It's late at night, you have work to do tomorrow, your homework is half done but you only have one level to go. You and your hero have just one last hurdle till your adventure comes to an end. Nothing matters until you have succeeded in your cause. Then it happens. The boss makes one final lurch, falls to its death, and it's over. You are victorious. The world is saved once again.
This might not be the memory that defines your favorite video game experience but I am sure you have one of your favorite titles. These game memories become important, not only for you but those who sell the game. This moment has just made you a future consumer of their product. If the game is good then rightfully so but sometimes this nostalgia can be abused in the release of a title that is a brand in name only.
Nostalgia implies a yearning for the past, and the feeling or mood that accompanies nostalgia has the capacity to affect possessions that generate nostalgic responses. (Sierra and McQuitty) In the linked paper (I am sorry that title is just too long to drop in here) nostalgia is found to have a commanding effect on what people want to buy. Looking for that original adrenaline kick, that feeling of greatness, the feeling of accomplishment is something that a lot of game publishers rely on.
When it comes to using this as a means to release new games I think Nintendo does this the best. I mean this in the way that if you see one of their IPs (intellectual properties) you are most likely getting a decent game. There have been exceptions because Mario has been attached to some crap but a lot of the time he is dropped into what seems like Nintendo trying to experiment in another genre. They use the consistent visuals of Mario and his ever expanding crew to say "Hey, remember all the good times you have had with us, well try this one out too." This tactic has been shown to work time and time again as Mario left the realm of 2d to a 3d world in the N64, when Mario picked up sports, and when Mario entered the world of an RPG. While the image of Mario is used to get us to look at the game, Nintendo has shown this as a promise of quality.
Then there are the Assasin's Creeds of this world. There are several examples I could have used but I am currently working through 3 so it is why I pick it out. I think I have spent somewhere around 5 months playing it off and on to try and get back into it. I am chasing the high of the first three games that is just not there. The story is nowhere near as flushed out, the gameplay isn't novel, and an 8-hour tutorial is re-god-damn-diculouse. This on top of several half made games they released with the Assassin Creed title to hand held. It can only be eclipsed in the recent abuse of the Final Fantasy franchise. Seriously check out All the Heroes and tell me this isn't a blatant tug at the nostalgia string. While throwing in images of moogles and your favorite heroes from the series they beat you with a quick cash grab only to leave you disappointed with the final result. Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire is a prime example.
While there are cases where our nostalgia of a game is used to open the door to our gaming world, there are also a plethora of blatant abuses. After being burned so many times by the lost promise of a title I have begun to ask myself before I buy a game, am I buying it because it looks good or because I want it to be good? That is until I break my own rule and pre-order a game, which I never do anymore, and then write a whole blog post that is obviously just justifying having pre-ordered Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
This might not be the memory that defines your favorite video game experience but I am sure you have one of your favorite titles. These game memories become important, not only for you but those who sell the game. This moment has just made you a future consumer of their product. If the game is good then rightfully so but sometimes this nostalgia can be abused in the release of a title that is a brand in name only.
Nostalgia implies a yearning for the past, and the feeling or mood that accompanies nostalgia has the capacity to affect possessions that generate nostalgic responses. (Sierra and McQuitty) In the linked paper (I am sorry that title is just too long to drop in here) nostalgia is found to have a commanding effect on what people want to buy. Looking for that original adrenaline kick, that feeling of greatness, the feeling of accomplishment is something that a lot of game publishers rely on.
When it comes to using this as a means to release new games I think Nintendo does this the best. I mean this in the way that if you see one of their IPs (intellectual properties) you are most likely getting a decent game. There have been exceptions because Mario has been attached to some crap but a lot of the time he is dropped into what seems like Nintendo trying to experiment in another genre. They use the consistent visuals of Mario and his ever expanding crew to say "Hey, remember all the good times you have had with us, well try this one out too." This tactic has been shown to work time and time again as Mario left the realm of 2d to a 3d world in the N64, when Mario picked up sports, and when Mario entered the world of an RPG. While the image of Mario is used to get us to look at the game, Nintendo has shown this as a promise of quality.
Then there are the Assasin's Creeds of this world. There are several examples I could have used but I am currently working through 3 so it is why I pick it out. I think I have spent somewhere around 5 months playing it off and on to try and get back into it. I am chasing the high of the first three games that is just not there. The story is nowhere near as flushed out, the gameplay isn't novel, and an 8-hour tutorial is re-god-damn-diculouse. This on top of several half made games they released with the Assassin Creed title to hand held. It can only be eclipsed in the recent abuse of the Final Fantasy franchise. Seriously check out All the Heroes and tell me this isn't a blatant tug at the nostalgia string. While throwing in images of moogles and your favorite heroes from the series they beat you with a quick cash grab only to leave you disappointed with the final result. Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire is a prime example.
While there are cases where our nostalgia of a game is used to open the door to our gaming world, there are also a plethora of blatant abuses. After being burned so many times by the lost promise of a title I have begun to ask myself before I buy a game, am I buying it because it looks good or because I want it to be good? That is until I break my own rule and pre-order a game, which I never do anymore, and then write a whole blog post that is obviously just justifying having pre-ordered Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
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