Mastery of classic games

[almightytodd]

Asteroids, Space Invaders, Battle Zone, Q*Bert... These are classic games I played as a teen and young adult. I felt like I could never get to where I was really good at any of these, because to get in the amount of practice I would need would require an expenditure of more money than I had access to, or was willing to devote to that purpose. Now, years later, I have access to these classics again - through emulation, ports to home systems, and MAME. In theory, so it seems, if I were willing to devote enough time to any one of the above mentioned games, I should be able to get progressively better, shouldn't I? And yet, as I play them, I don't feel like my playing (...or the resulting score) is even remotely near the level of skill that I recall observing demonstrated by the arcade "Masters" of almost 30 years ago. Is that just the way it is? Is there just some kind of "twitch zen" that some players have and others don't, propelling them to the tops of the high score lists? Fortunately, I'm not a particularly competitive person, so I can still derive a great deal of pleasure from the game play itself, even with the knowledge that my skill would not impress anyone and would be laughed at by any group of serious gamers. Just wondering how many here have had a similar experience?

[frogstar_robot]

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In theory, so it seems, if I were willing to devote enough time to any one of the above mentioned games, I should be able to get progressively better, shouldn't I? And yet, as I play them, I don't feel like my playing (...or the resulting score) is even remotely near the level of skill that I recall observing demonstrated by the arcade "Masters" of almost 30 years ago. Is that just the way it is? Is there just some kind of "twitch zen" that some players have and others don't, propelling them to the tops of the high score lists?

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In absence of other factors like aging, my own idea is that it is a matter of devoted attention. In times past when I was "in the zone" with a game, all else was disregarded. I had eyes, ears, and hands only for the task at hand. In that state, I would be thinking a second or two ahead when possible to either advance my score or defend my player. I was usually in this dynamic "second ahead" mode because my memory wasn't the best. The Masters as you call them also tend to have very good memories about the aspects of a game that aren't random like the enemies and their attacks coming up as well as that consuming attention. Additionally many games have weaknesses in their "balance" that good players learn to exploit like leaving the last asteroid in Asteroids and running up immense scores plucking saucers from a distance.

 

I'd recommend hitting the strategy guides for your favorite games and playing at a time when the job, SO, kids or whatever aren't in the least a concern. Distraction is something else the Masters typically don't have to contend with.

[ericwierson]

Asteroids, Space Invaders, Battle Zone, Q*Bert... These are classic games I played as a teen and young adult. I felt like I could never get to where I was really good at any of these, because to get in the amount of practice I would need would require an expenditure of more money than I had access to, or was willing to devote to that purpose. Now, years later, I have access to these classics again - through emulation, ports to home systems, and MAME. In theory, so it seems, if I were willing to devote enough time to any one of the above mentioned games, I should be able to get progressively better, shouldn't I? And yet, as I play them, I don't feel like my playing (...or the resulting score) is even remotely near the level of skill that I recall observing demonstrated by the arcade "Masters" of almost 30 years ago. Is that just the way it is? Is there just some kind of "twitch zen" that some players have and others don't, propelling them to the tops of the high score lists? Fortunately, I'm not a particularly competitive person, so I can still derive a great deal of pleasure from the game play itself, even with the knowledge that my skill would not impress anyone and would be laughed at by any group of serious gamers. Just wondering how many here have had a similar experience?

I can play a few coin ops. as long as I want, Asteroids and Matmania. I was able to play them as long as I wanted as a kid and now as an adult. I own some of the classic machines that I played as a kid and still can't marathon them. I think you have a really interesting point in saying that you are not able to substantially improve in some games. Maybe, your "twitch zen" is a valid point. I will give you two examples that help prove your point. I own missile command and still to this day can't marathon it. I own Hyper Sports and can't get any better than when I was a kid. I think you either have it or you don't. One other thing I would like to say is I got (finally) a PS3 slim, and I suck ass. No matter how hard I try I can't get use to backward, opposite, or whatever controlling. I mean if I go up on the controller the targeting goes down. I am wired opposite of that, so I think the way your brain is wired is going to be the ultimate result on your play.

Edited December 28, 2009 by ericwierson

[tz101]

Biggest thing I see as I grow older is aging related ADHD syndrome. For instance, I was very capable of running up scores of a million or more on arcade Galaga back in the day. Now, I have it on NES and a couple compilation discs for GC and PS2, but regularly fail at around the 300,000 point tally. A good part of this is that I mostly do not have the attention span to devote massive amounts of time to games like this anymore. Another example is that I used to regularly read paperback novels as a teen, but fail at even getting halfway finished on a book these days. Most books just don't pick my interest long enough for me to finish a novel anymore. I simply do not have the attention span I used to. One thing that I know also contributes to my lower Galaga scores is the lack of a genuine arcade controller. The NES advantage and a SNK stick for PS2 cannot duplicate the sense and feel of the Galaga arcade cabinets. At the arcades, I remember a certain "springiness" to the Galaga fire button. None of my console controllers can duplicate this and it adversely affects my scores. Oh, to be young again...

[retrorussell]

It's what is called the "dreaded life syndrome". Bills to worry about, kids to raise, house to clean, laundry to do, work to go to, PTA meetings to attend, etc. We just don't get the time to study the games and conquer them sometimes. You just have to find time somehow and "get in the zone" with a particular game. With some people the knack just comes easier than others, as with anything that requires patience and dedication. If you don't have it you have to give that extra effort. If you don't feel like giving it, just remember, it's just a game. If you feel you worked for the score you have and it's better than most people can achieve, you can be perfectly satisfied with it. Even if you suck you can fall back on the "dreaded life syndrome", because it is a perfectly valid excuse if you're a busy individual.

[+Ransom]

Life definitely interferes with my ability to learn the twitch games better. I love playing them, but I just don't have the time to put into them any more. And in some cases, I just don't have the patience. I'm much more likely these days to look at a game and say, "Why bother?" when it comes to learning to be good at it. When I was a teenager, I would have considered it a worthy challenge. Now? Not so much.

 

On the other hand, in games where I can leverage my thinking and experience, I find I do much better. A good example is AD&D on the Intellivision. When I was a kid, I just zoomed through the labyrinths, relying on my reflexes to either kill the critter or run away without taking damage. But these days, I can pay attention to the clues the game provides; I can seek alternate routes that give me a clear shot at the critter before it sees me; and I can explore the labyrinth to make sure I know where said critters are before I act. So I do just fine in that game, despite the occasional spaz-out on the Intellivision controller (hitting the disc at the same time as one of the keypads, or missing the side-button so I can't run away, for example).

 

I can also do just fine in the single-minded games like Kaboom! I won't break any world records, but then I never did as a kid, either. But I can do better than I did as a kid in those types of games.

 

But in games like Centipede and especially Defender, where multiple things are coming at you from multiple directions, I tend to do much worse than I used to. I still have fun playing them, though. I just go in with a different attitude, so I don't get frustrated.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Ransom

[Catsmasher]

I wasn't all that great at arcade games as a teenager no matter how many quarters I pumped into the machines. I had a lot of fun, though!

Then there was my friend, Joe. No matter what new machine showed up at the pizza place, he could burn through about two or three dollars worth of quarters and be hitting 20+ levels or racking up million point scores. The guy had a knack for the games. He knew where the ghosts were going before they went there, he memorized where to move the ships to knock off all the aliens, etc. No matter how hard I tried, I could not even come close.

Now that I have a MAME machine, it is the same way. I play a game a few times every now and then, hit a new high score from time to time, and have a lot of fun. Do I play Galaga into the 30th level? No way! Can I still get past level four or five in PacMan? No way. I figured out the hard way that it wasn't lack of playing time, it was lack of ability.

But that is the great thing about video games, you don't have to master a game to have a lot of fun. Don't worry about it. Keep playing.

 

Catsmasher

[user42]

In my late teens I used to hang around a pool hall (where my friend worked), and I was awesome on the PacMan cocktail that they had. I don't remember my high score but I do remember that I once made it to the 14th key board.

 

Nowadays I can't even come close to the keys. I guess it's just age and lack of practice.

 

(Now I want to play PacMan... )

[VectorGamer]

Age or circumstance has never effected my playing abilities. I've never been a gaming wunderkind - I'm good at these games and suck at those games...

 

Almost 30 years ago I would routinely score between 200-250K on Galaga and I still do today. Pac-Man I sucked at in 1980 and going into year 2KX I will still suck at it.

 

Pepper II is a game I only discovered this year and I seem to be pretty good at it. My high is around 400K which would be good for 4th place on the TG MAME scoreboard. I currently rank #3 for the CV version for skill level 1.

 

Modern games - forget it...I have to actually like a game to be good at it and I'm just not feeling modern games...

Edited December 31, 2009 by rmaerz