Hey guys, I'm new here!. I really enjoy writing and I wanted to share one of my blogs/editorials with you guys. I hope you all enjoy! I'm thinking of having a sort of series called 'Let's Talk Nintendo' and have a different topic every time, anything interesting that gets me writing and that I would like to share with you guys. If this belongs in another section, forgive me, and feel free to move it. Thank you and happy to be here!
Enjoy!
The Case for Color
I remember the day I first turned on my beloved Nintendo 64 and for the first time experienced what a video game is like. My 7 year old self was mesmerized, I had not experienced anything like it. I was suddenly this kid in green tunic running around exploring a massive world, and I saw for the first time ever a gigantic face of Mario in front of my TV right before jumping into the Mushroom Kingdom. These memories are engraved in my mind, and I cherish them very deeply. When I look back and think about the words that best described my experience, the ones that come back to me are immersive, fun, and beautiful. Look at these classic games now however, and you will noticed something right away, specially if you were not born around those times. These games I hold so dear look like a bunch of cubes and polygons put together by today’s standard. Yet, I remember the beauty of Hyrule Field when I first stepped foot on it.
This is one of the things I don’t really like about the current gaming industry, it is all about polygons, pixels, and graphics. We can no longer call something beautiful if it is not 1080p. The ironic thing about this, is that technology nowadays allows for games to look magnificent regardless of platform. You no longer see cubes or polygons, but rather very well polished worlds and the tiniest of details - like the dirt under your soldier’s nail. We then turn our heads to resolution, claiming a certain game is garbage or ugly because of the lower amount of pixels. The irony continues, as beautiful has been labeled to everything that is gray and dark of nature. Post apocalyptic worlds and shooters that rule our gaming industry have become the standards of what beautiful and ‘Next-Gen’ is. These games are all just too similar, if I lived in a world where all I have to play is the next dark, gloomy, M-rated, and apocalyptic world, then I would be very depressed, figuratively of course. I wouldn’t want to live in that world.
Less of this…
The similarity of these games leads to no creativity. It makes money, so why not just make the same types of games and repeat the same formula? People love it, it seems, and it shows in sales. The problem with this ‘beauty’ is that with time games are getting very realistic and almost mimic the real world all too well. I am already here, I don’t want to visit a world I am already very familiar with; rather I want to be a part of unimaginable worlds filled with life and moments that I cannot experience in the real world.
More of this…
This, is one of the reasons why I love Nintendo. They have not caved in, they are one of the very few companies that still make these remarkable experiences - all while the general consumer bash them and demand the same experiences everyone else is making from them. This is why, when The Legend of Zelda Wii U was first revealed, and we did not get the realistic graphics the world was waiting for ever since that E3 2011 demo, I jumped with joy. Mainly because I saw yet another world by Nintendo that is unlike anything else in the market right now, but also because I have been craving for some color. Yes, color. When something like the picture above pops up, and it is stacked against all the other games out there, it stands out. Not necessarily because it carries the most polygons or pixels, but because it is different from the rest and carries a unique and lively art-style. The same reason why I had such a sense of joy last year with Super Mario 3D World, and just recently with Mario Kart 8. These games, are beautiful. Not because of the breakthrough in technology but because of the experience they bring to the gamer and the world they set us in. Looking at Mario Kart 8, one must confess the beauty of that game, one that can be perceived without the need of numbers or pixel count - the game just comes to life.
I want more color in my life.
