Thoughts on Thomas Bissell's Idea of Modern and Older Gaming

So, I've been reading a book called Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. Written by Tom Bissell, this casually informative book talks about different video game concepts. These concepts and ideas are tied in through the author's personal stories of dealing with and playing these games. Tom Bissell is pretty good at not over-complicating things and is a pleasure to read. One of his chunks of information I found particularly intriguing is a concept that isn't new, but needs to be discussed none the less. In Chapter 4: The Grammar of Fun, Bissell discusses how modern games and older games vary in the way they play out. Here is the quote," Gears (Gears of War) requires the ability to tactically make subtle judgments based on scant information, a constant awareness of multiple variables (ammunition stores, enemy weaknesses) as they change throughout the game, and the spatial sensitivity to control one’s movement through a space in which the “right direction” is not always apparent. Anyone who plays modern games such as Gears does not so much learn the rules as develop a kind of tuition for how the game operates. Often, there is no single way to accomplish a given task; improvisation is rewarded. Older games, like Super Mario, punish improvisation: You live or die according to their algebra alone." Let's break this rather large quote down into easily digestible pieces. First off, he begins the quote by bringing up the idea that modern games (such as Gears of War) "...require the ability to tactically make subtle judgments based on scant information." Viewing modern gaming as a whole, the entire concept of freedom has been made readily available for game developers. Since computing power has grown tremendously over the past decade and a half, games are no longer restricted to "on-the-rail" shooters. Gears of War is a terrific example of modern gaming taking advantage of thinking tactically and having the ability to choose how to execute a battle plan. The implementation of the cover system in the Gears series expands the player's choice of strategy during the heated exchange of bullets. The "scant information" portion of the quote is also important because, compared to older and more linear games, this information is something that is picked up by the player. How will this specific member of the Locust Horde react to a SHOTGUN BLAST? Will the enemy die this way the same time, every time? The answer is unequivocally no. In games such as Super Mario Bros., the player can mathematically calculate how many hits a Goomba needs to be taken out. Mario's jumps all depend on timing and angles and trajectories. The approach to these scenarios is different. The next portion of the quote mentions a focus on multiple variables (such as ammunition stores and enemy weaknesses). Modern games force the player to keep track of many varying types of information all at once. Many FPS's display the player's health, ammo reserves, map of the game world, the type of gun they are using, etc. Since we do live in the age of information, this type of layout seems quite plausible. In the older class of games, most of them had the player focus on killing the enemy and that was it. The bit in the quote about "...in which the 'right direction' is not always apparent" intrigues me. Sometimes, games don't explicitly show you where to go. This is a characteristic of modern gaming, since the ability to compute more free space in the game is available. I'm not saying there wasn't any freedom in the earlier games (such as the admittingly confusing Super Mario 64), but more games nowadays have the ability to do it. The last part of the quote, which points out that improvisation is rewarded in modern games and punished in older games rings true. Many games reward the player for experimenting with different variables. 2011's Bulletstorm played on the idea of experimentation. One of the game's amazingly cool features is the ability to slow down time. While slowing down time, the player can perform insanely violent acts on the enemies. Shooting enemies on different parts of the body results in varying mixtures of points. Experimenting and finding the best combination of points in ever-changing scenarios is the embodiment of modern games. Improvisation is one of the keys to the modern game's success. If you try and improvise in Super Mario Bros., you will meet a swift and decisive end to your life. Again, these types of games thrive on memorization and mathematics rather than improvisation and experimentation. Well, as always, thanks for reading. Comments are highly encouraged at the bottom, so comment away!