Gaming in the past, present and future

THE first time I tried it I was hooked. The obsession with video games began during my childhood years and stayed until now and it has got me through the highest and lowest points of my life. Also, because it was first introduced to me by my late father, I hold it dear to my heart.

The first faintest memories of my youth was one with my mother's voice shrieking "Go to sleep you two!" She was referring to the late nights shared between my father and I where we spent hours trying to outdo each other either in "Tetris" or "Space Invaders" on the early 16-bit consoles (ours was the Sega Mega Drive).

The consoles of today, or in other words the "Seventh Generation consoles" bring gamers to a whole new world of escapism by incorporating online gaming services into the already popular past time thus introducing a new community into the society called "Online Gaming Community". With most consoles such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 (PS3), for example, offering wi-fi in their system, allows gamers to connect to the Internet and communicate with other gamers from around the world. The Xbox does this through Xbox live while the PS3 gamers have the "Playstation Network".

Games used to be so simple such as "Super Mario Brothers" using Mario, a plumber, to just move through obstacles and jump on enemies to defeat them. Before, playing games was all about passing time or just to get the highest score but now, games offer more in the sense that they incorporate real emotions be it in the conflict the main characters experience or the main themes of the game such as wars highlighted in games titles such as "Medal Honour".

There are, however, games which try to bring a sense of real-life action into the household. Games like the "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" series, as well as "Singstar" let gamers experience their fantasy of being a rock star with accompanying accessories such as guitars, microphones and drum sets allowing their inner pop star or rock star to shine.

Old school gamers would remember the Gameboy, or the Sega Game Gear. Now, with the DS and PSP in the market, the old system are just shadows of the past.

The new generation of hand-held consoles signifies the word portability and it comes with an impressive battery life with crisp graphics, for example, the PSP provides about four to six hours of gameplay and supports an LCD screen, which is capable of 480x272 pixel video playback with 16.77 million colours. These consoles are not just used for playing games but also as an mp3 player and it can even be reconfigured to be used as communication devices with the use of its wi-fi system.

Games have evolved from being a simple hobby to a community event and major competitions have been organised to showcase the skills of gamers.

Associations such as the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), founded in June 1997, is a professional sports tournament organisation specialising in computer and console video game competitions.

In Brunei, gamers such as me need not worry as they can satisfy their fix just at ETA-Games Trading located conveniently at The Mall, Gadong, right near the Cineplex. They carry most of the new generation consoles that are popular today and also provide other services. The store's motto is "I Play Video Games for a Living!" and with a motto like that I know I went to the right place.

The shop has an impressive inventory and even exclusive versions of consoles such as the limited edition Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 pack. It includes the Xbox 360 with an updated motherboard the "Jasper", a wireless controller and the latest "Resident Evil game" which cost about $759.

Those who are interested in purchasing this limited item should hurry as there are only four units in stock. They also carry an exclusive "Metal Gear Solid" (MGS) ensemble set which comes with an 80GB PS3 console, a wireless controller and an original MGS game "Guns of the Patriots" priced at $829

As emphasised in their motto, gamers such as myself have no problem relating with the sales assistants. Hasbih, a sales assistant (also a passionate gamer), stated that the staff are informed by the management about the importance of having prior knowledge on the products that are sold at the store.

"We actually know what to tell the gamers about the products they are purchasing."

He highlighted the arrival of the new "PSP 3000 Carnival Colours Series" which comes in Radiant Red, Vibrant Blue, Spirited Green and Bright Yellow.

Other services include game downloads for hand-held consoles such as the Nintendo DS and PSP where they charge $5 per download and $10 for three downloads but for consoles purchased at the shop are given a special price of $3 per download.

Consoles such as the Nintendo DS can be used as an educational device with games or programs such as "The Professor Brain series" offering brain teasers to stimulate logic and memory. With possibilities like that, games will become timeless as it continues to evolve and cover all areas of life. ETA-Games Trading can be contacted at +673-2426 333.

The Brunei Times