Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

Whatever Happened To…

This article is over 19 years old and may contain outdated information

I have a secret. You know all the times I’ve mentioned my NES? Well, it’s not because I’m some minimalist, older is inherently better, classic-game-o-phile.

The truth of it is, I “stepped away from gaming” for a few years. Between the lack of desire to shell out another few hundred dollars for a SNES by my parents (and me, as I didn’t have that kind of cash) and my difficult workload in high school and the university, I just didn’t have the access or time.

Sure, I took my NES to my dorm room, and was quite popular for it, but that didn’t exactly keep me up-to-date. I also played the occasional game on the computer, but upon discovering that it took my Sim approximately one hour to walk from the kitchen to the bathroom, yelling and grumbling at me the entire way about needing to relieve herself, I was done. I had enough stress in my life without having to worry about a slow-moving videogame toon.

And then, access was restored. I found myself in a relationship with someone who also enjoyed videogames. Upon hitting this critical mass of two previously-avid-gamers, each lacking a gaming console, we decided we should procure a Playstation 2. Excited to get back into a pastime I looked back on with fondness, I researched titles, talked to Electronics Boutique clerks and found a game I was pretty sure I would like. I was set.

Then a strange thing happened.

I looked at the controller. Whatever happened to the two buttons and Directional-pad that controlled 95% of the game? There were now four buttons where there were once two. There were little joystick-thingies and a D-pad. Plus, there were these weird trigger-like “shoulder buttons” or some such.

Overwhelmed, I turned the controller over to my then-boyfriend and said, “I’ll watch. You control. I have no idea what all that’s for.” We played the game. It was fun. But when we broke up a year or so later, I let him keep the Playstation 2.

Since then, I have plunged back into the gaming pool, owning my very own Playstation 2 and playing the occasional Xbox and PC game. But how many others out there stuck a toe into the pool and came away, never to return?

Gamers and designers alike have felt disenfranchised in one way or another by the unforgiving march of Time. And that is what this issue of The Escapist is about. Max Steele returns to tell of a recent conversation with gaming great Chris Crawford. Spanner takes us on a trip down memory lane, to a back alley arcade. Joe Blancato gives insight to the believer and fanatic found in all gamers, no matter how they might hide this under a hard, cynical exterior. Join us for another week’s issue of The Escapist.

Cheers,

Julianne Greer

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy