Lately, I’ve been going back and playing many old games that I missed out on when I was growing up. Right now, I’m in the midst of a play through on Dragon Warrior/Quest, Final Fantasy 1, and King’s Field 1 (Japan). Many of these old games are pretty rough around the edges. I freely admit that over time video games have gotten better. The crafting of virtual worlds players can visit has gotten better and better, more artistic, more accessible, more immersive. Technology is obviously the most standout improvement with sound and graphics being so believable they are almost indiscernible from reality to our brains at times. The aesthetic components are more refined, with gorgeous designs, artwork, music that can rival their more static traditional art counterparts. And you can’t discount the improvements in game design and user experience which make playing games more enjoyable and less frustrating, and entice and reward players driving new levels of engagement. But, as in any art form, there are trends and evolution, and always something is lost as we move on. This is the reason why classical music, classic paintings, and classic literature will always remain classic. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are also classic games as a result.
Why play this… 
When you can play this?
I’ll admit, I take playing older games in a series (even if it is just a spiritual series of successors in a genre) to an obsessive level. When I played Metal Gear Solid V for the first time, it made such an impression on me I just had to stop and go and play the rest of the series from the start, I wanted to see how we got here. I felt like I was coming into the middle of something, and I felt that to really savor it I needed to go back to the beginning. Same thing happened when I played Dark Souls. I had to stop and go play Demon’s Souls. Then I had to stop and go play King’s Field. Final Fantasy on the other hand has been with me for much of my youth, but I’m just now going back and experiencing the faint glint of an incredible sprawling series present in the humble first game.
Why play this… 
When you can play this?
But, I also believe strongly in two important principles:
- Time and attention are some of our most valuable commodities. I believe in a healthy attention diet. Sure, you probably need a little junk food in there (some silly YouTube videos and some low-brow memes and the occasional sitcom), but most of your attention diet should be wholesome, good quality stuff. Fact is, you’ll never get through all the great games that are out there over the course of your life, even if you only play the “best”. Nor should that really be your goal considering life is short and there is way more to it than fun and games.
- Games are supposed to be fun. If you aren’t having fun with a game, you shouldn’t be playing it. Of course, every game has it’s moments of unfun, but hopefully they are short and the rest of the game makes it worth it.
So, how can I defend spending time on these older games when clearly later games are more fun, more entertaining, more appealing aesthetically and have almost always been surpassed and improved on by their successors?
Why play this… 
When you can play this?
Here are a few reasons that come to my mind:
- The journey and struggle are often more rewarding than instant gratification. Admittedly, some old games can be a struggle, especially as you are learning them. But, sometimes overcoming that struggle and taking the long road on the journey and finally reaching those later games in the series is worth it. You feel so much more accomplished, you appreciate the later games and their subtle nuances and call backs more. Having a game be part of an epic journey, even if the stories of the games aren’t directly related or tied together, can be truly an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience.
- You gain a sense of context. The fact is that no game exists in a vacuum. Just like no book or painting or film does. They didn’t spring into existence ex nihilo, they were crafted by real people with real experiences and who probably played and made games before that. And you bring your experience with you when you consume any of these mediums and that is what causes them to move you (more or less depending on how much you can appreciate what the artist has crafted). Having your experience match closer to the artists (or team’s when you are talking video games), can really help you to appreciate their work. And this isn’t just nostalgia, but there is also nothing wrong with nostalgia or being transported to an earlier time and feeling a connection with the people who lived in that time and place, even if you missed out on it personally.
- You become more invested and experienced in the games you are playing. Of course, this means you should be careful with your investment and invest primarily in games that are worth it to you. This brings its own sense of reward, but it is also pays some dividends since as you gain experience in a particular genre or series, later games are easier to play and understand and less frustrating ultimately saving you time and stress.
- Older games almost always have something that later games don’t, something left behind that could be quite valuable. The simplicity of Final Fantasy 1, Dragon Warrior, Metal Gear 1, The Legend of Zelda, Ultima, and more have an incredible elegance and beauty and feel that later games haven’t managed to always perfectly replicate. Days when you weren’t told exactly where to go and what to do, and you had to be self-directed. When there wasn’t as much long winded dialogue and cinematics, and you had to piece together clues. When graphics and sound and music evoked a particular mood, and weren’t in your face or distracting so your imagination could soar. By harnessing these things that have been left behind, the game industry is often transformed. A great example is the Souls series. Hidetaka Miyazaki was able to see that games were becoming ubiquitous power fantasies for the players, becoming easier and easier, more and more guided and curated. Shedding that and returning to the roots of adventure games like early Zelda and King’s Field he crafted a series that would shake up the entire gaming industry and spawn innumerable clones and imitation in AAA and indie titles.
- It saves money. Ok, this may be the most silly reason, but it does. Older games are often cheaper (sometimes even free or abandonware). If you are patiently investing your time into a series you love, you don’t have to be constantly going out and buying the latest gaming console, graphics card, or hot game. I’ve gotten to the point where I hardly buy any new games since I’m often so busy just enjoying all these great old games.
So you see, I believe that mixing in older games (especially from series you already know and love) into your playing rotation creates a more holistic and gratifying approach to gaming. Sure, for some gamers, its just about excitement and what’s hot now, and that’s fine if you are satisfied with that. But, some of us love those deep dives and play throughs. Those challenging reads of classic literature. The cultural context surrounding a classic film. The tuning of one’s ear to listen to a classical music piece. The training of one’s eye for an old photo or painting. And the sharpening of all of these for the exploring of ancient virtual worlds crafted from the passions of the early pioneers of game design.
Mental Centripetity 