Games By Ryan Whitwam Jul. 7, 2014 1:47 pm
The original Game Boy was essentially magic from beyond the stars when it released*roughly a quarter century ago, but does it still have the same wow-factor*in the age of tablets? There’s a new YouTube video from The Fine Brothers that seeks to answer that question by handing a classic Game Boy to some kids to gauge their reactions. Spoiler: they are confused.
We can admit at this point that the Game Boy is a clunky piece of technology, and that seems to be the first thing the kids comment on. Well, one of them thinks it’s an iPhone case. The idea of games on cartridges doesn’t seem to make much sense to them either. When presented with a copy of Tetris, most of the kids get pretty into it. It’s a testament to the ongoing appeal of that game, explained aptly by one juvenile tester as, “I actually like it, but I also hate it.” That’s so true, little girl.
Perhaps you’d think the kids of today would hate the old-fashioned graphics on the Game Boy, but that doesn’t seem to bother most of them. It’s not surprising when you think about it — some of the top games on iOS and Android have retro-inspired graphics that look closer to a Game Boy than a Nintendo DS.
Even 20 years ago that screen magnifying add-on was kind of ridiculous, so of course the kids are handed one of those to try out as well. They get a good laugh out of it, as well they should. When the concept of non-rechargeable batteries is explained, they again seem baffled. If you were going on a trip, wouldn’t you need a giant bag of batteries? Yep! This was our reality. Some of these kids are perceptive as hell.
Other than that one kid who seems to be trying his hardest to antagonize the video producer, the analysis offered by these children is pretty good. The Game Boy was the top-of-the-line a few decades ago, but it’s technically inferior to today’s devices. Still, how many iPads are going to be functional in 20 years? Probably not many.
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We can admit at this point that the Game Boy is a clunky piece of technology, and that seems to be the first thing the kids comment on. Well, one of them thinks it’s an iPhone case. The idea of games on cartridges doesn’t seem to make much sense to them either. When presented with a copy of Tetris, most of the kids get pretty into it. It’s a testament to the ongoing appeal of that game, explained aptly by one juvenile tester as, “I actually like it, but I also hate it.” That’s so true, little girl.
Perhaps you’d think the kids of today would hate the old-fashioned graphics on the Game Boy, but that doesn’t seem to bother most of them. It’s not surprising when you think about it — some of the top games on iOS and Android have retro-inspired graphics that look closer to a Game Boy than a Nintendo DS.
Even 20 years ago that screen magnifying add-on was kind of ridiculous, so of course the kids are handed one of those to try out as well. They get a good laugh out of it, as well they should. When the concept of non-rechargeable batteries is explained, they again seem baffled. If you were going on a trip, wouldn’t you need a giant bag of batteries? Yep! This was our reality. Some of these kids are perceptive as hell.
Other than that one kid who seems to be trying his hardest to antagonize the video producer, the analysis offered by these children is pretty good. The Game Boy was the top-of-the-line a few decades ago, but it’s technically inferior to today’s devices. Still, how many iPads are going to be functional in 20 years? Probably not many.
More...
