The Golden Age of Video Gaming
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But, as gamers we don't measure our golden ages by how successfully hardware manufacturers integrate new technology. We measure the games, and in there we find perhaps the most compelling case for the argument. Allow me to offer as evidence a short and woefully incomplete accounting of the games of the past 24 months.
Super Mario Galaxy, Bioshock, God of War II, Portal, Braid, Call of Duty 4, Spore, Team Fortress 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Mass Effect, World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Gears of War, Halo 3, Crackdown, Oblivion, Sins of a Solar Empire, Forza 2 and Rock Band.
That's not really including many handheld titles, XBLA or PSN games or even the increasing relevance of the iPhone and its related games. And, that's to say nothing of upcoming titles such as Diablo III, Starcraft II, Fallout 3, Warhammer Online, Rock Band 2, The Force Unleashed, Little Big Planet, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King and countless others.
The games industry seems poised to string together what, I think, is arguably the strongest three consecutive years of gaming since the mid 90s and possibly ever. This success flies in the face of the occasional malaise that too often characterizes both gamers and developers. Despite the certainty of only a year ago that the price and restrictiveness of gaming had become a serious barrier to entry, the 360, the PS3 and certainly the Wii have built strong foundations and are now churning out compelling releases.
