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Derived Regulation

Harnessing tech to address a nation's challenges

by Lim Sheng Ming , Brunei Darussalam

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Retro gaming kills my eyes

Oct 18, 2009 06:57

Growing up in the 1980s alongside my NES, I probably enjoy retro gaming more than the average gamer. But even I have my limits.

The other day, I found myself the proud owner of a secondhand Game Boy Pocket. The Green casing went well with the four shades of gray-green pixels that danced against the yellow-tinted screen. Somewhere in my house I actually have the original gray-cased Game Boy, a "handheld" in the loosest sense in the same way the original Motorola "brick" phone was a mobile phone. For some reason, my new secondhand Game Boy Pocket reminded me of the old Alcatel phones that briefly rose to prominence in my early teens.

I picked up a couple dirt-cheap games, too, including the Game Boy version of Street Fighter Ⅱ (it plays awfully, by the way). Almost immediately after I hearing the satisfying startup "Ding!", nostalgia gave way to reality: The Game Boy Pocket is an ergonomic nightmare to hold. You know this console was marketed for children because only they have hands small enough not to get cramps in 100 different places while playing Super Mario Land. It's a known fact that a fully grown adult cannot beat the game beause their hands would go into uncontrollable seizures while making that all-important final jump.

And, of course, there was the monochrome screen which, despite a handy contrast dial, you could never adjust to a level that didn't leave your eyes bleeding. The tiny screen didn't help matters, either: Big sprites would quickly clutter the screen, making it difficult to see what was going on (the Rockman/Mega Man series), while small sprites would be camouflaged by the limited color palette (every other Game Boy game).

Sadly, there are times you can't go back and relive the joys of games past. Way back when my hands were smaller and my eyes didn't need correction, the Game Boy's limitations were easy to dismiss. Now, I eagerly wait for remakes and new games made in the "spirit of the 2-dimensional platformers". I've just finished playing Rockman ZX and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on my Nintendo DS, both games having roots that reach way back to the NES era, and it's amazing how well the old-school platformers run on today's systems. I suppose it's the limitations of older hardware that contributed to making games like Rockman 2 and Super Marios Bros. 3 truly classic.

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ralp99

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ralp99 says...
Yeah, it's pretty hard to go back to 1989. At the time this was absolutely revolutionary stuff, even then it was hard to look at - but Tetris was an easy sale, a perfect fit on this system (and that was just the beginning!) Portable gaming was really just a novelty back then,it's become a huge niche of the larger industry in the past several years-

If you like retrogaming, check out our daily blog!
headcase-games.blogspot.com

Oct 18, 2009 15:49

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About Lim Sheng Ming

Tired of relatives misspelling his name, Lim Sheng Ming christened himself "LSM". Born in Brunei, he is currently based in intoxicating Japan where he is supposed to be doing research. A published writer, an accomplished Latin dancer, a Tai Chi practitioner and a committed Lifehacker, he still finds time to follow standards-based Web development and promote Internet accessibility. He is also one of the few who have switched from a Mac (but don't judge him for that).