When we think of video games today, what jumps into our minds first would probably be sports games or maybe the bloody, graphic and vulgar war & adventure games. Could be the Guitar Hero types. Some of us might think about racing games or other simulators. There are literally thousands of games and different gaming systems to choose from. And as time goes on these games tend to ‘WOW” us as they bend the rules and push back the boundaries of technology. Some do the same with the rules and reasoning of morality. Okay I know that last statement might make me sound like a bit of a prude. But trust me; I’m not. Yet it’s still a very relevant statement. I’ve been playing video games since video gaming started to gain it’s momentum. Having owed pretty much every significant gaming system, a member of different gaming communities and received monthly publications on the subject, I really did grow up with this stuff. As a kid I even wrote to Nintendo with my idea for a Calvin and Hobbes video game.
Pong
Yes I did, and it was complete with character drawings and level descriptions. But like all of you with similar backgrounds, we’ve seen alot. The evolution of the games has been and interesting thing to witness. From Pong to Super Mario Bros. to God Of War III; things have changed exponentially.
As we’ve aged so have the games. They’ve matured like we have. And like us, they’ve broken up into very specific genres that appeal to people with different interests. But do you remember that middle genre? The one that we all used to be a part of? That playful, exploration based genre. The one that almost completely separated us from the real world? I think we felt last when we were playing Super Mario Bros? Yea, okay think about it for a minute. When we played that game, we were all captivated by it. Man, woman and children of all ages were into that game for a many different reasons. And there was no blood or guys. no real comparisons to the figures on screen. Or for the situations on screen. It was like a playable cartoon. And we loved it for that. But why? I don’t think I know for sure, but back then the one thing that this game did for us was to present us with a tangible link directly to our own imaginations. In all honesty, that game didn’t make sense. Fantasy worlds, magical characters, mushrooms make you bigger; you know what I’m getting at. There were wild scenarios and even wilder abilities. Then the story line is the only thing that keep us in the proper frame of thought. And in that we all love the original Super Mario Bros. I can’t even think of anyone in my generation that hasn’t played it. After thinking about it I think we loved this game because in it we were able to let our minds run wild.
But there’s the next question right there. With all this new technology, why hasn’t a game come along thats grabbed all of us at the same time and took us to a place that we never knew we wanted to go to? Well, actually there is a game that’s done that for us. It’s called ‘Little Big Planet‘. If you haven’t heard about it, that’s understandable. With some many games and gaming systems it’s almost confusing which way to look. Then add the fact that most games are spitting blood on the screen or dedicating itself to one thing like sports. Not everybody has the patience to look for games like this. Some of us may have forgotten what it’s like to play a game like this. I think the interest thing here is that in a way Little Big Planet came looking for us.
The concept of this game is absolutely brilliant. It’s all about the power of our own creativity and imagination. As players in this game, you travel through the imaginations of others and create your own story as you go along. That may be a little hard to digest, but it’s really the ‘meat’ of what this game is about. You see the developers left us with the tools to dress our on screen character however we would want to, whenever we would want to and for whatever reason we would want to. The levels that you play through are challenges that will take you to every angle of your own imagination-and reward you for doing so. From there they’ve given us the ability to build our own levels in our own fantasy worlds. Better still they’ve enabled us to share these worlds with other game players all over the world. As of today this game has won more awards than any than I’ve seen in a long time. But why? This is really a simple game about simple characters in a simple world. How did this game come along amongst the thousands and thousands of games out there and claim the attention of so many? Adults love it. Kids love, boys, girls, friends, strangers. Everybody that plays it falls in love with it. But again…why? I don’t think I know for sure, but right now one thing that this game is doing for us. It’s presenting us with a tangible link directly to our own imaginations. Interesting how that breeds success.
Take a look at the video below, Sony just announced that a part 2 is planned for this came. Be sure to read through the text after the music starts. It tells the story of how epic this game has become.
