It was a very funny shirt, something I have since worn with pride and has called the attention of a few office mates of mine.  It is funny for me, in one way because I have not held a Nintendo product for over five years now, my gaming energies having all been keenly focused on my Playstation, and more recently, my Playstation II.

I would not consider myself an addict.  I do have a life, and thanks to God’s good graces, a good life, outside of those little digital universes. I can’t even honestly say that I’ve played any game for more than four hours straight.

I would concede that like so many others, the computer game is a fixture in my life.  But the idea set forth by the shirt still applies, Nintendo probably being used as it is still the most recognizable name in gaming to those who play computer games.  It is also funny because by buying me that shirt, my dad was saying that HE was the one who admitted that I had a problem.

As interesting as it is for my friend and me to reminisce on the games we enjoyed, its also equally as interesting for us to talk about how much the games have changed over the past quarter century or so.

Graphics of course would be the most noticeable improvement in the computer game, spurred forward by increases in processor performance.  I remember when the games were decidedly two- dimensional side-scrollers like the classics Castlevania and Contra.

Today there are games for every kind of player covering every kind of genre to suit every kind of taste.  A lot has happened to the computer game, and most of it is good.

Adventure

For me the most basic of games.  You have a mission (rescue the princess, save the world, whichever comes first) and you set of to do it going through various levels to do it.  Sonic, Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot are some examples that spring to mind. The game adaptations of Lord of The Rings would qualify as well.

Shoot ‘em ups

Arguably the most popular game among the 12-80 year old bracket of the male video-gamer market, Shoot ‘em ups allow players to do just that, Shoot things up.

There’s usually very little in the way of a plot or story.  Even if there is a meaning to the carnage its rarely innovative.  And it doesn’t really matter.  Do guys need a reason to hurl grenades and empty magazine after magazine of ammo at each other?  I don’t think so.

The aforementioned Contra is probably one of the oldest shoot ‘em ups I can remember.

The major evolutionary leap forward of the shoot ‘em up came with the advent of the FPS, or the First Person Shooter.  In FPS games players could see things from their character’s point of view.  It added a level of realism unknown at the time, and of course changed the shoot ‘em up forever.  If I’m not mistaken the first was Wolfenstein 3D.

Now the range of shoot ‘em ups has widened from military games, like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, to Mech shooters like Armored Core.  Aside from being able to go on set missions, majority of these games, such as Quake and Duke Nukem, have a feature that allows players to go up against each other, making them favorites at LAN  (Local Area Network) parties andinternet cafes.

Puzzle

A mainstay of the gaming world, puzzles games are fun ways to pass one’s time.  Favored by the intellectual gamer more than the adrenaline junkie, puzzle games such as Tetris allow a person to flex

Sports

Undoubtedly the largest genre of games, sports based games allow gamers to stem into the shoes of their favorite sport stars.  Always dreamed of finishing a round of Golf under par at Pebble Beach?  You can in video games.  Ever wanted to play against Tiger Woods?  Or AS Tiger Woods?  You can do that too through the power of computers.

Electronic Arts is a huge developer of sports games, churning out games for basketball, baseball, and soccer among others. Many games, like Golf simulations let you play as the sports superstar.  Others however place in managerial positions, such as in the NBA series of games where you can trade players to build up your favorite team, or build your own Dream Team.

There are other less realistic but no less fun Extreme sports games, like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaters.  Like I said, this is a WIDE genre.

Racing

Among the older types of games, I classify racing games a s separate from sports games, mainly because it has a following all its own, and an appeal all its own.  I can remember rows upon rows of machines at arcades for SEGA RALLY not so long ago.

Shoot ‘em ‘up gamers crave the pretty explosions and colorful tracer fire. Racing fans crave only one thing:

Speed.

Gran Tourismo I’d say is the current leader in racing games, followed by Need For Speed: Underground.