Oh hi.

Yeah, this is a first entry and I should probably introduce myself... but I'll save the bio for another day. I wrote some stuff in the right column there, you could check it out. I've been lurking around Destructoid since around Christmas, and I think it might be the most awesome place on the net. Seriously. So instead of continuing to lurk I decided to participate in some way.

When I wrote down those highlights of my gaming history I found it strange to look back on my childhood and trying to get it all in perspective. I was born in 1982 and I am pretty sure I was still playing the Atari 2600 when I started school in 89. The NES had been around in Europe for a couple of years at least, but none of my close friends had one until about that time. When it was time to exchange the Atari out for a new console I was of course at the mercy of my parents (I wasn't the kind of kid who could manipulate them) and they decided to buy me and my brother a Sega Master System, and a few years later we got a Mega Drive. Now, in 1997 I was old enough to start earning some money and I bought myself an N64.

Now this hit me: In the 10-year span of 1987 to 1997 I went from the Atari 2600 through an 8-bit, 16-bit and 64-bit system. That's quite an advance in technology, not to mention the advances in game design and creativity. On top of this, my family always had an up-to-date computer in the house (my father was in the business, sort of) so I got to follow all that happened on that platform as well.

What happened in the next 10 years? I got a GameCube and a Wii, and followed the Playstation/XBOX games through friends. There has been some great games, definitely. The games have gotten prettier. Once in a while they've managed to come up with something pretty clever as well. Still, I can't help to think that games haven't evolved radically since Mario 64, not in the same scope as the previous generations. It seems like the most of, say the GameCube lineup, were polished versions of games you could play on N64. Now, I'll say in modern games' defence that there has been some innovation. The most important design element in modern games, I think is the improved physics engines. The ability to manipulate gravity and time has shown intriguing new gameplay elements in the last 10 years.

Maybe I'm harsh and got a bit sentimental thinking about the past. I'm just a bit sick of seeing the same old games dressed up in the latest fashion. I'd like to see some new ideas and experiences. And when I can't find them I find myself more often than not revisiting old memories. I guess I am an incurable retrogamer.

So there. I ranted a bit and made some poor reflections and probably butchered some English while I was at it. I might do this again sometime :)

PS: I don't hate modern games. Really.