WARNING: This piece is an editorial article with an absolutely subjective opinion on the current state of the video game industry and how a change as simple but decisive as the ability to save games ended up being the basis for the evolution of games to date. as we know them now. Getting to the point of thinking that perhaps something like this would be the key to getting out of the slump in which both sony as Microsoft.
We will be honest, the colleagues of Extra Life They recently published an unmissable article, halfway between the journalistic note and the tour full of nostalgia where they gave us a great tour of the evolution of video games in recent decades. Starting from the most rudimentary and short titles to the most extensive and robust ones that were impossible to finish in one session.
As the industry grew hardware We all became accustomed to asking for more and more in terms of processing, storage, color display, loading speeds and a very large etcetera. But there was something that really marked a before and after for the sector: the ability to save games to continue later.
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Starting from that approach, we did not want to miss the opportunity to share our individual perspective on that topic. As a way to enrich the dialogue about this phenomenon.
Saved games are the strongest foundation of today's video game industry.
In the world of video game, we tend to focus on graphical advances, the power of consoles and new immersive experiences. However, there is one fundamental mechanic that has often gone unnoticed, but has had a revolutionary impact on the way we play: the ability to save games. It is something now so present that it seems it was always there. But the truth is that it was not like that.
Remember those times when video games were a one-shot adventure. one shot. It was what we had. Starting a game meant committing to finishing it in the time it required, but it also posed the real danger of losing all progress if something went wrong. A power outage in the house, an accidental push of the console's power button, a system error or simply a bad movement could send us back to the beginning, with a feeling of monumental frustration.
Whoever writes this keeps in his memory moments of genuine trauma with his Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). But then with the arrival of the “save game” function, a change was as miraculous as it was radical. Suddenly, players could pause their adventure, pick it up later, and pick up right where they left off. Just as it happened with the first Zelda title on that beloved 8-bit console.
This opened up a world of possibilities, allowing you to explore vast games, experiment with different strategies, and learn from mistakes without having to start from scratch every time. But the revolution did not stop there. The invention of passwords and memory cards gave us even more control over our games.
The passwords On the one hand, they allowed us to protect our progress from other players, while memory cards, which reigned in the era of the first PlayStation, gave us the freedom to take our games anywhere, sharing them with friends and creating a personal library of adventures. own and others. They were the good old days.
Those small cartridges or memory chips stored more than just game data; They stored hours of investment, unlocked achievements, custom characters, and memories that to our youth felt immeasurable.
We need the modern equivalent of saving games in the video game industry
In comparison with these advances to be able to resume the thread of our adventure at any time, the truth is that 3D graphics, SSD storage units, graphics at the highest FPS and high-fidelity sound, as impressive as they are, seem almost trivial.
While they have improved the visual quality and comfort of each session, they have not had the same profound impact on the player experience as this opportunity to advance at the pace that best suits each player. That is a blessing and privilege that we gamers hardly reflect on.
The freedom to explore, experiment and fail without fear of consequences, once again being owners of our time and progress. Such a discreet and decisive change is what the video game industry needs today.
It would be the responsibility of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo find that new oasis. Apparently, perhaps, in the possibilities offered by the cloud.