I don't know much about Buddhism, but part of the idea, as I understand it, is that we must free ourselves from want, because want always leaves us only fleetingly fulfilled -- or, as Spock once said, "Having something is not so pleasing as wanting it. It is not logical, but it is often true."

Nowhere is the hollowness of want more amply demonstrated than in gaming graphics. I've been drooling over graphics for as long as I can remember. I was blown away by the picture of the sword on the title screen of "SwordQuest: Earthworld" for the 2600. I drooled over a screenshot in "Electronic Games" magazine of a near-arcade-perfect Colecovision version of Donkey Kong. I rhapsodized over "Faery Tale Adventure" on my family's new Amiga 500. I went googly-eyed over "Outrun" in a mall arcade. And when I first saw "F-29" with astounding VGA graphics on a state of the art PC in a computer store in 1990 (probably a 286 or 386), I realized the Amiga's days were numbered.

And here I am two decades on, still chasing the graphics jones. It's like a drug: you have to keep upping the dosage to get the same thrill. I run around in the church in Return to Wolfenstein, squinting at the halos around the light, scrupulously checking for texture tearing or framerate drop; I gawk at the pink sky in Giants and marvel at the vast horizon draw-distance; I run around in Rune carrying a torch, swooning over the dynamic lighting.

The interesting thing is what a feeling of release you can get when you go the Buddhist route -- when you embrace a game whose graphics are terrible by modern standards. Probably the most satisfying gaming experience I've had in the last year was Jeff Vogel's abysmal-looking Avernum II (which would have been considered one of the all-time greatest RPGs if it had been released in 1988). And yet I can't stop chasing the thrill, drooling over those screenshots... pondering what Doom 3 will look like. And when, one sunny day, I install Doom 3 after having bought a brand new Geforce 4 just so I could play it -- I'll already be thinking of the screenshots of the *next* big thing...

Compelling, yet endlessly futile. For the thrill that Doom 3 will bring me won't be a jot greater than what Swordquest: Earthworld gave me all those years ago; the only difference will be that I have raised the bar on my capacity for awe.

This is a well-written and very thoughtful post.

Who was this masked man?!

:-)

Indeed, that could've been this month's editorial for one of the gaming mags.

Hey, I waited in line for an hour to get Swordquest:Earthworld for the 2600 when it came out. One of those 'camp out at the store before they open' deals. Adventures of a misspent youth.

Good editorial, though, Anon.


- Raife

"This is a well-written and very thoughtful post.

Who was this masked man?!

:-)"

The same guy who won Shadow of the Beast in the "Are Hardcore Gamers Keeping PC Games Alive?" thread...

I suppose I'll have to give myself a name one of these days.

That's nothing... I just beat Phantasmagoria 2:
Puzzle of Flesh!

By the way, have you guys seen this interview with the guy who won the Swordquest:Fireworld contest? It's pretty cool, as it goes into details of his showdown with the dude who won the Earthworld contest.

Check eet out:

http://www.atarihq.com/2678/swordqst.html

I can forgive bad graphics, but bad gameplay? Okay, okay, I haven't *actually* played Phantasmagoria 2 so I can't really comment.

Also, I like the original post. However, there is a point at which bad graphics actually *interfere* with the gameplay. That's where I draw the line.

- Alan

An equally valid argument can be made about good graphics interfering with gameplay.

Elaborate, gorgeous 3-D game worlds limit gameplay in certain ways. A lot of developer attention has to be paid to creating enormously detailed environments, while gameplay (particularly in 3d shooters) is often relegated to a sterile experience of floating through that lush environment, shooting at targets and pushing the occasional button.

PS: While it is somewhat cheesy, and while I did refer to it as a joke, Phantasmagoria 2 offers some surprisingly mature content. The male lead is in love with two women and one guy in his office, for instance. Through the five discs of the game, the character's relationships with all three are expored in a lot more depth than you would usually find in a game. The sacrifice for this depth of characterization is gameplay -- extremely linear pixel-hunting type stuff -- but it was nice to play a game that actually engaged my mind at some level, rather than just a twitchy finger or combat tactics.

"Compelling, yet endlessly futile. For the thrill that Doom 3 will bring me won't be a jot greater than what Swordquest: Earthworld gave me all those years ago; the only difference will be that I have raised the bar on my capacity for awe."

The reason you keep doing it is because every three years there is one magical game that gets it all right: incredible graphics, incredible gameplay. Hope springs eternal.

"The male lead is in love with two women and one guy in his office, for instance. Through the five discs of the game, the character's relationships with all three are expored in a lot more depth than you would usually find in a game."

(cues porn music) Exactly how much depth?

Har.

Well, he screws the two women on camera, one of whom being an exhibitionist S&M diva. Pretty racy, though at an R-rated level. The bisexual theme is barely touched on; it comes out (so to speak) in one of the three psychotherapy sessions in the game, and then once more. But never acted on.

(Who knew psychotherapy could be fun?)

"An equally valid argument can be made about good graphics interfering with gameplay."

Yeah, Myst comes to mind, and that's not even the worst offender.

- Alan

Myst didn't have graphics, it had pictures.

I like to think of them as screenshots.

"I like to think of them as screenshots."

A little Windex will take care of those.

Heh. I'm really starting to like that guy...

"Phantasmagoria 2 offers some surprisingly mature content."

Wow.

Phantasmagoria 2 was about as mature as an Andy Sedaris film, but not as much fun. Pro tip: You might really like Nocturne. There's a really mature scene where a girl shows her boobs. I should warn you that it's not as psychologically deep as Phantasmagoria 2. The main character's mother's ghost never appears on his PC monitor, for instance. And he doesn't have a pet rat that talks to him in a scary voice.

-Ron

Boobs?

Isn't that the mature way to say boobies?