With the merging of real and virtual aesthetics at a breakneck pace, the concept of gaming has become a bit skewed. First person shooters with realistic battlefronts are showing up on the shelves at your local electronics store as soon as a plot can be conjured; hundreds of thousands spend hours each day exploring the breathtaking realms of realistic MMORPG(Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no stranger to the utter joy felt while articulating the battle-hardened Master Chief in Halo 2. In fact, the mere thought of a controller lacking at least one analog thumbstick and axial triggers can easily leave one with a sense of helplessness over game control. How were games even able to survive without today’s robust processors combined with state of the art graphics hardware? It’s simple: they were fun.

For those of you who have lost touch with your gaming roots, here’s an interesting blog I found outlining a recent “gaming movement” in the U.K. called The Blue Sky in Games campaign. Although the campaign is far from serious (it states that MegaMan is the sole cause of the downfall of happy-go-lucky gaming), the satirical UK:Resistance team does raise an interesting question: have we forgotten what gaming is all about? The answer, obviously, is no.

According to a friend of mine, as well as one of the first 3,000 owners of the original Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A link to The Past, the majority of games today are about as mind-boggling as a screen saver, with more focus on the aesthetics of the puzzle rather than the puzzle itself. He doesn’t stand alone. Many old school gamers who were there for the birth and baptism of the gaming revolution feel the waxing and waning of the industry. To the nostalgic, the shocking realism of games today lacks the parsimonious fun and engagement of the adventures we witnessed the pioneer heroes such as Luigi, Samus Aran, and Link take on. A low res, 2-D Mario climbing ladders to save the Princess from a less than impressive gorilla with the likeness of mud is much more enthralling than watching our beloved red-suspendered Italian working on his putting in a highly detailed 3-D environment.

This opinion shared by many of the original console gamers is what I like to refer to as the “Old School” phenomenon. In the gaming world, “Old School” is a term used which refers to the original players of a game or gaming system. The “Old School” phenomenon is the recurring pattern of behavior shared by these veteran gamers across the broad spectrum of gaming: a mindset that if you are one of the first to play a certain game, you automatically become an expert in the field. These old school gamers have a tendency to dislike change, even to the point of withdrawing themselves from the gaming world. Their opinion is valued and newbies strive to emulate them. With such experience at the battlefront, it seems foolish to do anything but agree. But before we close the case on the metaphoric murder of games, let’s take one more look at what, exactly, a game is.

The sky is blue..that counts..right?

Main Entry: 1game
Pronunciation: 'gAm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English gamen; akin to Old High German gaman amusement
1 a (1) : activity engaged in for diversion or amusement

There you have it folks. Games have been played for thousands of years across all walks of life in all corners of the world. From the brutal Mayan game of Pokatok to the classy pastime of Cricket, all games have something in common: they are to be played for the amusement of their participants. Games don’t have to abide by a specific structure or set of rules. The intrinsic value of playing a game is tailored to each and every one of us, and the burgeoning gaming industry has hit the nail on the head. Just because trying to get lean with Yourself! Fitness or ripping through an army of zombies with an assault rifle doesn't entail collecting smiling carrots from magical hidden areas in a two dimensional environment doesn’t mean it’s not a game. A game can never be wrong if there is someone to enjoy it, and that’s where the true meaning of games lies, not in it’s bright blue skies.