Why I still like video games

So yes, I still like video games. I still find myself periodically working through the Mario and Zelda games. But I find myself pretty much limiting myself to these two game series and not playing much else. I went through a period of exploration about a year or so ago, trying to find more games that suit my fancy, but there wasn’t much.

I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. One thing I think Nintendo gets: not everybody is looking for the most powerful graphical experience. It’s kind of a dead-end road anyway. The more the limits get pushed, the more limited everything feels. Some of just want nice simple things to help us relax.

So what do Mario and Zelda offer? A nice simple game interface. Colorful, relaxed gameplay with simple storylines (if any). And one thing I appreciate about these games: way after everything pushed so heavily into the first-person shooter genre, they still focus on whimsical, almost childlike level designs. It’s the kind of stuff I wanted to put in video games back when I was geek enough to still attempt writing them. And the last thing I like: you can pretty much pick up and leave off whenever and wherever you want, especially with the Zelda games. This means if I play for 15 minutes and then no longer feel like it, I’m done. That’s it. No worrying about the next save point or completing the mission, or what have you. Granted this is not completely true, but I’m amazed to the extent Nintendo just allows you to stop and save whenever you want.

And finally, Mario and Zelda are a form of relaxation for me. Most TV shows don’t work that well because I feel the authors are always trying to push their own views. They usually make most people look dumber as a group than they actually are. And besides there’s way too many TV shows to even care about. I can pretty much limit to Mario and Zelda, because even with infrequent releases there’s enough content to keep me going even at a slow pace. And I don’t always play video games either. It kind of comes in phases.

And I like the quality of Mario and Zelda. You can tell they are games Nintendo takes time to put quality into. The designers probably have a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. The quality really does show in these games.