Super Nintendo

Video games have always been a passion of mine. Ever since I grew up playing "Duck Tales" and "M.C. Kids" on the NES, I've enjoyed almost everything about computer entertainment. However, as time went on, I found that the industry started to develop values that differed from mine. In my opinion, too much emphasis is placed on graphics and presentation these days, and not enough on playability and fun. For that reason, I find that my favorite games to collect and play are games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES.
After the video game crash of 1983, a lot of people had lost their faith in the industry. However, the Nintendo Entertainment System really turned this around by having quality games that were all licensed by Nintendo itself. By doing this, they built a reputation for themselves. This reputation only gained them more popularity in 1991 when they released the Super Nintendo to the world. By building upon franchise favorites like: Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, and Donkey Kong, the SNES built a library of games that is still regarded as one of the best collections of video games ever. What I enjoy about the system, though, is what it represents today.
First of all, the SNES was simple, and there's a lot to be said about simplicity in games. Look at the controller above, first of all, it has 4 face buttons, a D-pad, and 2 triggers. Most systems today add to that 2 analog sticks (which act as buttons themselves) and 2 more triggers. Not to say that there's anything wrong with that, but it opens up the possibility of a game's control being too complex. Everything feels very natural with this many buttons, and I maintain that, although games today often do a good job of using their control schemes, the best games don't require you to use more than you see above.
Secondly, game development in the 1990's was focused solely on playability and enjoyment. When the SNES was launched, it found itself at the center of the video game Console Wars. What this meant is that you had to remain popular to survive. At the time, though, popular meant that your games were, above all else, fun. Graphics were part of the Console Wars, but gameplay was valued much higher than it is today.
So... what do you get when you combine elegant simplicity with gameplay-based development? You get what many people (myself included) call the Golden Age of video games. Many people argue that it's also the greatest system ever made, but I still can't decide whether it's the SNES or the Playstation 2. Either way, this system embodies everything I like about video games, and you can build yourself a great collection of games for a very low price ($1 - $15 for most games). Even as technological marvels continue to be produced for the modern systems, I find myself trolling eBay and Craigslist in pursuit of a larger library of games that are almost 20 years old. And that's why the Super Nintendo is my Thing of the Week!

Next week: Paper mills (oh, wait... that's for my other blog: Smelly Thing of the Week)