Video games are a widely contested form of entertainment, and there is no exception when it comes to the pioneers of the video game world versus modern day video game creators.
A classic.
Among the video game pioneers, the consensus is that modern video games are “appalling,” an “abomination.”
Jerry Lawson, creator of the game cartridge, said he doesn’t play video games much:
“First of all, most of the games that are out now – I’m appalled by them. They’re all scenario games considered with shooting somebody and killing somebody. To me, a game should be something like a skill you should develop – if you play this game, you walk away with something of value.”
Funny – Ralph Baer, the “father of video games,” has a similar sentiment when it comes to today’s video games, considering them to be “a disgrace,” an abomination to the industry due to their “brazenly violent” nature. He considers his creation to be “abominated,” which he considers true of any art form.
Even Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, says, “Video games today are a race to the bottom. They are pure, unadulterated trash and I’m sad for that.” He calls social games “something that has been missing,” since they can be used to connect families in evenings of collaboration and fun.
Redemption from the many modern video games involving heavy violence?
Many of the video game pioneers see their creations in a different light than modern game developers and publishers. Inevitably, these pioneers also see video games to have taken on a new, negative life, expanding into a monster-ish and horrific form of entertainment. It’s similar to movies in which a mad scientist’s creation turns into something evil that the creator never intended.
Although you may not agree with Lawson, Baer, and Bushnell’s sentiments regarding the evolution and decay of the video game industry, it is sad that these men had to experience the classic scientist-monster scenario.
KitGuru says: What do you think about what these pioneers have to say about the state of modern video games?
