JayAre Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) For those of you that played 2600 games growing up and still play them today, do you find that you were a better player back then or now? For me, for the most part, I think I play better now. It seems that, as adults, we tend to analyze the games a bit more to identify the best strategies to improve our scores, more so than when we were kids. Even though we had video gaming magazines back then, the internet is a great resource for walkthroughs and gameplay strategies, which can greatly help players today. Although one of the downsides of playing as an adult is that our reflexes probably aren't what they used to be. Curious to hear what everyone else thinks. Thanks. Edited March 27, 2019 by JayAre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Then, for sure. I had way more free time spent playing and practicing than I do now. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayAre Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Then, for sure. I had way more free time spent playing and practicing than I do now. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 For those of you that played 2600 games growing up and still play them today, do you find that you were a better player back then or now? For me, for the most part, I think I play better now. It seems that, as adults, we tend to analyze the games a bit more to identify the best strategies to improve our scores, more so than when we were kids. Even though we had video gaming magazines back then, the internet is a great resource for walkthroughs and gameplay strategies, which can greatly help players today. Although one of the downsides of playing as an adult is that our reflexes probably aren't what they used to be. Curious to hear what everyone else thinks. Thanks. I think my reflexes are fine, but like anything else, if you practice frequently, you get better, you don't do it for awhile you get rusty. My main problem is most 2600 games don't hold my interest very long anymore. There's just a handful I will go back to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Absolutely then. I played like my life depended on it. Also, I used to play for hours. Now, I won't play longer than 30 minutes. Too many chores and things to do. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 When I played 2600 as a kid, I had an NES and was borrowing the Atari. So 2600 games were an inferior but still fun alternative. I played them because they offered something my NES didn't. Now I have a lot more options, so it's harder for the 2600 to offer the same novelty. There are about a dozen games that still call to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt2d2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I was definitely better at 2600 then. Back then, working stick with right hand, while hitting buttons with the left was fine, but years spent afterwards doing it opposite has not been good for my 2600 play. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONEMAN Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I'm better now. I wasn't very patient as a kid so I didn't play most games long enough to get good at them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I'm better now. I wasn't very patient as a kid so I didn't play most games long enough to get good at them. Exactly what I was about to write. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 When I played 2600 as a kid, I had an NES and was borrowing the Atari. So 2600 games were an inferior but still fun alternative. I played them because they offered something my NES didn't. Now I have a lot more options, so it's harder for the 2600 to offer the same novelty. There are about a dozen games that still call to me. Curious which ones those are... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I think overall, I might be a better player today. Better because I've had lots of practice (Moon Patrol comes to mind) and know what to expect out of certain games. Depending on the game, worse maybe because I don't devote the attention to some games that require lengthy sit downs. Raiders of the Lost Ark comes to mind there. When I was young, was nothing to sit and spend untold hours on this stuff, figuring things out and getting good at something. Rarely possible today, which is why I still love the VCS. Perfect combination of skill and time "required" of the shorter sessions. And if you want to or have the time, certainly enough games present such a challenge or are compelling enough for some marathon gaming. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ZeroPage Homebrew Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I'm a way better player now. I think I'm looking more at the patterns of gameplay and thinking more critically about the way the games are programmed. I think also talking my way through the games on the livestream (ZPH) helps a lot with understanding the mechanics and how best to exploit them. I also used to jump from game to game more than I do now, I'll put in more time now and not give up as easily when I die. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Definitely worse. Try as I might I can't get a perfect score in Pitfall II or Chopper Command anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevKelley Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Worse. Even Nintendo I don't know hoe I played these games not dying right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Then. I had more time and I seem more erratic/less focused now (jump from game to game. Which is a reason I've avoided a Harmony). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Not sure. Back then, I played for fun, not for score. Nowadays, they don't hold my interest like they used to. To all the High Score Club people, I salute you. You are way better at this stuff than I will ever be. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Curious which ones those are... Barnstorming Solaris Mario Bros (just love the scaled down graphics) And a bunch of homebrew/repros. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I'm definitely better at games now. More patience, better analysis, same reasons as others have given. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I certainly had more free time back then, but like several of you, I think I'm better now at analyzing games, exploring them systematically, etc. My biggest problem now is that I'm mostly out of practice, because I usually have time to play only in short bursts. When I do have the chance to sink some significant time and effort into an old favorite, I often have the experience of pushing it farther and earning higher scores than I remember being able to do as a kid. So yes, I'm definitely a better player now than I was then. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 About the same. I wasn't a rabid gamer then and now I tend to spend more time building controllers to play games with than actually playing games with them.I keep telling myself when I finish my current multi-function controller project that I'll actually use it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I'm better now for the most part. Back then completing a game like (arcade) Scramble was literally something I dreamed about. Now I can just wing it all the way through if I cared enough. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulletino Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Deffo then. Back when gaming was everything and adulting didn't get in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Depends on the game. I’m definitely better at some games but worse at others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TwentySixHundred Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Im in the same boat it really depends on the game. There is many i was good at as a lad but can't even come close these days. Too much of these "i got things that need to be done" thoughts that run through the mind these days causing a lack in patience. Plus i think we are spoiled for games these days so the practice isn't really there. However every now and then i come across something engaging that i can throw full concentration into. In those situations id say play better then i did as a lad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_Atari Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I'm better now. I wasn't very patient as a kid so I didn't play most games long enough to get good at them. I would agree with this to a certain point. Back then i played the hell out of games that i liked, and didn't play games that i didn't find interesting. Nowadays i will give all games a chance, primarily because of the highscore competition on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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