A Gaming Curriculum

Last night Mrs. Pike Adequate, co-blogger and better half of mine, were discussing the future possibility of creating, through arcane and unholy science, progeny of some manner. As is our wont the conversation turned towards videogames, and specifically how we would best go about educating Adequate II (Electric Boogaloo) in the history thereof. The thing is that yes, anyone can just pick up a game today and have a good time, but this is an important artform and cultural expression to us, so we would want them to have a comprehensive and informative education. There are a huge number of classic games from back in the day, but unlike other artforms the constant advancement of gaming technology means some of them won’t be so readily picked as others; this is something we intend to avoid.

So far we have come up with the following policy. Beginning 1985 with the C64, the child will play every major console from the successive generations. They will be assigned a number of classic games of particular importance, and be allowed to choose a handful of electives per system as well. Once they have completed these, they will move on to the next console, until they reach the current generation of the day. They will also be playing PC games throughout this time, of course, keeping rough pace with the console generation they have reached. Only when they have achieved a sufficient knowledge of how gaming has developed, and of the classics of yesteryear, will they be getting any kind of contemporary system or game.

Now, the thing is that we want to demonstrate games that are important as well as ones that are good. It’s all very well making them play Strategy Games Throughout The Ages, but that’s not going to be broad and rounded enough – how will they understand why DooM was important, for example? So Pike and I need to come up with a list of games that had significance in the history of gaming, not only because they were good but because they were important, for whatever reason. And this is where you all come in, readers!

If they don't know Vvardenfell geography better than real-world geography, they're no child of mine!

What would you consider the canon required for a comprehensive gaming education? Not just those that are the best, or personal favorites, but ones which can be identified as important to the development of the field – perhaps even ones that can be argued to have harmed it? No matter how obvious it might seem, tell us what you would call essential, and if you feel inclined, tell us why!

17 thoughts on “A Gaming Curriculum”

    1. Also thank you for adding the word progeny to my dictionary, never before have i seen a conversation about offspring discussed so obscurely.

  1. Sim City (original or 2000)
    I think a simulation game is required, and this is THE classic, genre-defining sim game (in my mind). Can’t decide between the original or Sim City 2000 though! Arcologies are just too much ftw!

  2. In the RPG area, Final Fantasy I or Dragon Quest I (known in the US as Dragon Warrior, thanks to copyright issues) to see where legends begin.

    Final Fantasy VI to see what a fantastic story can be like, and the knowledge that splitting the party isn’t always a bad thing.

    Chrono Trigger for a great story, and to show that it’s okay to kill off the hero and resurrect them with a clever deus ex machina, because they’re just… that… damned… important. (Still brings a tear to my eye whenever I play that reunion scene.)

    Final Fantasy VIII to see that no matter how good the story, it doesn’t excuse a shoddy combat system.

    I’ll come up with a few more later – I’ve got to get to work!

  3. NES generation:
    Super Mario Bros (1 ,2, and 3)
    Legend of Zelda
    Metroid
    Castlevania

    SNES generation:
    Super Mario World
    Star Fox
    A Link to the Past
    Super Mario RPG
    Super Metroid

    Sega Genesis:
    Sonic the Hedgehog (1,2,3, Sonic and Knuckles [To include 2 and 3 connected])
    Shining Force 1 and 2
    Ecco the Dolphin
    Earthworm Jim

  4. This is the best damned couple.

    Throwing my hat in with the Legend of Zelda, and while the original was a Pretty Big Deal (it was the first game ever to utilize save files, did you know?), it was also one of the less enjoyable ones in my opinion. Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess were all pretty fun. (Also, reading of certain fanfiction is ridiculously highly recommended, though that’s probably an age 16+ story.)

    On the SNES, I’d say Top Gear 2 and Darius Twins are also pretty important. You can then compare how things worked in Darius to Starfox 64.

    Some sort of Bioware game is required, because stories are amazing and Bioware does them well.

    Definitely want to see the final list on this one, but I need to head out for school. I’ll see if anything else comes to mind!

  5. Adding to the above titles which are all good suggestions:

    Nes:
    -Mega man 2 (got to introduce the blue bomber!)
    -Blaster Master (to see what NES hard is all about)
    -Castlevania 3 (best Nes one in my opinion and branching pats)

    SuperNes:
    -Megaman X (how a series can evolve)
    -Secret of Mana (classic is classic)
    -Super Castlevania (great game and great music)

    PC:
    -Wolfenstein 3D (origin of the modern shooter)
    -Civilization X (I’ll let you choose which one!)
    -Might and Magic 4&5 (World of Xeen, old school PC rpg)

    … and many more! need more time to think about this

  6. PC Games in no particular order:

    Lemmings: One of the more interesting puzzle platform games based around suicide.
    Wolfenstein 3D: Maybe not the first FPS, but the one that birthed them all. It will also make him/her hate looking for secrets with a passion.
    Doom: Most Iconic FPS of the 90’s. The reason why there is a shotgun in every FPS ever since made.
    Civilization I or II: Pure civ magic, at least let him/her play Civ I until they’ve beaten a tank with a phalanx!
    Transport Tycoon: To show him/her how open, sandbox sim games should be made. Ask him/her what they think about technological innovation after they’ve had to manually upgrade their entire linked track line that spans the entire map to monorails. And then again to maglevs.
    Sim City 1 or 2000: I preferred 2k cos of the Arkies. Nothing beats creating a lovely functioning city for your sims and then piling on the death and destruction from disasters after a tough day at work.
    Planescape Torment: One of the best RPGs I never got around to playing.
    X-COM: Cos you can’t grow up without crying like a little baby when your most elite squad is annihilated in turn 1 in the dropship from a reaction fired … missile bomb thingie (frack, I can’t remember their name!).
    X-quest: i.e. one of the Kings, Police, Space quest games, in the original form with text input. Smile in blissful nostalgia as he/she bashes her head against the table trying to open a cupboard using a whole thesaurus worth of words when all that was needed was “open box”.
    Something from EA-Games: Make him/her load this game over and over again for an entire weekend so the childly whispered phrase “challenge everything” is firmly embedded/scarred in their minds for life.

    By the time they’ve survived that list they will either be fully fledged retro computer game nerds, or they’ll be institutionalised. Probably both.

    1. “Challenge Everything” … lol!

      Love the idea of starting them with a text-based adventure, then progressing to a point-and-click. Monkey Island?!

  7. If’n we’s talkin’ influential games, then I’s gotta bring up the granddaddy of the 4X genre, Empire (or the commercialized version, Empire: Wargame of the Century). Before there were a Civilization, I done stayed up way past me bedtime many a night playin’ it in full monochrome glory. Just gotta build one more battleship. Just gotta conquer one more city. Goddam computer sank my cruiser. You know the drill.

  8. Marathon (even though Marathon 2 is probably the best of the series).

    Basically, the first FPS to really try to incorporate a story, and also to immerse the player into it.

    I was a Mac and not a PC guy through that time, DooM and Wolfenstein weren’t really big on the platform, so maybe I’ve got an inflated sense of why it’s important, but it really feels like Marathon took Doom and Wolfenstein into the next level. I mean, blowing stuff up is fun and all, but not really that unique. Plus, Marathon was one of if not the first FPS games to have more than “deathmatch” as a multiplayer option. Capture the flag, king of the hill, maybe one or two others.

  9. Oh such a good question!! I have just discussed it with husband in light of our own prospective progeny :)

    On my list:
    Bastow Manor – text based mystery, teaches appreciation of modern graphic engines plus an appreciation of the power of the imagination :D
    Zork – text based adventure!
    Mission Impossible – learn appreciation of frustration
    Doom – 3D! Scary monsters!
    Mario Bros – platforming fun
    Sonic – this time with a spinning hedgehog
    Colin Mcrae(sp?) Rally – learn how to ‘wash the speed’ and racing in mud makes racing even more fun :D
    The Broken Sword – learn to love to hate your stupid main protagonist in point and click adventures
    Monkey Island – ditto the above but with pirates!
    Golden Eye – group gaming on a console is fun! Camping spawns is lame!
    Starcraft – RTS for the win
    Age of Empires – again but with trebuchets!
    Sim City – learn the power of micromanagement to keep you up all night without you realising
    Half Life – story, atmosphere, great game play
    Grim Fandango – one of the BEST puzzle adventure games EVER
    Portal – everyone should find out the truth about the cake
    …. I could probably keep going hehe

  10. Definitely the entire elder scrolls series from arena to skyrim and whatever comes next
    Also the halo series atleast all the ones made by bungie as though I haven’t played halo 4 yet the campaign looks great but the multiplayer looks crap

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