This is why we game

Like most people on this site, I've been console gaming since Pong was cutting edge.  One advantage I believe having been a gamer for so long gives us over the timmie-come-latelies is perspective.  Yeah, anyone can look back on the SNES, Genesis, NES, Commodore, etc and take note of the simplistic play, of how a lot of fun was squeezed out of a little processing power.  But our experience gives us perspective moving forward.  We remember when that tiny amount of processing power, when those stick figures dancing across the screen represented an advancement in technology that blew us away.  I think thats why a lot of us a far less "critical" and don't feel the need to mark our territory by pining for yesteryear...we were there, we did that, and we are revelling in the advancements in gaming rather than looking back with a wistful mind's eye.

We also remember when gaming news was few and far between, when you could scarcely find magazines (over at Waldenbooks in the same mall as your favorite arcade!) that talked about what new coin-op titles were out and strategies for beating them.  Those evolved into magazines covering the console gaming scene.  When we became aware of the E3 event, it was a month or more after it happened before we got the dirt on what was new, and even then coverage at first was sparse and often no more than a blurb about a title coming out in the future.  We were well behind the times.  Then with the internet our information flow increased both in scope and in the speed in which we got it.  However in many cases you had to pay extra to see those videos or read the content you were looking for.

Now look where we are.

It began last year, when those of us who owned a 360 and a Live account could INSTANTLY download (and drool over again and again) the Halo 3 announcement trailer even before the media in attendance at E3 saw it.  We had instant access to the same videos the gaming media did, and in some cases the same game demos, right from our living rooms.  This year is more of the same, with Microsoft making available to us movies, demos, and arcade titles literally the second they announce them to the world.

Think about that for a moment.  We've gone from basically out-dated and sparse magazine coverage to watching the events in our homes, at our convenience, as soon as it happens.

Whether you are "blown away" by what is presented this year or not (so far I am, but I'm not hard to please...perspective and all), there is no denying the accessibility we now have, thanks largely to Microsoft.  Gaming has advanced not only in technology but also in the way its available.  Its getting to where we no longer need to rely on gaming magazines or websites to get our news, we can get it directly from the source.  Take a moment to think about what the addition of FREE playable demos has done for gaming, and for you as a gamer.  I believe there are over 100 demos available now through Marketplace at this time wiith many more sure to follow.  Thats staggering.  Thats progress.

That is why we game, my friends.