Another kind of goggles

We all know the effects of various metaphotical goggles. There's the beer goggles, the rose-tinted glasses, the memory goggles...all kinds for all tastes, really. Recently, though, another kind has been introduced to me: the nostalgia goggles.


Those are not as exclusive to gamers as the geek goggles or the fan goggles, however, they are much more dangerous. See, the nostalgia goggles can make you feel, in your heart of hearts, that a videogame you played as a kid was the bee's knees when, in fact, it was crap. How can you combat this effect? Let's break it down into three easy steps.

1) Look for it: Games you played as a kid, be that Dune, Conquests of the Longbow, Super Mario Bros, Tomb Raider or even Plumbers Don't Wear Ties ( hell, we're not judging here [yes we are]). Have you replayed them recently? Their graphics and innovations are bound to have been surpassed, especially if there's been sequels (Yes, Tomb Raider, I'm talking about you). However, try to not let those two factor in your verdict. After all, keep in mind these were the first to introduce those innovations. That notwithstanding, is the game still fun to play? Does it still give you a good time? Or have you, having played so many more games after that, learned to see its flaws now and can't look past them?


2) Accept it: The sooner you accept the fact your old favourite may have, in fact, sucked, the better for you. You've conquered a demon that plagues many a gamer, and now can talk objectively about games. After all, most gamers have an imprint function, much like ducklings do: the first game that catches our attention is usually the one that shapes the kind of gamer we're going to be. Accept that, be grateful about what that game offered you at the time, but don't romanticize it.

3) Don't overdo it: If you're not the kind of person who can look past the technological gap, or the kind of person who can't keep in mind the fact those things that oldie game you're replaying did before all the other games, don't even try to re-evaluate it. It will only come out worse for wear in your eyes, and games like Red Alert, Space Quest, Wing Commander or Baldur's Gate deserve better than that.

Some, however, do not. Rest in peace, Phantom Menace. Rest in peace.