Friday, October 17, 2003

Mind The Generation Gap!


Tetris: my kind of game


Speaking of Pong: Electronic Gaming Monthly, which I don't read but apparently farkers do, isn't known for ensuing hilarity, but you just gotta check out Child's Play, a bunch of interviews originally recorded a year ago as research for an article which explored the potential timelessness -- or not -- of classic 70's and 80's video games by giving them to nine children ages 9-12 and watching them play. Transcripts of this easily-scavenged fun are nominally presented in the form of an actual article, but the real meat and potatoes here is in the generational disconnect apparent in the exchange of kids with interviewer, and with each other. Here's one partial exchange in front of Tetris; grownups, prepare to feel OLD:
Tim: Which button do I press to make the blocks explode?

EGM: Sorry, they don't explode.

Becky: This is boring. Maybe if it had characters and stuff and different levels, it would be OK. If things blew up or something or—

Sheldon: If there were bombs.

Becky: Yeah, or special bricks. Like, if a yellow brick touched a red brick it would blow up and you'd have to start over.

John: Why haven't I won yet? I've paired up so many of the same color.

EGM: Don't worry about colors.

John: I just lined up six of the same color. Why didn't they blow up?

EGM: Nothing blows up.
And another, in reference to Space Invaders:
EGM: This game was so popular in Japan that—

John: They made it into a TV show?

EGM: Well, no. It was so popular that they ran out—

John: Oh, did they make collectible trading cards for it?

EGM: Um, no. It was so popular that there was a shortage of the coins used to play it.

John: But you can get this game on a cell phone. Why would you want to pay for it in an arcade?

Bonus thought of the day: How cool is it to work for Electronic Gaming Magazine? I mean, they actually have the original versions of all these games sitiing around in their offices. Sweet.

posted by boyhowdy | 11:23 AM |

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