We’re All So Old. But That’s Okay.
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The original Xbox came out 15 years ago.
I’m 20 years old.
Good Lord.
In the last decade and a half, we’ve had some splendid titles, from PS2, to Xbox, and onward. The teens and early adults of today will have fond memories of some sort of game at some point, whether it be Kingdom Hearts or Nintendogs. The 2000s were a goldmine for wonderful, new, and exciting IPs. So what’s changed in the 15 years since the first Xbox?
Well, to start with, game coverage. The scope of video-game journalism has widened tenfold since the good old days of Halo: Combat Evolved, from sites like this where it’s merely a footnote, to fully operational news outlets solely based around games, like Gamespot, IGN, EuroGamer, and tons more.
The scope for actual games is larger than ever, too, with games like Oblivion back in 2006 redefining what an RPG should be. Or Gears of War becoming the granddaddy of chest high cover shooters. Games have come a long way since the first Halo. Shooters has become a divisive genre, from DOOM, to Bioshock, to Battlefield to Fallout 4. There are genres within genres within sub-genres, and it’s wonderful. The fact we have a constant stream of content and games being released to us. Wonderful.
There’s the obvious graphical changes that have come about with new hardware. But let’s not forget the visual styles of some classics. Games like Kingdom Hearts, Wind Waker, even Mario. We all have fond memories of a game at some point. Wii Sports took the world by storm ten years ago, and we (or rather sad saps like me) occasionally stick it on when there’s nothing else to do.
We have some rather sweet titles at our finger tips. And no matter their many faults and short comings, game developers do make content we enjoy. Even if Battlefront sold far more copies than it should, and was an awful shooter by all standards.
And so what if Call of Duty isn’t the blockbuster it used to be. People still play it; they enjoy it. Simple.
I enjoy the swordplay on Wii Sports Resort.
We all have our tastes.
Whether console or PC, take this anniversary as a sign of how much things have changed, and how much they could still change.
Well, that was about the most positive thing I’ve said all year.