One of my first memories surrounding video games comes from my kindergarten class. A kid named Patrick, now almost a myth, left my school after that year, but not without leaving his mark on my impressionable psyche. I remember quite vividly standing around during snack time and discussing strategies for The Legend of Zelda for the NES. My one buddy was talking about finding the deceptive entrance to the eighth dungeon, when Patrick moseyed up to give us his two cents. In his smart-alecky six-year-old voice he said, "You guys are out of the loop. I took my game to this company that you pay to complete the games for you."
He thought he was bragging about having a completed copy of The Legend of Zelda, but even at that tender age, my friends and I knew something was wrong with Patrick's philosophy on gaming.
As much I would like to think that Patrick's method of finishing a game has grown up over the years, I still see shades of that brief dialogue throughout our video gaming world. A culture of laziness is growing.
Increasingly impressive technology in video game design has led to increased difficulty of play--a trend that has given rise to a flood of strategy guides and game FAQs. Every RPG and 3-D shooter can now be purchased with its corresponding walkthrough, removing nearly any need for skill and intuition.
Granted, these helping hands are supposed to aid gamers in difficult stretches, for that seemingly invincible boss or impassable puzzle. But the problem is that these guides have become a crutch that many gamers are leaning on just a little too heavily.
Emulator users--users of programs that can be downloaded off the internet that allow you to play software from various platforms (SNES, Genesis, Playstation, etc.) on your computer--are often the most flagrant abusers of strategy guide information. Final Fantasy VII is possibly the most emulated game of all time, which makes it easy to understand why it also has an astronomical number of walkthroughs floating around on the internet. But if you're playing through a game on your computer with an open window to an internet walkthrough, you can no longer consider yourself a video gamer, my friend. The difference between this scenario and say, reading a book or watching a movie, is slim if any. The interactiveness of games is what makes them a unique form of entertainment. If you remove that aspect, you have destroyed the very foundation of video gaming.
Now I would never denounce the use of guides altogether. Some games are truly untouchable and with the intricate story lines of some of today's hottest games, the problem solving has also become increasingly convoluted. But be careful, because it's a slippery slope to video game slovenliness. The line between smart guide usage and straight up laziness is a thin one at best. And the next thing you know, you're paying other people to play your games for you.
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