Filling in gaming’s gaps

Dave — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:27:04 +0000

It’s a given that videogaming has changed extensively since it was first available. We’ve gone from 4-directional, one-button joysticks to vibrating, multiple analogue sticks with speaker systems, networking and cameras built in (thanks to Nintendo for that one). But there are certain aesthetics of older games that culturally we’re revisiting, and play mechanics we are only now able to appreciate by their contrast with richer, demanding modern games. What we call ‘casual gaming’, in many ways, is a call to silicon, to gaming that doesn’t require booting a system, inserting a CD, and waiting for a load. Visiting a bookmark and immediately playing a game is closer to the experience of sticking a cartridge into a console; some more recent games and systems (and I’m sticking a finger at you, Nintendo, with your slow Wii menus and constant loading) are feeling more like the 15 minute wait for a C64 game to load, with the sense of obligation to play a game once it’s loaded, even though the monumental load time has already ruined the experience.

Mr. Wax Pancake directs our attention to Dinorun, an interesting game exploring this area. It has the fluidity of ‘hardware sprites’, and a sensation of a 3d background using parallax scrolling of playfields. The graphics are styled from the days before antialiasing, with a retro blockiness that only the nostalgic could love. Aesthetically, it’s the 2600 in idealised form; fluid movement, bold palettes with flat colour and little fussiness. It’s the cover art from the game, rather than the in-game visuals themselves. It’s easy to dismiss the game at this point, for simply riding on the aesthetic. When the menus appear, though, you see something else is happening; there are internet play options and profile management controls. Dinorun suddenly jumps from being a game steeped in the past to an incredibly current game, almost forward-looking;

cross-platform with compatible (identical!) play experiences between systems
casual, not even requiring mail-checks for registration
fast, fluid, and slick
simple controls eliminating learning barriers
competitive, with the ability to create and name your own group games
no download, installer, payment required

There isn’t (yet) a clear revenue model for Dinorun. Whether it’s a product showcase or testing platform is yet to be seen; it’s not that there isn’t space in the game for all kinds of revenue opportunities. But what is there is clean, slick and right for current gaming. It harks back to purer days, where games were simple, fun, and disposable to play; instant on and little time commitment, but fills in with aspects of modern gaming that were missing the first time round; social gaming, networking, and pervasive access. Casual gaming avoids technical problems by using the browser as a platform, and our best play models seem to be from simple, disposable games, of which 8-bit platforms were exemplars. Part of the future of games seems very much steeped in their earliest history.

(update): Physics engines! Accurate collisions and energy transfer! 2600 games never quite had the horsepower for that before, what with having to split the CPU between reading the joystick and generating the video. Seems to be a bit busier now, some avatar profile sites banners on the side and mirrors (guessing the main site has hit the radar now). It’s a well earnt hit, though, congratulations to the Pixeljam guys!

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Filling in gaming’s gaps