Once in a while I think back to my first system, the Atari 2600 and ponder exactly how far we've come.

There have been great advancements in technology, that much is a given. Better game engines, physics, graphics, etc. are all tangible improvements that come to life in our modern gaming era. Despite these quantitative achievements, has it really improved the overall satisfaction of the player? Gamers in the 1980's got as much satisfaction slamming buttons in an arcade as we do waving the six-axis around in our living room. Are all the technological advancements in vein if the end result is the same?

Maybe the end result isn't the same.

If thought about in a qualitative measure, we'll see a much higher degree of emotional response thanks to the aforementioned achievements. Things are beginning to look and feel more real and interactive. A more sophisticated experience is taking place. It's visceral, personal. In a way, we are more attached to the gaming experience. Advancing technologies allow us to focus on the mise en scène. The result is one that resonates in our psyche.

It forces us to alter the context in which we game, and thus truly affects us. Some gamers I know (including myself) now prefer to play alone, shut off from the rest of the world. It allows us to pay closer attention to the details. We view games almost like films now. Even if that type of environment isn't always available, for us it is the best way to experience next generation entertainment. It allows us to be more critical. More discerning. In short, I guess I take gaming a lot more seriously with age.

Cheers,

K