TMI or... Has the Net Snared Us?
No, this is not a reference to "The Matrix has you," but rather what has been lost by the global information network. Remember the days when you were excited to find a secret, information, maps, clues, etc. I remember putting together a notebook of information for roleplaying games, special attack codes for Twisted Metal 2, maps for Wizardry - and it was fun to figure it out on my own. I remember back in the day talking with a friend about Metroid soon after it came out while in line at a Ponderosa and a person in front of us turned around and mentioned how to find the Ice Beam - that's a memory I still carry about the game and enriched the experience even more.
Nowadays, you look up any information you need on a whim. I've found out information on Wikipedia I never knew was available. I recently got on a kick to replay Phantasy Star 3 after reading the entry on Wiki, I didn't even realize the characters in the game had different personalities!!! And forget hint books, forget the days of Nintendo Power, those days are past. If you want some nice looking art you pick up a hint book these days, because you can get the tips and tricks you need quicker and usually more accurately with a Google search. It saves you money, it saves you time, but does that really enrich the experience?
And game reviews, have they helped destroy an opportunity with a game you were thinking of trying? How many times have you turned away from a game because it only got a 6.5 in whatever game review magazine. There are games I've played and enjoyed which I am sure would do very poorly under the critique of an armchair player. Look at movie reviews, how many movies been squashed in a review and then turned into a part of your dvd collection? Game reviews can't be too different.
Have our gaming sensibilities been diluted by having too much information, too much coverage, too much quantity over enjoying snippets of quality?
So in the end, has what's been lost greater than what's gained? Is it natural that we're at this point, how has this changed the landscape?
Nowadays, you look up any information you need on a whim. I've found out information on Wikipedia I never knew was available. I recently got on a kick to replay Phantasy Star 3 after reading the entry on Wiki, I didn't even realize the characters in the game had different personalities!!! And forget hint books, forget the days of Nintendo Power, those days are past. If you want some nice looking art you pick up a hint book these days, because you can get the tips and tricks you need quicker and usually more accurately with a Google search. It saves you money, it saves you time, but does that really enrich the experience?
And game reviews, have they helped destroy an opportunity with a game you were thinking of trying? How many times have you turned away from a game because it only got a 6.5 in whatever game review magazine. There are games I've played and enjoyed which I am sure would do very poorly under the critique of an armchair player. Look at movie reviews, how many movies been squashed in a review and then turned into a part of your dvd collection? Game reviews can't be too different.
Have our gaming sensibilities been diluted by having too much information, too much coverage, too much quantity over enjoying snippets of quality?
So in the end, has what's been lost greater than what's gained? Is it natural that we're at this point, how has this changed the landscape?