What has age got to do with it?

[Tallim]

I was wondering as a gamer in my 30's if your age affects how you react to certain games. I have friends who are a few years younger than me who just flat out refuse to try some older games simply because of the graphics or interface.

Is it the first games you have memory of playing that set some sort of line for most people that they refuse to cross?

I am aware that this is largely subjective, but it seems to be a trend as now there is so much discussion about graphics rather than gameplay.

 

[reg42]

Graphics do influence me in what I play, but not as much as a dated interface. The only time graphics actually stop me from playing games in when they are those games from when 3D just started getting used, and looked terrible.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

At 19, my age affects one thing above all else, what kinda bullshit I'll put up with. I don't mind difficult games, but I hate the archaic "life" systems in old games. You'll never see much touch old non-RPGs, for the most part.

As a kid, I never got to the end of Gunstar Heroes, at 18, I blew right through it. It didn't use a life system, actually, but I dicked around too much. Killed the infinite enemies. I had no drive to "Beat" the game.

I've also come to prefer originality over polish from gameplay.


All of that aside...

Graphics DO come into play at times. Many games that shot for "3D realism" back in the day, are ugly as sin now. While stuff like SaGa Frontier 2 on the PS1 has aged perfectly.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Well, I find that the older I get, the slower and deeper the games I play become. 5 years ago, I wouldn't be able to sit still for Empire Total War, but now I love playing it for hours on end.

Says the guy who plays the ridiculously over the top, dead simple, and totally awesome Timesplitters games...

 

[selce]

Graphics are not all that important to me to be honest, i mean if a game has the pleasure of having amazing graphics and is quite enjoyable then im much more likely to play that than say a game that is just one or the other.

 

[rabidmidget]

I'm a teenager and personally I don't give a crap about realistic graphics, in fact I plan to eventually get a collection of retro consoles.

My choice in games has not changed much since I was a kid other than getting more "mature" games and basing my decisions on reviews, rather than how cool the back of the box looks.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I'm at an age now (22) where I realise just how cheesey the characters and plotlines are in JRPGs (except Chrono Trigger, that game is just awesome). I like my RPGs more and more western every year, simply because the plotlines aren't convoluted pieces of shit, and because I love character customisation.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I have friends like that too, but I'll play any decent game regardless of graphics - gameplay is paramount to me. For example, one game I found on the Interweb a few years back (and still play) is A.D.O.M, an ASCII Rogue-alike that is incredibly detailed and in-depth. Your point about the first games you play setting your own personal benchmark is probably well founded, although I find it hard to comment as the first 'computer game' I can remember playing was that horrendous TV-Pong thing in the eighties.

But then that could explain why I place little to no value on flash graphics. Hmm...

 

[ThisWasAWaste]

I'm 22 and personally gameplay (along with story) takes precedence far above graphics. It is called a video game after all, so I'd think gameplay is the most important part .

One example I can point to is Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The visuals are absolutely stunning, especially some of the backgrounds. However, in the single player portion of the game, the gameplay is absolute shit. I seriously am having troubles even forcing myself to beat it just for the achievements. I'm in love with the multiplayer section of the game; but the singleplayer is just so bland, repetitive, lackluster, and contrived that I can't play it for more than half a level. Not to mention the story is a generic pile of shit as well.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I'm at an age now (22) where I realise just how cheesey the characters and plotlines are in JRPGs (except Chrono Trigger, that game is just awesome). I like my RPGs more and more western every year, simply because the plotlines aren't convoluted pieces of shit, and because I love character customisation.

I realized that at like, 14-15. Hell, I didn't care. I'm waiting for Western games to develop deep combat systems, already. Every year, WRPGs get rid of the depth of combat.

 

[Tallim]

I actually find an awful lot of retro games are a lot more involving and fun to play.

I did manage to get someone to play Shock 2 after they watched me play it for a while despite the intial reaction being, "that looks rubbish".

 

[Alakaizer]

I think it all depends on your access to the media. I'm 25, got hooked on NES from the beginning, so I'll never be a graphics snob. My two younger sisters (20,21) had access to every Nintendo system, so I think they like'em just as much as I do, and when my older sister (29) was in college, she had a PS2 and a NES, but like I said, we've had access to these pretty much from the get-go.

On the flip side, a friend of mine (30) got into gaming very late, I don't think she'd seen much before PSX and I don't think she played very much, if at all, before PS2. I'd shown her some good older games on emulator, and she was not into them, citing graphics as a big issue.

So, less about age, more about initiation. First exposure is strongest, most likely to be repeated.

 

[wooty]

I grew up with the older games, at least the NES/Mega Drive era, so it doesnt effect me. Even one of the main reason for me getting the Wii would be to access the virtual consoles library, some old favourites on there

 

[Tallim]

A.D.O.M, an ASCII Rogue-alike that is incredibly detailed and in-depth.

I love that game, spend an awful lot of time with Dwarf Fortress now though.

 

[WitherVoice]

Nostalgia is a terrible thing. I have discovered that it is wise to be careful which old and dearly loved games you play again... some of that shine and sparkle may be reflecting not off the game, but off your tears at your lost youth and innocence.

That said, there are some old games where age just does not matter. Some of these are:
Starcraft
Nethack
Syndicate
Final Fantasy VI
Dungeon Keeper
Some of the old (NES-old) Mega Man games
X-COM
... heck, some of the good ol' Super Mario ones too.
Max Payne (I replayed it a little while ago. It's FUGLY as YUCK, but still very good. And HARD!)

... and a whole bunch of others that I can't remember, prolly.

 

[joshuaayt]

Yup, Deus Ex sucked because of bad graphics.
Tee hee, I love doing that.
I'm sixteen and consider graphical quality to be somewhere below endearing side-characters on my list of important stuff for games. At the top of the list is:
Story, Relatable characters, Gameplay, Not RTS.

 

[Simalacrum]

I do certainly feel that my taste in video games has changed...

I loved Super Mario 64 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64 (my first console)... but those games I got just because my dad had very good taste in video games and bought them for my birthdays (I was about 6 at the time ). Other than that all I got myself was lots of racing games during that era.

During last-gen I really just picked games of the shelf at random, I never really researched quality or whatever... it resulted in a rather shit collection of shooters, but I was also able to get some gems like Time Splitters 2.

Nowadays I try and handpick the best games possible... the Bioshock's, the Read Dead Redemptions, the Orange Boxes, etc. I also try and get myself a variety of different games: I refuse to own more than one generic FPS at any one time!

I don't judge games on graphics, mostly, however: I still love Legend of Zelda, and I enjoy a good bit of Dragon Age: Origins every now and then.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

A.D.O.M, an ASCII Rogue-alike that is incredibly detailed and in-depth.

I love that game, spend an awful lot of time with Dwarf Fortress now though.

I've heard of this Dwarf Fortress, but not played it. Is it something I should track down then?

 

[nick n stuff]

my favourite game at the moment is the first gran turismo. game kicks ass and it's 13 years old.

 

[Plinglebob]

I'm 25, and while I hate to admit it, I am sometimes influenced by graphics. While I have no difficulty playing old 2d games and platformers, I really have difficulty playing games from when 3D was starting to be used (think Unreal 1 engine). This means even though Duke Nukem is technically 2D graphics, its easier for me to put up with then Deus Ex.

My taste in games hasn't really changed, but the number of different types I like has increased as more have become available.