I opened my wardrobe yesterday morning and realised that a couple of the shirts that I still wear for work are over ten years old. Aside from being a little faded they are still in perfectly good condition, and I wear them at least once a fortnight- buttons intact, collar still stiff.

It made me think about quality and longevity, and how this is a rare thing these days. I remember some guy coming to tune the engine of my car and telling me that there is absolutely no reason why a car shouldn't have a twenty year warranty if the engine and body was created with the craft and attention that it should be. It is all to do with reducing lifespans of vehicles, making new cars and making more money he said.

I think that this can also be applied to videogames- we have the whole silly issue going on with the 'Left 4 Dead' sequel, with people complaining that there shouldn't actually be a sequel, but the updates as promised and we also have the annual sporting updates like Madden, FIFA and the golfing games. I suppose it could be argued that these games are little more than updates anyway, and with the internet being as common as it is today, then why can't we just buy a patch rather than fork out big money for the game in CD format?

Some of the best games that I have played, I still own in their original format because they stand the test of time. Games like Chrono Trigger, Ocarina of time, Super Mario World and Resident Evil 4 I still love these games now as much as I did then, and in many ways they are irreplacable and have not (arguably) been bettered. Some of the worlds that you experience in these games (especially some of the RPG's) are beautiful and whimsical places that you really don't want to leave- some of the games that last the test of time are so well designed and so beautiful that they still look and play good 15 years on.

I suppose I am wondering why games cannot evolve rather than 'new editions' and 'sequels' taking their place. Why can't the game designers create a brilliant and beautiful game from day one? Why do I have to fork out another £40 for FIFA 10, when they could have easily updated FIFA 09? Is it just an excuse to make more money are am I being too cynical?