Almost three generations removed from the birth of video games it’s not lost on me that I enjoy a medium forged through years of refinement and innovation. I live in a world where Call of Duty only exists because Doom and Wolfenstein invented the first person shooter in the 90s. A world where TellTale can pump out adventure game after adventure game because creative geniuses such as Tim Schafer crafted the genre with classic titles like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle. A world where all new video games are essentially bits and pieces of other games put together to create something new while still retaining the senescence of its influencers. Understanding where video games came from is the only way to really know what we are doing moving forward. Anyone who truly wants to get into games as a critic or especially as a designer needs to develop an appreciation for game history and old games. Continue reading →