The good side of low res blocky graphics

[AMenard]

Hi,

 

Today people expect realism and high resolution images full of minute details from their gaming console. Which is fine for us with the visual acuity to resolve such detail. We also expect fast and involved gameplay, at least the younger gen does.

But there's another use case for those old 8 bit console with big blocky graphic: Geriatric entertainment.

 

I take care of an 84 years old parent. She's nearly deaf and her eye sight is also fading. She's also suffering from osteoporosis so she doesn't go out all that much anymore.

But what she love, when there's nothing on the TV to watch is to play a game of Mouse Trap on the Coleco Gemini! She also enjoy the 2600 Pool cart and Donkey Kong. On the 42" TV those blocky low res, high contrast graphics are perfectly visible to her and even the dead can hear those atari sounds ? The simple joystick isn't confusing to her at all with its single button. It would be a waste of time to make her understand how to navigate a PS4 interface and what buttons does what. But on the Gemini/2600, turn console on and start game.

 

 

[carlsson]

If her eye sight gets worse, replace the 2600 with a Channel F which has even lower resolution plus that it makes loud noises from the console.