Today in class we had the chance to play some old games. I got a chance to check out Real Myst, Doom, Quake, and Castle Wolfenstein. I rarely take the time to try out the older games, and it was fun to go “out of the box” a little – I’m used to my happy children’s games and RPGs.

Real Myst was probably the game I played for the least amount of time. I was playing with a friend, and both of us had grown frustrated by the puzzles of the original games. I had the advantage of a strategy guide, but I quit before playing five hours simply because I felt so lonely in the first Myst. After discussing the exciting ability to move more fluidly through the world in Real Myst, I was excited. However, as soon as I encountered the first puzzle, I decided that I had seen enough of the pretty graphics and wanted to move on. The Myst series appeals to a very select audience, especially in this age (with more variety in games). I think it takes a very patient person, and many people in my generation simply aren’t used to waiting around to appreciate the beauty of a game.

Castle Wolfenstein was not what I expected. When I first heard the game, I thought it would be an 2-D platformer/adventure game, not a shooter. I played it for a short period of time, in which I was confused by the number of identical doors and the limited mise-en-scene. I had little idea of what to do (other than shooting) and shooting didn’t interest me much. After I had seen some of the Germans, I decided that I had the general idea and moved on.

Quake and Doom helped me realize once and for all why I never play FPS games. I was playing Quake and I died in almost no time, even on easy mode. I simply am not motivated to run around in the dark and kill things. I always seemed to be running low on armor, which made it even worse. I felt like I was on suicide missions. I am also very jumpy. I thought I was doing okay when I was playing Doom. I had worked out a strategy where I would strafe behind newly opened doorways so I could scout out enemies and scan the area. If I ran around shooting at the slightest hint of movement, I seemed to eliminate most enemies. The dated soundtrack and growling sounds didn’t seem to bother me too much. After hearing an irregularly large number of growling sounds, I assumed that there could be a monster nearby. I spun around in the dark and saw nothing. Then, I suddenly realized that I was being harmed and screamed aloud in terror as a pixilated monstrosity appeared out of nowhere. Seeing as I was wearing headphones at the time, my classmates all turned to look. My friend, who was watching, stated that it was probably best that I didn’t play FPS games. I think he’s right.

While I do appreciate returning to some of the classic games, it is very clear to me why gamers often stick to genres they love. My friend, who had played many shooting games, picked up the controls easily and found the game design easy to navigate. Many genres, like FPS, RPG, or racing games have similar strategies that experienced players can master. I think I will still devote most of my time to the genres I most enjoy, since it’s much more comfortable, creating a more enjoyable experience.