If a hostile non player-character uses a projectile attack while in a three-dimensional space the gamer has the choice of using a wide variety of movements to have the player-character avoid it. They can jump over it, sidestep around it, roll on the ground underneath it, or use the movements in conjunction with the level design to avoid the attack. In a two-dimensional space however, the defensive choices the gamer has are severely limited. While some level designs allow for the gamer to use the environment to their advantage, more often than not the gamer is forced to have the character jump over or duck under the attack. Such action requires precise timing on the part of the gamer, and while it leaves less room for strategic thinking it does demand more responsive hand-eye coordination.
Other technological limitations of retro games make them more challenging than current titles. Sound has been one of the greatest contributors to gaming experiences ever since DOOM introduced stereo sound to computer games. For example, a sound coming from the left of the player-character’s position in the level was played out of the speaker to the left of the gamer’s position. This allowed for the gamer to deduce the position of hostile non-player characters in the level and allowed for a new element of strategy. However, it also took away a certain element of surprise inherent in many older titles. When a gamer went into a new part of a level, they didn’t know what to expect and had to think on-the-fly more often, which forced the gamer to react quickly.
Granted, repeated playing of a title allowed for a gamer to notice and adapt to patterns of movement and placement of on-screen items, but given that older games did not allow a gamer to save their progress and they had to re-play earlier levels to advance in a game there was still an element of challenge in that there was always room for human error.
Technological limitations does not just give way to more challenge and more demands on a gamer’s reaction time, but also forces the developer to make new game play innovations. In contemporary games, the focus is shifting away from innovation in game play mechanics and techniques and more towards aesthetics. EA’s recent release Black is an inherently simple game that is touted more for its special effects and less for its strategic elements. Even the much-heralded Halo is more focused on graphics and sound than on game play, the fire-fighting elements being as simplistic as those in first-generation shooters. Promotional materials for new games display high-quality graphics much quicker than they brag of new ways to enjoy video games that require active participation.
Articles on WomenGamers.Com solely reflect the experiences and perspectives of the author(s). Feel free to agree or disagree in the accompanying forum thread.
