. It's good to get away from the cliche that all gamers are friendless geeks or immature teens/twenty-something's. I started a similarly themed thread on the Gamesradar forums a couple of years ago, and was pleasantly surprised by the comments made then. Gaming is at an interesting stage at the moment. In the mid 1980's / early 1990's I imagine there were very few people over 30 even aware of videogames; now the ones of us who were teenagers then are adults with jobs and families. I think older gamers are a much bigger percentage of the gaming audience than people realise - and perhaps we should see more maturity in games because of that. Games like GTA iv and Bioshock have shown that games can have a much higher level of maturity and still be fun, but we need more of that sort of game IMHO. Many gamers - and games developers - have grown up, and that needs to be reflected in the games we play. Just think - in 20 years time a lot of us will be in our 60's - and the there'll be a whole generation of pensioners who are into gaming! They'll have to create games controllers for arthritic hands! Lol.
