E3 - New Gen and modern day gaming

I remember the days of old: the first Monkey Island games, Big Red Racing, and Age of Empires. These were the games I grew up playing and loving. The times of Guybrush Threepwood vs LeChuck has come and gone, to be replaced by Edward Kenway, Mario Kart, and Minecraft.

 A classic starting line up in Big Red Racing. The game, released for DOS in 1996 was one of my favourite games when I was a kid. Many Saturdays were spent making sure I didn't lose to the big lorries. And yes, you read that right. It was released on DOS. That's how old school this game is.

Modern day, classic Mario Kart: Rainbow Road. Many a university evening was spent in the comfort of having a 16 race off against friends to see who would be crowned Mario Kart king: Luigi, Mario, Bowser or Bones?

A standard 'Age of Empires' scene. Let battle commence. I will always remember the Genghis Khan and El Cid missions in Age of Empires 2.

A monumental effort by someone of the Minecraft world. Cities, spaceships and volcanoes are only a handful of things that individuals online have built in their quest for online fame.

Monkey Island was and will forever by my favourite game. The storyline, graphics for its time, and the cheesy lines used in sword fighting all made for, in my opinion, one of the best games of my time. It is safe to say that games such as Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls stemmed from the forward thinking of LucasArts. Truly brilliant game for its time.

In regards to modern day gaming series, Ubisoft's 'Assassins Creed' series has got to be up there with the best around. The progression it has taken from the first game right up until the latest game to be released, entitled 'Unity' is truly staggering. The graphics on Black Flag were just jaw dropping. The story lines were also well thought out and thorough. It is, much like Age of Empires, is a great way to get kids nowadays to get interested in different aspects of history.

In the short space of time between me being a short blonde haired youth, to my modern day early 20s self: lover of most different games, gaming has moved on so drastically. Graphics are now so realistic that you can see waves crashing against boats, and the shades of trees moving about in the wind, you'll be almost mistaken to think you were in a parallel universe where you were stationed to prevent the downfall of a nation or the building up of an empire at the click of a few buttons on your chosen console of solitary confinement. Gaming has become such a big part of modern day society in more ways than one. People are now choosing to sit in and play video games instead of going out into the sunshine and exploring what the world has to offer. It sometimes even takes over individuals' lives to an extent that they find it hard to communicate with the outside world. Then there are the casual gamers who enjoy to play video games with their friends on the weekend but aren't as fussed by being obsessed with games so much it consumes their livelihoods. I would like to think that I fall somewhere in between these situations. I have my preferred gaming titles and series, enjoy playing said games, but at the same time do not let it rule over my life. I am at a happy equilibrium where I can settle for not playing games at least once every day. Yet, as I said, there is always the fear of some people being that hermit who sits in his big Lazyboy, ordering pizza everyday, watching his kill count go up more than keeping an eye on his calorie intake. The gap between accepting gaming as a way of life and an addiction, and seeing it as a hobby and something to enjoy in bitesize chunks, is a line that is very minute.

Games that currently tickle my gaming senses are the God of War franchise, Assassins Creed, The Last of Us, and the Call of Duty series. These games have all progressed massively in terms of funding, graphics and
have all become forces to be reckoned with at Gaming conventions and award ceremonies around the globe. The Last of Us, a title under the banner of 'action-adventure survival horror' has been bestowed the honour of being classed as one of the all time defining games of the seventh generation video game era. With a majestic storyline that culminates in an over-riding emotional attachment to all the characters involved in the game, as well as a providing the gamer with a generous array of stunning graphics, The Last of Us provides an insight into what future games need to include if they are to be successful franchises. In depth story line, sublime new gen graphics and minimal to non-existent glitches - the three main desires of every gamer for new releases they look forward to. It was a stand out performer in not only its genre, but in the whole gaming community. It gained over 200 'game of the year' titles from multitudes of publications around the world. The game got the recognition it deserved, and rightly so.

With the E3 conference still ongoing until the 12th June, it has come to my attention just how much revenue, interest and press notice gaming can create. Millions of people are the global audience that can make or break a gaming franchise which bring forward a new way of thinking in the gaming market. Events such as E3, Comicon, and gaming stores exclusive previewing and knowledge on any matters gaming related, all create a community whereupon individuals feel at home and accepted. It gives people an outlet to express their true selves, their inner personality that they were too worried to bring out in the light of day at school in worry they would be called a nerd or a geek. Comicon gives people that opportunity to find people with similar passions. E3 is a conference that I would love to visit one time. The previews, the build up to much anticipated games, and just the atmosphere surrounding the individual production companies booths, each one trying to get one up on another production team. During this most recent E3 conference, Ubisoft released a thematical trailer of the new title into the Assassins Creed franchise. The game itself looks incredible. Based on the French Revolution, it's rendered the recent Les Miserables film somewhat inadequate. The graphics are even better than Black Flag, showing that Ubisoft ultimately used the new gen software to produce a quite sensational game. All I can say is that the end of this year cannot come quick enough in terms of when 'Unity' gets released onto the global gaming market.

Gaming isn't for everyone, all gamers accept that. But for those whom gaming does apply, and thus render among the important things in their life, then gaming to them is a way of life. It is a  release from the stress of day to day ups and downs. It also gives individuals the confidence to come out of their shell in regards to a character they may pick as someone who inspires them, or a storyline that they can equate to in their life - the same way the majority of us seem to get attached to characters in TV shows. Gaming can bring together the oldest of friends, and also join the paths of unknown individuals on a global scale.

Jonathan Whitehead