Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

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Breaker
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Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Breaker » July 7th, 2015, 3:49 pm

Occasionally I'll see a comment on a thread [Most recent example in the "Gamecube is the most underrated console ever" thread] that "such-and-such-topic belongs in modern gaming/classic gaming thread..."

So my question is, where does everyone draw that line? It's a moving target, no doubt, and everyone probably has their own definition. Is it a generation? Is it a media type? Is it simply a number of years?

I *think* mine is the move from cartridge to disc (for consoles)...as in, N64 is classic, PS1 is modern...but that isn't really fair since they are the same generation.

Thoughts?

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Rev
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Rev » July 7th, 2015, 5:16 pm

Good question!

This matter is entirely subjective. I personally think that anything 2 generations or older is Classic Gaming. To me, if something is no longer being made or supported, I feel like it's probably classic. Then again, I've seen people classify games that people played in their childhood as "classic" but to me I think that makes it impossible to ever have a clear definition of what is classic and what is modern. I'm all about simple classifications even if the matter itself isn't "simple".

Vexer6
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Vexer6 » July 7th, 2015, 6:38 pm

For me classic is anything before the sixth generation.

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LoganRuckman
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby LoganRuckman » July 7th, 2015, 7:38 pm

I use the cutoff as 10 years. It's simple and easy to remember, it sounds like a long time, and if you look at any year, you'll notice that gaming was a hell of a lot different 10 years prior. I mean, 1985 was vastly different than 1995, and 1995 was vastly different than 2005, and 2005 was vastly different from 2015, and 2015 will be vastly different from 2025. Also, I was a kid in 2005. I was 11 10 years ago. That's almost half my life, so yes, age, I think, has a factor in deciding which is modern and which is classic.

jon
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby jon » July 7th, 2015, 10:50 pm

I agree with Vexer. To me there's a clear difference in how things were up to 5th gen compared to everything after. I absolutely look at the Gamecube as modern. I mean, there was still a heavy arcade oriented vibe to a lot of 5th gen games.

Verm3
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Verm3 » July 8th, 2015, 5:00 am

Should there be 'classic' and 'modern' gaming sub forums on here?

Should there instead be forums dedicated to each 'decade' of consoles (per the way the Critic divides the consoles on his front page)?

Tron
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Tron » July 8th, 2015, 3:44 pm

What Rev posted.

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MoarRipter
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby MoarRipter » July 12th, 2015, 6:21 pm

I consider "modern gaming" to be games like what we still see produced today, largely these huge adventures that take 25+ hours to complete, games that provide on-screen button prompts and instructions to hand-hold players, with voice acting and cinematics, games that aren't focused on score as much as experiencing the story from beginning to end. We really started seeing those types of games with the move to high capacity optical media and they've largely continued the course. So I'd place the line between cartridge and optical media for the most part, at least for home consoles.

Shapur
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby Shapur » July 31st, 2015, 10:07 pm

Generally two generations back. Gamecube is almost 14 years old. That's pretty darn old in video game terms. As for some more definitive cut off between classic and modern gaming outside of age? I'd probably still pick the same time frame. Xbox/Gamecube/PS2 were all classic. You bought a game, stuck it in and had fun. Xbox 360 forward are so much more internet based now that they are, I would say, distinctly different.

jon
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Re: Classic vs Modern Gaming: Where's the line?

Postby jon » August 1st, 2015, 12:13 am

Yea I mean, I generally view the line as the PS1 and N64 generation being classic. But the more I think about it, it was a giant leap from the 6th to 7th, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 being significantly more powerful than their respective predecessors. So perhaps there's some credence there. But still, gameplay was a lot simpler 5th generation.


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