Video Games Enter Their Silver Age

In 1995 The video game world was going through its second real metamorphosis. If the Nintendo Entertainment system was the first revolution in gaming since Atari, the advent of 3-D graphics and the entrance of Sony and Microsoft into the industry were the second.

I was 11 years-old and in the thralls of video game culture. I loved everything about them, from the imaginative characters and worlds that were being created, to the ability to play digitized sports after my physical body was exhausted from the real thing.

The gaming culture in the mid 90’s was quite different than it is now.  Technology hadn’t advanced enough to the point where the most visually impressive games weren’t located inside a local Arcade. To go out and experience some of the best games, you would have to leave your house and go into the public sphere.

At the same time, the future of video games was clearly going to be in the home. While Nintendo and Sega had dominated the market for the past decade, big money titans Sony and Microsoft were about to enter the arena as well and push gaming to places it hadn’t seen before.

The resulting competition would give us some of the best games ever seen in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Games and styles were being pushed by the increased competition, and the benefactors were the players. Creative new imaginings of classics as well as genre bending originals were becoming the norm. There were several print publications devoted to the industry. Hollywood had begun creating movies based on games.

This was to me the Golden Age of Video Game culture.
 
That age is now over.

While I own a PS4, it seems unlikely that I will upgrade to another system anytime soon as the price and availability of a new XBOX or Playstation is prohibitive.  But the bigger issue is that I don’t see a game that truly inspires me to play.

Over the course of the pandemic, I had gotten loads of time to find the best current titles on the market for the PS4. The Hitman series, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy etc. If there was a game with high acclaim and even a passing interest, I played it over the past 2 years.

But no matter how many times I leveled up a character, defeated an ‘epic’ boss or explored the imagined worlds of the games creators, I keep coming up with the same sensation.

“I’ve played this before.”

This is the Silver Age of video games.

To some degree, every game I have ever played has built upon previous games. The idea that a new game will not have at least some basis on a past game is a bit ridiculous. At this point the home gaming market has become saturated with titles that fall into four categories:  Sandbox games, First Person games, Strategy games, and Sports Simulator games.

Technology does seem poised to elevate gaming with VR headsets becoming more available and affordable. But it isn’t there yet. Right now, the VR games are limited to simple functions such as shooting in first person or moving and hitting something. The result so far has been a slightly better version for the Wii Fit or Xbox Kinect, which themselves were evolutions of the Nintendo Power Pad and Blaster. All these video-game gadgets would qualify as a bust in terms of catching on and becoming mainstream.

The next age of gaming may be less immersive than previous generations. The newest gaming crazes are happening on our phones. Large budgets are being spent on advertising some of the most simplistic (and addictive) mobile games ever produced instead of the traditional console game model.

Mobile gaming is not new, but the ability to cheaply play the games that now rely on micro-transactions and advertising revenue is. The result has been games such as Angry Birds, Age Of Empires, Candy Crush, and Pokémon Go becoming as popular as any Mario, Madden, or Grand Theft Auto.

These games rely on easy accessibility and the addictive qualities of a reward structure.  Instead of developing deeply engaging works that immerse you in a digital reality like Skyrim, work is being done to create games like Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery where you can casually play during the commercial breaks of your favorite television show.

What does this mean for the future of video games?

In the short term, I think things will mostly be as they are today.  A split between two kinds of gamers. The casual mobile gamer who is interested in the addictive reward systems and simple mechanics and the home entertainment gamer who is interested in a complete and full experience from a game.

I don’t see another revolution coming soon. VR tech is still too cumbersome for most, and the ease of producing simple and addictive games to hook people in and separate them from their money is far more appealing for a business’ bottom line.

For the next revolution to occur within the video game community, technology must take yet another leap forward, to have nearly full immersion with VR, but without the current physical limitations of the technology.

The 90's Today: We Didn't Want To Grow Up. We Were Toys "R" Us Kids.

The commercial sticks in my head like a permanent structure built between my ears and brain.  A tattoo of sound that I can't remove.  Not so much the specifics of the commercial, but rather the jingle that would come to define a generation of people (and me) who were mostly born into privilege.

To be sure, there were, and are problems in my world.  And no one would accuse my family of being supremely wealthy or powerful even by small town standards.  So when I talk about privilege I'm talking about the relative privilege of being born and raised in the outskirts of suburbia during the mid to late 80' to late 90's.

But through the advent of television, printers and computers that's not what I felt.  Instead, the world I would consume was seemingly made for me.  Nothing represents that better than these series of commercials by Toys "R" Us.

I was a kid, and I didn't have to care about the world at large.  In fact, we had whole networks and media companies trying to sell to us at all times.  Kid culture, toys, and the rebellion against work is set in this time frame as Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel are also being launched and captivating the imagination of huge swaths of children.  The ever growing expanse of the American and Western economies was resulting in the access of Nintendos and talking stuffed bears.

I feel this way because I didn't grow up with cable.  I got to rent a Nintendo a few times, but otherwise went to a friend's house to play.  The closest to Teddy Ruxpin was renting the animated show from the local video store. I didn't get to go to Toys "R" Us because there wasn't one around me (we did have a KB Toys, which was the closest competitor, but they paled in comparison to the behemoth that had become Toys "R" Us).  Where my parents were with the resources they had at the time, cable television was not yet part of their plan in 1984.  So while I was aware of Nickelodeon, Disney, and the wonders that must have existed within the walls of Toys "R" Us (TRU), those things were treated as rarities and treats.

Still, the commercial gave hope that the real world, this world of work that I saw for my parents constantly engaged with, would not become mine.  My people would be the TRU kids.  The kids who refused to adopt the personality traits of those of would-be grown-ups.

As the TRU kids outgrew the toy store, they didn't outgrow the jingle.  The rise of  'rebel adulthood' seemed to be taking shape.  Take the example of one of my favorite actors through the early 2000's, Will Ferrell. 

On SNL Ferrell routinely played an outsized man child.  Appearing to have the voice of authority, in either the role of a doctor or a father figure, or Alex Trebek, and made them fallible, funny and human.  His true break out to stardom was in Old School as "Frank The Tank", an adult who just is not ready to let go of his drinking and partying ways.

I think perhaps we identify with these characters because they aren't grown ups; they remind us of the child inside of us and what we thought becoming an adult with a non-adult attitude would look like.

Another example would be the character of "Liz Lemon" as portrayed by Tina Fay in 30 Rock.  A character being simultaneously defiant and accepting of her growth into adulthood and her pretty terrible workspace.

If we look at businesses and politics, again, the general movements have been to promote those that think that the status quo of work is not to be admired and should be substantially changed.  The TRU kids chose not to grow up, and then celebrated it.

This has undoubtedly led to individual happiness for some.  The ability to not feel guilty as a 38 year-old who still plays video games or enjoys Harry Potter and is someway still connected to youth culture in some significant way is far more common place than it was just thirty years ago.

Unfortunately, there has also been drawbacks.  With a few exceptions, it seems that there is a dearth of leadership and a substantive lack of accountability.  Our would-be leaders are off to the side as the idea of leadership itself comes, to some degree, under attack.  Bosses at most industries now appear to have been people who pursue leadership positions not because they are great leaders, but because they were willing to become or assume leadership.

While Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were busy shooting their rockets into space, the country watched, but it was always viewed as a kind of a non-serious joke.  The richest men in world couldn't think of a better use of their money than to shoot themselves off of the planet.  They are children.

Perhaps we will be the last of a generation to have the "I don't want to grow up" mentality.  Our collective lack of maturity has the world arguably on its heels.  The lack of adults in the rooms in the workplace and in government has resulted in widespread strife.  Toys "R" Us is now only a memory to those of us 30 and older, and maybe with it, the pursued ideology of a joyful and juvenile adulthood.

The 90's Today: Demolition Man...An Anti-Wokeness Idiocracy?

It can be hard for me to conceptualize 1993. 

I was 9 years old at the time, and most of my attention was focused on football, dinosaurs, and R.L. Stine's goosebumps books.  I was starting to become interested in girls and the idea of romance but only vaguely so.  I was still very much a 9-year-old into 9-year-old culture. 

I was not focused on the philosophical ideologies of the time other than the general thrust that science was pushing society to new heights.  I was aware of "PC" culture as a thing but didn't understand exactly what it all meant or if I should agree or disagree with it.  It wasn't important to me.

Spoiler!  They Fight!

To me the 90's felt like things were getting better.

That is not the message delivered in Demolition Man.

Before there was "Wokeness" there was "Political Correctness".  This is what the Demolition Man is really there to destroy. 

I didn't watch Demolition Man in it's own time.  I was aware of the movie, since it carried two mega stars in Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone but I was too young to see it in the theater.  

I had nearly forgotten about the movie entirely until it was brought up on the The Daily Zeitgeist in reference to an article about a KFC tasting menu.  To hear them talk about the movie gave me the impression that the movie was going to be an amazing experience.

So, I found that the movie was streaming on Hulu, and gave it a shot.  As I learned more about the cast the more promise I felt the movie would have.  Sandra Bullock, Denis Leary, Benjamin Bratt, and even small appearances by Rob Schneider and Jack Black.

Now, I knew a movie released in 1993 was not going to hold up when it came to special effects or realism. However, my memory was that Demolition Man was slick, that it had the cool things that would have excited my adolescent brain.  I thought the movie was going to be serious.

I was wrong.  The movie begins with a ridiculous fight scene in which the protagonist, Stallone as renegade officer John Spartan jumps ridiculous lengths the catch and apprehend Snipes character, Simon Phoenix.  The whole thing reminded me of something closer to resembling Starship Troopers than it did Terminator or Rambo.

As John Spartan mumbles "It takes a maniac to catch a maniac", he goes on to wreck the city chasing Phoenix, turning the crumbling infrastructure into further rubble.  The city decides that Spartan is just too reckless to be an officer, even though he caught the bad guy, saved a little girl and looks like the hero the city needed.  At the end of the introduction, they freeze both Spartan and Phoenix and the opening credits roll.

From there we flash forward to a complete joke of a society that what kind of amounts to a right-wing version of Idiocracy.  Sandra Bullock is being driven around in an automated car and complaining that there is no crime for her to take on.

This is where I begin to feel lost.  And somewhere in the middle, took a nap.

Their future appears to be a complete utopia brought about by science.  There is no crime or violence.  No disease.  However, Spartan finds the world to be essentially lacking in toxic masculinity and thinks there needs to be more cursing and date rape, (a scene where Spartan remains physically aggressive despite repeated denials of his advances does not age well.)

As society veered more to the political left in the early 90's this is what appears to be a right wing critique would be.  A movie that essentially glorifies violence as a way to keep a real peace.  That the freedom to drink beer, curse at whoever they pleased, and generally act like scum was a net positive.  Or as Spartan puts it..."You need a maniac to catch a maniac".

That said...I still kind of enjoyed the fact that I watched it.  If for no other reason than it helped me feel as though I finished a part of my childhood that I missed.  While the movie was forgettable in terms of acting, writing and coherency, it does offer a look back at what a major motion picture was about in the 90's, and how people back then thought the future might play out.

The fact of the matter is that at the time, I would probably identify far more with the funny Denis Leary character that talked about eating delicious steaks and curses all the time.  We all like the idea of the rebel, especially since we are taught that our American society was birthed from rebellion.  I can see why if I were introduced to the movie in full at 9 instead of 38, my view would be quite different.

Another review from 1994 critiques the movies as a rejection of puritanism, and pours over the male body shots of Stallone comparing them to the soft-core pornography that had trailed his career and the overall use of the male form in cinema.

As a 38-year-old in 2022, I understand where that critique is coming from.   My 9-year-old brain would respond to the article with a line of thinking less nuanced.  Something more like, 'Spartan just kicked a bunch of ass because he had to and this guy is jealous.'. 

So, on the whole, go ahead and watch Demolition Man.  It's a very interesting time capsule of a film for the 90's.  Just don't expect high level thinking, acting, writing or special effects.   You will get a couple of chuckles and cool action scenes.  And if you're into Stallone, he is at his peak Stallone-ness.  Just don't expect to be blown away if this is your first experience with the film.

Leading Research

 

When I switched my career arc from hospitality to research within the university, I didn’t know if I wanted it to become permanent.  I knew that the hospitality industry seemed to no longer hold the draw over me that it once did and that a change and reset for me was necessary.  I wanted to start pursuing something else in earnest, but I most likely thought the transition would be associated with the media in some way.
 
However, to start, I chose to take a position with “normal” hours that opened early-ish in the morning and rarely went later than 5PM. Some friends and family had referred me to a position within Penn State to assist with the execution of various nutritional studies in their Metabolic Diet Center.  I would assist in ensuring that the participants were coming in and filling out their paperwork and eating their study foods, as well as preparing the study foods themselves.  I also would be counted on to assist others in their training and to showcase what the lab was about to others. In all, the work wasn’t particularly challenging, but my reliability, maturity, and "team first" attitude made me feel like an asset for the team.

While I was there, I was starting to pick up a routine of writing on the side pretty regularly for this very blog, mostly focused around sports articles.  Then, as things seemed to be going swimmingly, Covid-19 hit and disrupted most everything about our lives.

As the virus took over, my job effectively ended in the way that it was.  I would become eligible for the unemployment benefits that were needed and afforded to many who could not do the things they used to do.  In this period, hope sprang that I might help affect the world with my personal stories and musings, yet I must confess as time moved forward and no opportunity felt like it had arisen made feel a bit depressed.  It also felt like a legitimate trauma to not see many friends and loved ones for such long stretches.

Then, somewhat out of the blue, I was contacted about the possibility of scoring the brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of various patients.  This struck me as somewhat complicated and said I was up for anything but confessed I knew little to nothing about the particulars of the subject.   I worked with Kristin Davis, a graduate student working on her doctorate, and she couldn’t have been more kind in working with me.

I worked in a room alone with the computer, scoring FMD scan after FMD scan until the project would become complete after a few months.  By this time, I had started to build a rapport with the nurses and staff that surrounded me.  Once again, I was asked if I would like to take on some other responsibilities, in this case assisting with a couple of Covid-19 studies.  The Penn State wide ranging data collection effort Data 4 Action and an acute study looking at how using a nasal and oral wash effects Covid-19. 

Now I was becoming counted on for more and more in different research capacities.  A kind of Swiss Army Knife available for any tasks Penn State might need me for, as help was in short supply as Covid-19 remained disruptive.

Gradually, it became more and more of a point of pride that I was assisting the recovery effort and was in some ways on the front line in terms of research.  While I was (and am) still writing on the side, another part of me was looking into the possibility of becoming a permanent research assistant, or research technologist.

Research and studies are the bread and butter of an institution of higher learning.  To now be a depended-upon cog in the wheels of science made me feel as though I could perform any task.  The variance of tasks such as leading one-on-one zoom instructions, cooking and preparing specifically measured meals, or taking artery measurements on a computer, feels like a bit of a reward each time.

Not A Doctor

One of the things, that I thought I would miss in the role of being a research assistant was providing leadership.  Having worked in a team and social environment for the previous 15 years, I knew that I enjoyed being looked to for advice and guidance, and I might lose access to those moments as I work in a more subservient role.

However, even as an assistant, I find I can find ways to lead.  I can lead by example and attitude.  I can lead by holding others and myself to account.  I can lead by reflecting others best qualities back to themselves.   If the lead investigator calls a meeting about procedure, I can show leadership by speaking up and sharing my experience or share new ideas.  I can empathize and listen to others.  I can come to work with the attitude that reflects the positive feelings I have towards my coworkers.

I don’t know what the future is holding for me right now.  I still feel like my ultimate future rests in telling stories.  But perhaps now I have found what some of those stories might be about.  I’ll have to do some research on it.