Craig Beers PC Video Editor	Now Playing: Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (PC) Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (GBA) Will Upgrade Computer For: Half-Life 2 (PC), Doom 3 (PC)

The Dying World of Imagination?

Just this last weekend, I was playing some old, classic Nintendo games with my girlfriend. That was interesting in itself, but what was really intriguing was our discussion. I kept remarking that the games we were playing didn't look quite as good as I remembered them. She said, "Well duh, you used your imagination." I never really thought of it that way. I always assumed that what you see is what you get for graphical media like games and movies. I never stopped to ponder that I used my imagination to fill in the graphical gaps during the old days of gaming.

I had to imagine that this creature in DragonStrike...

I think it was most apparent when we played some Super Mario Bros. 3. I know some of you think it's a classic, but I just haven't touched that game since I got a SNES. I consider Super Mario World to be the best Mario game. Why would I go back to SMB3? I'm sorry, but the tanooki suit wasn't enough to keep me hooked. Anyway, I remembered SMB3 looking much like Super Mario World or Super Mario 64. I suppose that has happened with all game series. I can't even begin to look at the original Metroid after Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.

...was actually a draconian like this one.

But this phenomenon isn't relegated to game series. DragonStrike is one example. I remember dueling with amazing-looking creatures like dragons and manticores. Now I go back and find that they are hunks of colored pixels that barely resemble the source material. My memories are instead fueled by the DragonLance artwork that I transcribed into my mind during the game.

Oh, Samus--you used to be a gem to my eye.

Why do I consider this important? Well, for one, I feel that games have been stereotyped into being a worthless waste of time. When I was younger, my dad judged them to be the equivalent of sitting on the couch watching TV. Little did he know that I was using my imagination playing Battlezone on my Atari just as much as if I had been playing with my G.I. Joes outside. Using your imagination, especially when you're younger, is healthy for the mind. An added benefit was that I even learned things from some games.

So do I consider the trend to be a bad thing? No, of course not. Games are becoming true storytelling vehicles now. While our imagination won't be used as much during the gameplay, we will be captivated by engaging storylines. There is always room to use imagination to think of prequel and sequel plots. And you can always go back to the best source of imagination: reading a book.