So I was playing games in 1983 and still do today.
In the blog below there is a video of me playing
July19 0802: scuzzblog: Amiga Degrader - RELOKICK
ScuzzBlog: Diaries December 2023
Entry 19th December 2023: Post 1: Home computing as a movement not just a gaming activity.
Home computing as a movement not just a gaming activity.
What the hell !!! Mad. Without the forum post that I replied to it
is impossible to understand what is said. Sorry about that.
Further to my blog the other day regarding a post I made on a
well known forum, I received a response from the OP with what was
an even more garbled and disjointed post. I was moved to respond
with a further diatribe of arrogant nonsense which I dutifully
deleted for being just that, arrogant. [ bollx!x! ]
I reflected on the way I quickly attacked the OP's comments and
realised it was just a case of age, experience and simply not
living through the periods in question. It was easy for me to see
the whole general picture cus I had lived though it.
Notwithstanding my removal of the post I feel there is some good
in me trying to explain the purpose of the response with the aid
of a few pictures. It also gives me the chance to feature Manic
Miner which is both historically important and hilarious.
Generalisation:
With time and a lack of historical experience many that frequent
forums have a tendency to generalise. They unknowingly lump all
kinds of varied content under one banner, and dare I say seek to
give significance to their arguments by simply listing readily
recognisable bullet point names and references. This can eventually
cause a fracture in truth as those knowledgable and able to correct
comments become less common and dare I say retire from life.
In this instance the OP had listed a group of computers that covered
differing eras of the platform back to the very dawn of home computers,
and then went on to say that the earlier machines looked weird in
comparison to the later machines. The comment was intellectually
redundant given that to make a comparison with a later incarnation
you would first need to state what controlling factor from the future
coloured an event from the past. The simple answer is none.
The past can only draw from the previous and given there was no
home computing era prior to the one in question then there is no way
you can class the originals as being out of the ordinary or weird.
They can be viewed only in their own context and from examples of
home computers of that era then they look in keeping. In many ways
the earlier era of the Commodore brands were very tame in comparison
to computers from the same period.
Hope that made sense.
Out of line:
Timeline is not a superficial arbitrary factor that can be ignored
or worse altered. To consider one element as being significant to
an argument by simply lumping into a grouping that it was never
part of to make a case is factually incorrect and tries to bend
the timeline. One of the biggest failings in forum posts is the
getting dates wrong particularly when referring to computers. It
could be simply lazy, but most likely suffers from that simple
generation where all home computers before a certain time are
all the same. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the post the OP lumped the C128 with the C64 which ignores the
progression of development to reach 1985 and the later release of
the C64C. To then say a range of computers prior to the C128 were
weird in comparison to the A500 shows a certain amount of ignorance
of the activities of Commodore at the time of release of the C128,
and the not too distant A500. The C128 is the last of the 8-bit
machines and represents the end of that era, whereas the A500 is
almost at the beginning of its own bloodline. Yet when you place the
two machines side by side, with the exception of the obvious lack
of floppy drive both machines look remarkably similar. There is
nothing to suggest any weird design styling.
Context:
'Yes most gamers of the Amiga era played games on the Amiga computer.
The machine was not designed nor marketed as purely a games machine
unlike some of the games consoles'.
Placing the Amiga in context of its originating purpose, whilst it
does not preclude use as a gaming machine per say, it does not colour
a computer made solely for a gaming market. The current wave of
Amiga enthusiasts could be forgiven for tilting more toward retro
gaming than anything else. This is only to be expected as games
stand on their own merit and yet software is always on a development
arc and why use an old paint package to achieve a goal if a newer
one does the task better.
When considering the merit of any device to a given period you need
to appreciate the limitations of that period along with the
expectations. The Amiga in context was not a gaming machine and
yet current users appear to see it this way.
Better than:
The subject of one being better than another is subjective and is
coloured by the resultant satisfaction of its users. To say that the
Atari was better than the Amiga musically is again subjectively
questionable given that the Atari chose to provide a midi interface
to their later machines, a facility that gave incentive to a lot of
users that like playing keyboards with their computer. As a simple
consequence of this decision the Atari moved in one direction at a
greater pace than the Amiga. It provided a facility for plug in
devices but does not naturally equate that one is superior to the
other.
There is no doubt that the Atari was a valued computer in some
quarters, however there is a vast demo scene and tracking scene
that fed into the Amiga that would very much see their activities
as equally signifiant to the success of the specific platform. It
follows that as stated the issue of 'better than' is subjective and
is dependant on factors of user satisfaction.
In the end did the provision of such enhancements ultimately determine
the success of the product, I guess I can let history be the judge
of that as other factors became a bigger influence in the end.
The gaming angle:
A lot of posts on retro forums are from guys playing games. They
also enjoy posting simple yay or nay comments for the sake of it
courtesy no doubt of mobile phone idle thumbs. No criticism meant
trust me, but gaming activity is not the be all and end all of what
retro computers were all about.
This leads to the OPs comment regarding The Jaguar and wanting to
cite the Amiga fanbase relishing in its demise. The confusion here is
to think that gaming consoles, particularly cartridge based machines,
that have more to do with the Japanese market than the home computer
market, would be something that those involved with the Amiga
would be mindful of.
' The Jaguar is a cartridge based games console designed by Flare
Technology to take on the SNES. Released in 1993 the last full year
Commodore were in existence. I'm not sure how this had anything
to do with Amiga. Nobody I know involved with the Amiga ever really
cared what Atari were doing. Never appeared on the radar '.
It is a mistake by modern gamers to think of the Amiga as a gaming
machine and lumping it together with the console platform. You
may think that the gaming world viewed the Amiga as a kinda console
but in truth the developers of console based games were never
confused about what it meant to have a pure gaming product. That
is why in the later years Commodore released the CD32. It may not
have been a massive success but it certainly addressed the issue
of clarity of purpose. This was a gaming machine for gaming.
Interestingly Commodore had tried previously to market a pure games
machines but it was never taken seriously. However, Atari on the
other hand suffered because of their gaming tag. Many of their
products, though capable of much more were only ever seen as games
machines. The Jaguar pretty much reflects Atari's last throw of the
dice in this venture and sadly it failed..
The point:
The point really was to emphasise the importance of understanding
your subject or at least the subject of a post on a forum. Never
make categoric comments based on generalisations. Appreciate the
time lines of what you are discussing and always qualify by
saying 'in your opinion'. Also admit to not knowing stuff.
' The road to 1993 was a rich and very exciting journey and involved
some truly classic computers. It really is worth digging a little
deeper below the surface to enjoy some of the jewels hidden below.
They give a more powerful overview of the history of both consoles
and gaming computers.'
Computing as a movement:
The distinction of a movement over just a gaming activity is lost
in much that is discussed on forums. Having lived through it from
its dawn I always felt I was part of a movement. We were all on a
journey and it was a good thing to be doing. We were venturing
through uncharted territory where everything was new and wondrous.
I actually think that it's that brave new world feeling that is
missing from today's computer culture. In the early days the users
were definitely in control. It was our world. Today only those
with the control dictate ... and so there is a breakdown in
communication. A feeling of disconnection.
Anyhoo for me I've been playing computer games since my first humble
outings with Manic Miner. A game that took way more hours of my
life than I am prepared to tell. And yet I am still gaming and I
never get bored of it. However, I am still looking for doors that
I have never opened ...
Anyhoo ... If you understood any of that you are truly better than
me. I wrote it and it still didn't make any sense.
Happy days.
Home computing as a movement not just a gaming activity.
Manic Miner and it's amazing that after all the
years I still remembered what to do.
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Last updated 19th December 2023
Chandraise Kingdom
Keep the Faith
scuzzscink 2023