Video game connoisseur?

[pmpddytim]

Most hobbies focusing a type of media have a sophisticated or intellectual side. Those who have read important works of literature are said to be "well read". People well versed in things such as painting and sculpture can be called "art connoisseurs". Even movies have an intellectual fan base who dissect and analyze films. This has led me to these questions: Can one be "well played" or perhaps a "video game connoisseur"? And can the video game be considered art?

 

If one can be "well played" what games should be on the "played list" of the "well played" gamer?

 

And if video games can truly reach the level of art which ones make it, and what are the criteria?

 

Or are gamers just the mindless, violence obsessed, ADHD freaks the media makes us out to be?

 

-Tim

[chrisbid]

in my opinion, people that collect and play games from all eras fit this category best. i almost enjoy collecting and learning about the history of gaming as much as i enjoy playing games. but i really dont want to end up being on a high horse when talking to people that dont play classic games

[Classic Pac]

First of all everyone on this board has their own opion on video games. Otherwise they would not of joined. Second if you have been playing videogames for more than 10 years like most of us, I say you could consider yourself a connoisseur of videogames, and I put myself in that catagory.

[chrisbid]

First of all everyone on this board has their own opion on video games. Otherwise they would not of joined. Second if you have been playing videogames for more than 10 years like most of us, I say you could consider yourself a connoisseur of videogames, and I put myself in that catagory.

1023058[/snapback]

 

 

10 years isnt long enough, you couldve started on the playstation and n64 in 1996

[Pixelboy]

To me, there's a difference between a long-time gamer and a "connaisseur". A connaisseur has three distinctive characteristics:

 

1) He/she knows the history of video games, not only in terms of the general time line, but also in terms of geography (North America, Japan, UK, France, Russia, etc.)

 

2) He/she has a wide-range of gaming tastes, and finds good in vintage games as much as in current-generation products (and everything in between).

 

3) He/she has played enough games on different platforms to be able to make a valid criticism of any game, with arguments based on his/her gaming experience. He/she should also know the value of games, based on such criteria as rarity and popularity.

 

Any gamer can have one or two of the characteristics above, but a connaisseurs needs to have all three in abundance. If you want to meet some connaisseurs, you might want to visit the offices of gaming publications like EGM, Retro Gamer, etc. Some of the people who work there really know their stuff.

[Recycled]

I've been playing videogames since the '70s. I'm no "connoisseur." Probably more of a video game "philistine."

Edited February 23, 2006 by Recycled

[Zonie]

I think the proper term is "Geek".

[SHAGOHOD X99]

Well if even half of the following apply to you, well...

you just might be a game connoisseur as well

as rabid xXxtreme Hardcore.

 

01> You can name every game system ever made from before the Atari 2600 till present (from both sides of the big pond)

02> You collect "import" games simply because you want the better artwork on the game boxes versus the usual shitty artwork on the domestic releases and can't actully read the onscreen text.

03> Own both versions of a game meaning "import" and domestic.

04> Have ever waited in line in the freezing cold, or just risk looking more dorky than one already is to be one of the first ppl to have a particular game system on launch day.

05> Have ever spent $500 + on an import game system that was going to be released @ $200 something 6 months down the road domestically, but you had to have it as soon as the Japs did.

06> Braved at least one RPG in full Japanese text, or bothered with a lengthy walkthrough because like #5 above, you just couldn't wait for the domestic release and wanted the experience pronto.

07> As a kid ever called the Nintendo Game Counselors for some help and ended up running up a bill talking about eveything BUT the original question you called for and got your ass beat for it.

08> Got so mad at a game (at one point or another) you roundhoused the TV or punched a hole in the wall of your parent's house... or at least kicked over the system and/or yanked the controller out of it's socket with the power still on.

09> You actually know what SNK stands for and that it's not pronounced "Sink".

10> Would pay the extra $24.00 to overnight/next-day-air your "import" games via UPS or FedEX back in the 16 and 32-Bit era glory days.

11> Can beat TROJAN on Famicom/NES without cussing or breaking somethng.

12> You hated Hiroshi Yamauchi for his business practices, but now feel melancholy with the direction Nintendo has gone since the old bastard left NCL.

13> The names Hiroshi Yamuchi, Minoru Arakawa, Howard Lincoln, David Rosen, Trip Hawkins Nolan Bushnell, and The Barone Family actually mean something to you.

14> You've ever spent more than $3,000 on a single credit card on just video games.

15> Broke down the actualities of VS. FIGHTING games super moves and explained how they are actually possible and/or what was being represented in-game.

16> Bought a SEGA CD simply because EGM reported that the Taito arcade game Ninja Warriors was coming stateside but then it didn't.

17> Ever bought a game system originally only for ONE game.

18> You still remember the jungle/maze sequence in the Famicom/NES version of Metal Gear.

19> You can 1cc ANY run & gun shooter (RGS) game.

20> You still defend the honor and greatness of 2-D versus 3-D

21> You still own old PCs (pre-Pentium stuff) to play classic games on them, braving the old MS-DOS taglines and reading/entering in passwords of a password bank designed in a way you couldn't xerox copy it from the instruction manual.

22> The words "Who wanta' some Wang?" actually makes you bust out laughing when all else are like

23> You actually spent hours trying to unlock the character Sheng Long in the Super Famicom/SNES version of Street Fighter II after EGM had a picture of it in one issue only to learn it was an April Fool's fake photo.

24> You own ANY kind of arcade upright in your house and collect pricey PCB boards and/or Arcade Cartridge based systems like the Neo:Geo, Atomiswave, or Taito F-5.

25> You're still bellyaching over SEGA never having released a proper 2-D (preferably high res 2-D) Bare Knuckle 4

26> You're going to purchase in the near future a copy of SFT's Beggar Prince for the Mega Drive (Genesis) and are an avid fan of the flourishing retro scene of the pre-Famicom era.

27> You've read just about EVERY book ever published about video games and the industry overall.

28> Have ever driven at least 300 + miles into another city just to pick up a game system you wanted, having planned it into the family vacation destination because you wanted it that bad.

29> You refuse (usually) to buy USED games unless they have no more than a hairline scratch, and bitch if there's a few more.

30> You actually know what WCPO stands for.

31> You're probably a connoisseur and hardcore to boot if you actually took the time to read the last 30 listings and enjoyed this.

 

Or something like that anyhow

Edited February 23, 2006 by SHAGOHOD X99

[Pixelboy]

Awesome list Shag! Let's see now...

 

05> Have ever spent $500 + on an import game system that was going to be released @ $200 something 6 months down the road domestically, but you had to have it as soon as the Japs did.

My best friend bought the japanese version of Street Fighter II on SNES for rought 200$US because he couldn't wait 3-4 months for the US version.

 

09> You actually know what SNK stands for and that it's not pronounced "Sink".

Well, anyone can look that up, you know...

 

11> Can beat TROJAN on Famicom/NES without cussing or breaking somethng.

I never beat it, but my best friend had the game and could beat it within 20 minutes, without breaking much of a sweat. (Well, okay, some of the bosses gave him some trouble).

 

12> You hated Hiroshi Yamauchi for his business practices, but now feel melancholy with the direction Nintendo has gone since the old bastard left NCL.

Would Nintendo really had gone a different path if Yamauchi had stayed? I have to wonder...

 

13> The names Hiroshi Yamuchi, Minoru Arakawa, Howard Lincoln, David Rosen, Trip Hawkins Nolan Bushnell, and The Barone Family actually mean something to you.

Well, most of them do mean something to me.

 

17> Ever bought a game system originally only for ONE game.

I bought a Game Gear just for Mega Man, back when I was collecting all versions of the Blue Bomber games under the sun. Stupidest. Purchase. Ever.

 

20> You still defend the honor and greatness of 2-D versus 3-D

Well, I for one will not buy the Nintendo DS until a 2D Metroid game is released for it. I generally prefer 2D over 3D. Call me old-fashioned.

 

24> You own ANY kind of arcade upright in your house and collect pricey PCB boards and/or Arcade Cartridge based systems like the Neo:Geo, Atomiswave, or Taito F-5.

I don't own one (I'd have no place to put it), but I would love to own a generic MAME cabinet, even though I may not play with it all that much...

 

29> You refuse (usually) to buy USED games unless they have no more than a hairline scratch, and bitch if there's a few more.

That's me alright...

 

31> You're probably a connoisseur and hardcore to boot if you actually took the time to read the last 30 listings and enjoyed this.

I enjoyed it very much!

[SHAGOHOD X99]

@ Pixelboy

 

Well let's see here starting from what you commented on...

#05> Well I actually did spend $500 smack a roos on

the import N64 w. Super Mario 64 and Wave Race 6 months

prior to it coming out in the US. I had played a friend's import

version and had to have it right then and there. Probably the

most impetuous buy I ever made. *I mostly was anticipating

Robotech: Crystal Dreams but we all know how that crashed

& burned.

 

#09> You'd be surprised how many ppl won't take the time

to look up what SNK stands for. It irks me to no end when I hear

ppl call in "Sink".

 

#11> I bow to your friend if he can actually beat TROJAN at

all. That game has pissed me off for 19 years. I don't know anyone

who can beat it without going into at least a profanity infested fit.

 

#12> Well I'll always love Nintendo, but I can't say they

don't piss me off with all this make a Gameboy, release another,

and then another, and another etc. I want them to buckle down

and get back to being a serious contender again. I didn't agree

with Yamauchi's draconian business practices but the man at

least kept the boat on course.

 

#13> I'm a geek. All those names mean somthing to me too.

 

#17> I remember in 1992 I bought a Turbo Grafx 16

w. CD-ROM add on just to buy Macross 2036 from a store

in Houston called "Game Tronix". *Also where I made the trip

to in the summer of '94 to get my Super Famicom.

 

#20> 2-D will always be better than 3-D IMO.

 

#24> I own three Upright Cabs and the parts + PCB for

a fourth, but I think that'll do it. I had been collecting to open up

a "Arcade Museum" type deal as a business venture but sold off

most of the other stuff.

 

#29> Personally I'm nuts when it comes to disc based

media (be it games or whatever) I really can't see an excuse

for scratches. I have friends that have the freggin' games lying

on their data side on the rug and worse, and their dang jewel case

is like right next to it! Most of the staff at EB Games and GameStop

hate it when I come in because I'll go through 15 to 25 copies of used

stuff before I find one I want (IF I buy). Sad thing is I have used PSX

games that are basically "Brand New" and then they've got the gall to

hand me a gutted *new* copy and say it's not used.

Edited February 24, 2006 by SHAGOHOD X99

[sega saturn x]

i almost enjoy collecting and learning about the history of gaming as much as i enjoy playing games

Ditto on that one, there was a time when I read and played everything I could pertaining to the classic eras. I also had a deep interest in systems that failed and why they did. Now since I know a lot of it I have kind of lost interest, however the new info always holds my attention.

It irks me to no end when I hear

ppl call in "Sink".

I've heard what it stands for several times yet for the life of me can't remember. I have never heard anyone call it sink however, they generally just say snk.

I remember in 1992 I bought a Turbo Grafx 16

w. CD-ROM add on just to buy Macross 2036 from a store

in Houston called "Game Tronix". *Also where I made the trip

to in the summer of '94 to get my Super Famicom.

Good lord somone loves their robotech.

Edited February 24, 2006 by sega saturn x

[Student Driver]

Well if even half of the following apply to you, well...

you just might be a game connoisseur as well

as rabid xXxtreme Hardcore.

 

Gee, the list is awfully slanted toward post-1985 games... but I'm game. Let's see how I stack up.

 

01> You can name every game system ever made from before the Atari 2600 till present (from both sides of the big pond).

 

I can for programmables, though it's like naming all 50 states. Sometimes one slips my mind. I'd also say "both sides of both big ponds," as I'm fond of European consoles as well.

 

02> You collect "import" games simply because you want the better artwork on the game boxes versus the usual shitty artwork on the domestic releases and can't actully read the onscreen text.

 

I collect imports for unexpurgated games/variations; the box art is a nice bonus.

 

(I'd say another sign of geekiness here is preferring complete imports; the obi strip/corner on Japanese games, the warranty card, etc.)

 

03> Own both versions of a game meaning "import" and domestic.

 

I've a few titles like this. Usually from getting an import before its US release, then picking up a used copy of the US release later. (Another sign of geekiness: buying the same game across multiple platforms, especially when differences are minimal.)

 

04> Have ever waited in line in the freezing cold, or just risk looking more dorky than one already is to be one of the first ppl to have a particular game system on launch day.

 

Why wait in line? Pre-order!

 

05> Have ever spent $500 + on an import game system that was going to be released @ $200 something 6 months down the road domestically, but you had to have it as soon as the Japs did.

 

Nope. I'd rather spend the $500 on a system that I know *won't* be released here, like an FM Towns Marty, or a PCFX.

 

06> Braved at least one RPG in full Japanese text, or bothered with a lengthy walkthrough because like #5 above, you just couldn't wait for the domestic release and wanted the experience pronto.

 

I've braved an RPG in Japanese, but not of a game that awaited a domestic release.

 

07> As a kid ever called the Nintendo Game Counselors for some help and ended up running up a bill talking about eveything BUT the original question you called for and got your ass beat for it.

 

I used to call Nintendo Game Counselors when they were available for free from Nintendo's old 800 number. (1-800-422-2602. God, I still remember it.) Never called a for-pay counselor- not sure if that makes me more or less hardcore.

 

08> Got so mad at a game (at one point or another) you roundhoused the TV or punched a hole in the wall of your parent's house... or at least kicked over the system and/or yanked the controller out of it's socket with the power still on.

 

How about pulling a copy of Super Skateboardin' out of my 7800 and throwing it against the wall?

 

09> You actually know what SNK stands for and that it's not pronounced "Sink".

 

I know it's not "Sink," but would be hard-pressed to say what the letters stand for. *looks it up online* Not sure I'd actually bother remembering it. (Geek question: what's the original name for Tecmo?)

 

10> Would pay the extra $24.00 to overnight/next-day-air your "import" games via UPS or FedEX back in the 16 and 32-Bit era glory days.

 

"16 bit and 32 bit glory days?" I kinda sat out the 16-bit era, thought it was boring as hell (except for my TG16)... and the 32-bit era seems too recent for me to feel nostalgic.

 

So, no.

 

11> Can beat TROJAN on Famicom/NES without cussing or breaking somethng.

 

Not any more. I did when I was a kid who owned Trojan for NES and had no life.

 

12> You hated Hiroshi Yamauchi for his business practices, but now feel melancholy with the direction Nintendo has gone since the old bastard left NCL.

 

I don't really feel nostalgic for old Nintendo business practices, so I neither hated him nor miss him.

 

13> The names Hiroshi Yamuchi, Minoru Arakawa, Howard Lincoln, David Rosen, Trip Hawkins Nolan Bushnell, and The Barone Family actually mean something to you.

 

*looks up The Barone Family* Oh. SNK USA, the final years. I love my NGPC, but really don't get SNK-worship. I know the other names, though. I'd add Ralph Baer, Jay Miner, David Crane, the Darling Bros., Eugene Jarvis, the Tramiels, etc.

 

14> You've ever spent more than $3,000 on a single credit card on just video games.

 

Probably. I've had one of my credit cards now for 13 years.

 

15> Broke down the actualities of VS. FIGHTING games super moves and explained how they are actually possible and/or what was being represented in-game.

 

Not really. My greatest love of games kind of predated the fighting-game craze.

 

16> Bought a SEGA CD simply because EGM reported that the Taito arcade game Ninja Warriors was coming stateside but then it didn't.

 

No, I bought a Sega CD because EGM said Cobra Command was coming stateside, and it did.

 

17> Ever bought a game system originally only for ONE game.

 

7800: Xevious. Jaguar: Tempest 2000. Turbo CD: Ys Books 1 & 2. NES: Super Mario Bros. (Bought the system before SMB's release- learned to love Gyromite and Duck Hunt, damn it.)

 

18> You still remember the jungle/maze sequence in the Famicom/NES version of Metal Gear.

 

Hated NES Metal Gear.

 

19> You can 1cc ANY run & gun shooter (RGS) game.

 

1cc?

 

20> You still defend the honor and greatness of 2-D versus 3-D

 

I prefer 2D, but there's no need to defend one over the other. People like what they like.

 

21> You still own old PCs (pre-Pentium stuff) to play classic games on them, braving the old MS-DOS taglines and reading/entering in passwords of a password bank designed in a way you couldn't xerox copy it from the instruction manual.

 

I'm so hardcore, I still own old systems that predate the PC by about a decade. Whee.

 

22> The words "Who wanta' some Wang?" actually makes you bust out laughing when all else are like

 

I guess I'm not hardcore on this, but I'm so old-school that I fondly remember Wang computers.

 

23> You actually spent hours trying to unlock the character Sheng Long in the Super Famicom/SNES version of Street Fighter II after EGM had a picture of it in one issue only to learn it was an April Fool's fake photo.

 

No. I recall being infatuated with STUN Runner in the arcade during that time period, but didn't care about SF2 secrets.

 

24> You own ANY kind of arcade upright in your house and collect pricey PCB boards and/or Arcade Cartridge based systems like the Neo:Geo, Atomiswave, or Taito F-5.

 

Three- Satan's Hollow, Karate Champ, 1943. Got the 1943 to use as a generic JAMMA cabinet.

 

25> You're still bellyaching over SEGA never having released a proper 2-D (preferably high res 2-D) Bare Knuckle 4

 

Not really. The first ones were okay, but 2.5D brawlers were pretty boring after Double Dragon and before Double Dragon II.

 

26> You're going to purchase in the near future a copy of SFT's Beggar Prince for the Mega Drive (Genesis) and are an avid fan of the flourishing retro scene of the pre-Famicom era.

 

No and yes.

 

27> You've read just about EVERY book ever published about video games and the industry overall.

 

Pretty much, especially the pre-1985 industry. Thank God for Leonard Herman.

 

28> Have ever driven at least 300 + miles into another city just to pick up a game system you wanted, having planned it into the family vacation destination because you wanted it that bad.

 

NES, October 31, 1985. Picked it up at some toy store (FAO Schwartz?) in its first day of limited release after having read about it a few weeks prior.

 

29> You refuse (usually) to buy USED games unless they have no more than a hairline scratch, and bitch if there's a few more.

 

Usually. Really rare titles, if there's a return guarantee, I might take a gamble and see if I can buff the scratch(es) out.

 

30> You actually know what WCPO stands for.

 

No clue.

 

31> You're probably a connoisseur and hardcore to boot if you actually took the time to read the last 30 listings and enjoyed this.

 

Yeah, not bad. I always feel old, though, when I see people reminiscing about the Genesis/SNES/SF2 era, when that was probably my least favorite time for games.

Edited February 24, 2006 by Student Driver

[SHAGOHOD X99]

(Geek question:  what's the original name for Tecmo?)

 

30> You actually know what WCPO stands for.

 

No clue.

1023642[/snapback]

 

#1> In all my 23 years (soon to be 24, though I'm 27) of

gaming I never knew TECMO was an abbreviation and/or

acroynm for anything. ***Please do tell, the "inner

geek in me" must know!

 

#2> WCPO = World Criminal Police Organization

It's the agency the main character from the arcade game

and Mega Drive sequels of NAMCO's Rolling Thunder

series works for. Though I was always more partial to

Leila versus Albatross from the original version.

[figgler]

I can beat the hell out of NES Trojan. Even those dual King Shreiks are nothing to me. Is it true that you can kill the final boss in one hit if you hit his heal? Too bad we can't call the Nintendo Counsellors to find out..

[2600khz]

i played my first game wen i was 3 and broke it 5 minutes later to look at the insides and now im 13 and still look at the insides and put it together agn and get it to work agn, i have ten years of experience with Consoles 2 with arcade and 6 years with PCs

Edited February 24, 2006 by 2600khz

[figgler]

i played my first game wen i was 3 and broke it 5 minutes later to look at the insides and now im 13 and still look at the insides and put it together agn and get it to work agn, i have ten years of experience with Consoles 2 with arcade and 6 years with PCs

1023943[/snapback]

 

what do you mean?

[Student Driver]

#1> In all my 23 years (soon to be 24, though I'm 27) of

gaming I never knew TECMO was an abbreviation and/or

acroynm for anything.  ***Please do tell, the "inner

geek in me" must know!

 

Not sure is Tecmo is an acronym (it probably is), but Tecmo's original name was Tehkan.

 

As for the Rolling Thunder organizations, I always liked "Albatross" too, if only because I was a budding Monty Python geek as a teenager.

[2600khz]

Started With Consoles Then Whent With PC and Consoles Then Consoles PC And Arcade.

[chrisbid]

WCPO = channel 9 in cincinnati

 

http://www.wcpo.com/

[Classic Pac]

Actually I ment that as an average. I myself have been playing games since 1984, and concider myself a bit of a snob about some games.

[Flojomojo]

Most hobbies focusing a type of media have a sophisticated or intellectual side. Those who have read important works of literature are said to be "well read". People well versed in things such as painting and sculpture can be called "art connoisseurs". Even movies have an intellectual fan base who dissect and analyze films. This has led me to these questions: Can one be "well played" or perhaps a "video game connoisseur"? And can the video game be considered art?

1023031[/snapback]

It depends on how much money you have. Seriously, hear me out:

 

Being "well-read" doesn't mean nearly as much as it did 100 years ago, now that mass-market publishing is available and public schooling has raised literacy levels. Being well-read in 2006 isn't necessarily a badge of honor. I know lots of booky people who live at home on their subsistence jobs at Barnes and Noble. I know even more with graduate degrees in obscure fields who can't find a real job, so they too end up working at bookstores and coffee shops. Being well-read doesn't raise their status in society, but I guess you could argue they have a richer inner life or something.

 

Art collectors need money. Art enthusaists, like the occasional museumgoer, hobbiest painter, or someone who majored in art history are a dime for *two* dozen. They are the casual gamer of the art world. Nothing wrong with that. Meanwhile, the true artists, those that understand most deeply because they create art themselves, can't usually concern themselves with vast amounts of trivia about other people's work.

 

Wine/beer/liquor nerds a la "Sideways" can be found at any university or rehab clinic. I don't see the appeal of comparing onself to this group.

 

Film geeks probably most resemble game geeks. There's a small artistic community for design and development in both films and games. There's a huge business structure for funding, distribution, and marketing for both films and games. And finally, there are the critics -- some are paid, but everyone else has an opinion. You need money to be a player in either camp, but enjoying a game or a film is just a few bucks. To get "serious" about a collection involves a home theater and lots of hardware. That's about as likely to earn respect among peers as a new car, if that's what you're after....

 

Having just written 200 words on the subject of the "sophisticated/intellectual" side of games makes me a little guilty -- it didn't really add much, did it? For more pseudo-intellectual masturbation about whether or not games are "art," read "The Escapist Magazine" every week at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ and afterwards, kick yourself for wasting the time you could have spent playing some old games instead of reading nonsense about the same.

[Paranoid]

The first thing I think of when I hear "video game connoisseurs" is of comic book collectors and Sci-Fi conventions.

 

 

 

I don't think we'll ever escape that association, either. I'm not sure if it is a matter of too much cross-over... or if we're just real similar on the social food-chain...