The Golden days of gaming

So everyone, What do you consider the Golden days of gaming? I know we have a wide radius of ages out there, Could be anywhere from Gamecube or earlier I imagine. But still, What do you all consider the golden days?

I prefer to think that the Nes system an the Snes system was those days for me. Why? Because those were the pioneers of gaming! You had titles like Metroid, Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior (Quest now) Megaman and much more from the Nes that paved the way to the Snes. Those games then did not rely on pretty graphics or detailed sound tracks. For Example, Lufia & the Fortress of Doom, was one of my personal Favorites...The Graphics in the first game was not all that in my opinion, But the story of it's time was very appealing and its battle system was Different than that of Final Fantasy, even some of the soundtracks were superb. Super Metroid? Another great game, sound track, graphics, and level design with its Character upgrades made the game spectacular to play. It gave you that feeling of accomplishment when you found certain items to unlock new paths to the game, or areas that you wished to get to the entire game and finally had the equipment to do so, that suspense.

I believe games back then had to rely more on Story, Level Design and what could play out in your imagination. I could recall a time when I was playing Megaman and pretending I was rescuing my school crush when I beat the game. It's games like those that captured our hearts, Today in gaming It's rare to get that feeling for me at least, Maybe it's cause I'm more mature than I was then, so my imagination may not be so elaborate, or perhaps the designers of today focus more graphic hardware and soundtrack than capturing hearts with story.

Personally, I prefer games that have some sort of interaction with a story. Regardless if its platformer, JRPG/RPG, Shooter, or even puzzles. The Story is what grasps the gamer. Destiny is one good example, The mechanics in that game i thought was fluid, when you shot at something, it felt natural, when the shots landed it felt great! However, the story...was basically missing almost. That game had such high expectations , and would of been fantastic if they elaborated more on the story. So again folks, share some of your opinions of your favorite Eras of gaming, perhaps your reasoning behind why or what you think of today's developers if you believe the past was that Era.

Right now. Just one long golden age, imo. Things are getting better. There is more crap, sure, but I think there is more good stuff now (even proportionately) than there ever has been.

I will always look fondly at games I've played in the past, but I think if me from 1995 saw then what we get now in 2016, he'd shit his pants from excitement. I would have never imagined a game like DCS A-10 would ever exist, or Skyrim, or Kerbal Space Program, or The Witcher 3, or Assassin's Creed.

I'm trying to remember what I played back then. Chip's Challenge? Tetris? That Game Where You Are the Worm and Try not To Eat Yourself. SkiFree? Hey those were all so much fun [at the time] but anyone that prefers those games to current ones is, most likely, insane.

Late nineties or early 2000s for me.

My first gaming experiences were on sega mega drive when i was about 4. I loved playing columns and desert strike 2. Played a lot of gamevoy as well around that time.

Ps1 and ps2 though was the height of gaming for me. Ps2 in particular had amazing games that i still replay today. My favourite from that time was probably mgs3, timesplitters 2, ssx tricky and all the gta games among others. And on ps1 i still regularly play resident evil 1 - 3.

So far im enjoying this generation even more than the last though.

Pretty much this. Gaming has only gotten better for me. People can go on all they want about microtransactions, DLC, and so forth. But, in general, games look and play better now than ever before. As far as generations go, I can't say for sure whether I prefer this one or the previous one. I feel that last gen may end up having a better library of games overall, but this generation has been a nicer improvement than I initially gave it credit for.

While I agree with above posts that it's probably as good as it's ever been right now, I still have very fond memories of the GC/Xbox/PS2 generation. I think that gen will always hold a special place for me.

Games are constantly becoming better, so I don't really believe there is a true "golden age". However, most of my favorite games have come from both the 6th and 7th generations.

what I consider the golden age of gaming is 1970 - 2002 even though I'm 14 years old and that was either when I was 2 or not being born I recognize the greatness and happiness of that time. think of it... the creators of games were responsible and cared about the game they created. they were intuitive and did what was right for everyone. they didn't just be pushed by greed but collaborated with the players. nowadays most games are dumbed down pieces of garbage made by developers that were really just motivated by money and didn't care about what the player really wanted. ironically the age that I think is the golden age was a period before I was born.. talk about irony.

I'd say the early to mid 90s.

Nowadays, the consoles are so similar to each other and share most of the same games, but back then the consoles truly had their own unique identity and would offer you very different experiences. The SNES had tons of games that you could not get on the Genesis and vice-versa, and even many games that shared the same name were completely different games on each console. Then Sony came along and also brought their own unique identity and offered different experiences than what Nintendo and Sega offered. You also had the PC, which back then was a completely different gaming world and offered different genres of gaming than what you would find on consoles. Plus, the arcade scene was still alive back then and also gave you a very difference experience than what you would get at home.

Plus, I think the early to mid 90s saw the biggest surge of innovation and rapid growth in gaming. I mean, are the current gen consoles really all that different than the last gen consoles that came out nearly a decade before them? I don't think so. But back then, the 16-bit consoles were a huge leap from the 8-bit consoles and then just a few short years later, gaming took it's biggest leap ever with the transition from 2D to 3D as well as switching from cartridges to CDs which both opened up so many new possibilities; it was a really exciting time to be a gamer.

And lastly, I really preferred how games back then were simple to pick-up and play yet very challenging to master. Nowadays, the complete opposite of that is sadly the norm.

5-6th gen, notably: PS1, PS2, N64, PC (Baldur's Gate I and II, Doom, Half-Life, Starcraft, Diablo I and II, list goes on).

Games are definitely bigger and prettier now than they have ever been. I just can't stand how the industry is now;

• always-online
• day-one updates
• incomplete games charged full-price
• disc-locked content

I think companies are taking a huge step back in those regards. I find the immersion is disappearing and I'm finding it harder to get into games now. Could be because I'm getting older and other responsibilities are taking over, or a combination. I just don't have the patience to deal with the bullcrap I listed. So I just go back to my older games and know that even if shit hits the fan I don't have to worry about someone in a suit throwing my games or tinfoil hat in the garbage.

The first half of the PS3 era for me. A very wide variety of games in all the different genres; publishers had no qualms about releasing new IP's on a regular basis; single player was first and foremost.

Somewhere around the middle of that gen everything went multiplayer, if it wasn't an FPS either shut down the studio or else make it into and FPS and then shut down the studio when nobody buys it. New IP's? Well we've got one planned for 2021. And sell the first half of the game for $60 and then the second half for at least that much via DLC. And if it sells really well, maybe even fix most of the bugs. Eventually.

For me it was during the SNES and PS1 days. A new consol was something big, so much stuff changed. Different graphics, different controller. Since the PS2, controllers don't change if at all, a little bit on the ergonomics but this is pretty much it.

It was also the time I played the most but had less game. I was a kid and it had that feeling of wonder that I don't have anymore.

1989-2007. Mostly Mid 90s to Early 2000s.

The days of the Amiga. The sun will never set on those days.

Right now.

and the snes. between around 90 - 94 was pure gold. what a time to be a young gamer

21 disc games and changing them every 4 minutes. hehe. :)

For me, that's hard to pin down. Every era seemed to have an issue somewhere. Back in the Atari days, everyone saw how great gaming could become, so there was a MAD rush to develop titles, but they did it so fast that consumers kind of put up a brick wall for awhile. After the innovation to use CD's instead of cartridges, the legal system came a-knockin' because CD's were becoming extremely easy to pirate. Adding online capabilities to consoles for multiplayer purposes cause a lot of headaches for people, or they didn't want to buy extra cables and such just to play a game once in awhile. Now, you can't just stick in game and play anymore, you need to install it first, or do an update, or you can't even enjoy the full game because they basically want you to buy every single DLC possible.

But that's just the bad stuff. There's been "golden" moments for me as I've grown up. First, it was cool to go from a joystick to a controller. Then it was cool that the graphics got a little better. Then it was cool to see Sonic run around in 3D. Then I cheered when I could play Midnight Club 3 with friends online. Then it was amazing that I could put SOME games onto my Xbox and never have to put in a disc. Then it was awesome that I could seamlessly switch games to play. Right now, I am so happy that my wife and I can play Black Ops 3 together and stream it for a YouTube channel. I've watched E3 for about the past 15 years, and it always amazes me with new tech and games - but then I'll grab a DVD of old promo E3 titles - and just revel at how great things were back then to.

I think ANY moment in gaming can be golden if it makes you proud that you were to be part of it, even if we've evolved now. Heck - I wouldn't love Super Mario Maker as much as I do if it wasn't for Mario Paint back on the SNES!

Without question the "Golden Age of Gaming" for PC gaming was 1997 - 2000 inclusive (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), which also not coincidentally spanned the 3dfx years.

Those were great years for PC gamers, 3 or 4 major dedicated magazines, games were being made for Windows and for PC first, and on CD's. There were 20 GREAT games each of the 4 years. But the rise of a new generation of consoles in 2001 was it's deathnell, even taking Bungie away.

It all began January 1997 with the popularity of the original Diablo and GL Quake, and it was a great ride. Many of the classic games of the Era resound even today, whether it's FPS's , RPG's like the Fallouts, and the Bethesda games, and RTS games like Starcraft and many others. Some of the most creative games on any platform were PC games of the time.

I'm guessing most people in this thread didn't experience most of it. As someone who did I think the days of the c64, apple 2 to the amiga, apple 2gs etc. Dos was just being released at that time as well was still the golden era of gaming. Pre playstation and all of that even. Nintendo was still in its infancy etc.. I think when nintendo, sony and microsoft really started taking off it changed. I think anything pre that was the golden era of gaming. the Atari, Colecovision etc..

most i can remember was 12 discs for monkey island 2. but the graphics and dialogue were so good you didn't care. "look behind you a three headed monkey!"

ok i dont subscribe to this idea. everything is better now.

@Macutchi: I dont think it was quite 21 disc but Operation stealth was a big disc game it was in the teens and same with one of the larry games.

@skipper847: vaguely remember operation stealth. sure it was made by the same people who made another world. now that was was a game. and i could never get into the larry games. quite literally. all the prove you're 18 questions were all american based. and of course we had no internet to google the answers. i was more a space quest / kings quest kind of guy

The golden days of gaming were in the PS1/N64 area for me.

After that 3D worlds got bigger and prettier but largely the stories and the gameplay changed relatively little. 360/PS3 gen was pretty much all about the graphics. The games in hindsight were pretty mediocre. I'm totally sick to death of linear shooters now. Uncharted 4 doesn't even slightly interest me.

Then this gen has been kind of crap overall. Nothing new that we haven't seen before. Again just prettier.

I'd say the biggest moment in games was the PS1 in the late 90s and since then it has started to plateau. Hopefully VR and the up coming games can breath some new life into the industry.

Hmm, Golden days

Hopefully we have not been past that yet, Golden Age is when someone is old and on their deathbed looking back on the best years.

Gaming is still young and we have just seen the start.

So ask again in 50 years.

1995-2005. PS1,PS2, N64, GameCube, Dreamcast and Xbox era.

late 90s/00s ps2!!

GTA3 and its sequals, Red faction with destructive environments, pro evo soccer, MGS2/3. Max Payne, half life, freedom fighters, Manhunt.

YE this was the gaming age for sure!

it never ended for me.. im enjoying games as much as i did in the NES/SNES days

what about all the people reading this who are on their deathbed?

While I have great memories of the SNES era I'm enjoying gaming these days now more then ever so I guess that I would say now are my golden days of gaming.

For me personally, it has to be the second half of the 32/64 bit era and the entirety of the PS2 era. The rise of MGS, GTA, the absolute peak of Zelda and Mario, the evolution of the sport and racing genre and the non-console FPS (nothing better to this day than PC versions of MOH, Battlefield and Half Life 2 + Episodes). It was a gaming industry which was well funded and could afford to make AAA games multiple times a year. Now we're lucky to get 5 or 6 big games per console with the PS4 only just coming into it's own almost 2+ years after release.

From a technical standpoint, I will say this gen is obviously the best but from a creative, fun, gameplay perspective, definitely not.

1991-2004, for me.

Glad to see the community responding pretty well and not bashing each other. I read the posts and I do agree with quite a few of them, Gaming has gotten better in terms of what you can do in games , the immersion and so on; However, I do see that companies have grown more towards making a profit, than making an experience.

One prime example would be Battlefront , That game aspired great hopes for many players, and yet they released a quarter of the game with minimum effort. I guess that was the under lying tone in my previous post. That Companies these days do not try as hard, note that there are a few that do...ones that go the extra mile to achieve greatness. As stated before me, The generation of Snes/N64 will have a special fond place in my heart.

I have a favourite period for PC games, and another for consoles, but it's interesting to note that I shared my enthusiasm for the PC with a Dreamcast by its side. That period went from 1998 to 2002, with most games behaving the way I wanted them to, because they looked good in comparison to each other (PC and Dreamcast). It was only when PC games required T&L graphics cards, and the Gamecube and Xbox were around, that I decided to upgrade and leave the Dreamcast behind. Then, from 2003 up to 2007, I decided to follow PC exclusively before I stopped gaming in general. Those years were my golden age of gaming, when the first consoles I played were the Genesis and the PS1, and now I'm only revisiting what I missed very casually.

I don't think there is a golden age of gaming as it is medium that is continually advancing. As technology evolves, possibilities become endless. We are at a point where there a games that demonstrate technical prowess with next gen capibilities e.g. MGV, but also games in the visual style of older Snes games such as Undertale that have achieved a new level of conceptual insight as well as games such as Shovel Knight that are able to achieve the same feel & fun factor.