by Patrick Swezy

Created on: November 26, 2006   Last Updated: April 24, 2007

Now in my 20s and looking back at my childhood, I see how I have aged and video games as a medium have aged along with me. Back in the '80s, when I was a toddler, we had 8-bit games that used maybe ten variations of colored blocks to show everything in the game. Which, quite frankly, made everything look like a bunch of moving building blocks. I'll never forget the "bleeps" and "bloops" of the "great" sound effects. These games were mostly simple and easy to pick-up and play. Since I was young at the time, these games fit just right with my learning curve and problem-solving skills.

Then came the early '90s and the 16-bit era was ushered in with great fanfare. More colors! Faster processors! Smoother blocky graphics! As a big kid, these were awesome games. Now with richer visuals and more realistic sounds. Stories were more robust and lengthy, quests were longer and required more learning and problem solving. Hours were spent defeating bosses, leveling up characters, and pouncing on enemies. These were games that helped mold and shape your imagination and engross you in great stories about humanity and life; all at a time when I myself was learning these things in life.
Nineteen-ninety-five. The year 32-bit/64-bit and the third dimension of gaming emerged on the scene. Games were no longer constrained to two dimensions of visuals or sound. Eyes were opened to great opertunities to tell true-to-life stories in 3D. This also meant games were more excessible to the older audience that grew-up along side videogames. As a pre-teen, I was wowed by the games that were able to be created. Adults were also enticed by the look, feel, and story-telling capabilities that 3D games offered. Along with the use of compact discs, music was now a digital masterpiece. Emotion was able to be better captured in games and found more believable and real. These weren't just games anymore, they were experiences. Much like a great movie or book can open your mind and expand your thinking, videogames were now able to do the same. Videogames offered something a movie or book couldn't though: YOU made it happen. It wasn't something you just watched or read and felt great about, you controlled how and when things happened. Immersion in games was like never before.
The new millenium gave way to new possibilities. At the turn of the millenium, games had grown into a huge media for grown-ups as much as kids. Now in my teens, games were pushing 128 bits+ and 3D graphics were smoother and more

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