Nostalgia - The Playstation Generation

Imagine: having a generation of children named after a game console. It may be a stretch to believe that an entire western generation relates mostly to video games above all else, and maybe it doesn't say much about our worth in society, but its a very real title nonetheless. In 1994, Sony released (in Japan; it was released in 1995 in Europe) the console that caused such a stir for members of my generation: the Playstation. This 32-bit console is today hopelessly out of date, looked upon patronisingly by its grandson the Playstation 3, but inside that cold grey exterior lie the memories of delight, frustration and hours upon hours of time well spent.

The Playstation was home to some incredible feats of gaming design, and I must first mention the one game that not only has a descendant pending release for the PS3, but holds the record for the most units shipped ever for the Playstation (nearly 11 million). Of course, I refer to that titanic racing game, Gran Turismo. I remember going head to head with family, with friends, with anyone who would challenge me in a Nissan Skyline GT-R on 'High Speed Ring'. When I grew tired of Gran Turismo, the Playstation was there to gently open its lid and entice me to change games for just a little more gaming each time. Other games of note in my experience include Hercules (in particular I have memories of the level in the forest with hordes of hostile Centaurs), Rollcage (there is something strangely alluring about those turbo boost arrows) and last but certainly not least The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (his character design and that lethal spear captured my imagination on many occasions).

So there you have it; my first independent experience with gaming. Puzzling out levels with my brother and reaching that feeling of euphoria after finally slaying a particularly annoying boss... These experiences are rather unique to consoles, and more so the younger you are. The age of innocence occurs prior to age 10, and I was lucky enough to be enchanted at this age by the Playstation. They say that nostalgia occurs due to a dimming of bad memories; maybe so. But I think my nostalgia for the Playstation occurs because in short, this console started a legacy, and will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Nostalgia: Dicing with Death

In 1957, Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman produced a movie called The Seventh Seal. The black and white movie is mostly resigned to obscurity, but there is one scene that is unwittingly very famous. The persona of death approaches a man called Antonius Block on the beach who challenges him to a game of chess. After a long duel, Death prevails, and announces Block's time is up.

Most of the games I've played over the years have involved some sort of chess, whether it be large scale military warfare or one on one street fighting. It is an interesting phenomenon, this drive to test our physical and mental strength on a battlefield; and I put it largely down to our desire to do things in a virtual world that we wouldn't dare to in real life, combined with our natural Darwinian instincts. However, in this instance, Death stands aside, and welcomes those who fall at the hands of the victor, in the form of a game over message.

My second nostalgic gaming experience involves the ancient computer game Battleground: Antietam, a basic electronic board game about one of the bloodiest battles of the Amerian civil war, fought in 1862. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a military history buff; and here's why. My dad used to show me the advanced maneuvers, while explaining some of the history and logic behind the conflict itself. The game itself is horrendously complicated, even now, but it was the first game that introduced to me to strategy in all its tactical glory. Don't get me wrong; war is a disgrace and a blight upon our species, but there is a certain unique spark to be found in this type of game, and indeed the industry has latched onto it. Some may think gaming warfare is a bitter attempt to create revenue out of hell itself, but I'm not here to judge. I'll leave that one to Death himself...

Starting out small - Gaming Nostalgia

Video games are a relatively new concept, but in their brief existence they have helped drive a few basic ideas to become the mammoth industry that is gaming today. They offer an alternative reality; a place to release ourselves from the responsibilities of society and immerse in a virtual world, a place to do things most of us can only dream about in real life. For me, games have a certain nostalgia about them, as they have been such a big part of my youth. I recently read that the word 'nostalgia' can be derived from Greek, specifically the words 'nostos' (return) and 'algos' (suffering). Thus, nostalgia is to suffer a yearning to return to something, and this seems fitting for my experience with games.

Starting out small indeed - one of the games I hold closest to my early memories is Quake II. Quake II was an FPS (first person shooter) from 1997, when I was 5 years old. It was set in this strange alien world; at least that's what it looked like to me at the time. I distinctly remember watching my dad play his friend on a LAN connection at his house, and being fascinated by this seemingly miraculous connection, where they were able to shoot at each other in the same game across two computers. It captivated me, and as the rocket launchers roared I knew gaming would be a part of my life for years to come...