Pong (left), Metal Gear Solid 5 (right)

It started with two lines and a ball.

In 1972, Pong was created, and it was, technically speaking, the world's first “video game.” Pong ignited what would eventually become a multi-billion dollar gaming industry.

Over the course of more than 40 years, the gaming world has evolved from simple games with basic graphics to one filled with complex storylines and realistic graphics. There is a common debate in the gaming world over classic games or modern games — which is better?

Professor Rob Muhlbock, creator of the Video Game Theory course at Fanshawe College, examines the debate in his class. He said many of the arguments made in favour of classic games are based on the nostalgia factor.

“Nostalgia is an illusion and many people go back to classic games thinking that they had so much fun playing as a kid, but now they don't.”

There are a number of reasons why people favour classic games; many of which play on the '80s time period, which Muhlbock said were pretty impressive for the times. He said that the myth that better graphics makes a better game is untrue. This is because many people feel that newer games lack the difficulty seen in retro games.

“Many people complain about modern games being too easy … Games today are very forgiving; they give you shields and you can be revived through checkpoints,” Muhlbock explained. “The old games were brutal — if you died, you started at the beginning of the level, and if you lost all your lives, you had to start at the beginning of the game. Nowadays they've replaced that with achievements, and beating a game isn't enough — now it's completing the achievements.”

This doesn't deter a lot of younger gamers, however, who have plenty of free time to play. The expendable time that teenagers and college students have allows them to play for longer uninterrupted time periods, which make the newer games more ideal. However, Music and Video Place (551 Richmond St.) employee Andy Pomaranski said that most of the buyers coming in purchasing the older games are, in fact, young people.

Back in the '70s, during the era of the arcade game, there was a limit in place on how long you could play a game — basically until you ran out of quarters. With the progression of arcade and PC games to handheld and consoles platforms, gaming is catering to modern gamers' needs. Fanshawe College student Tom Upmalis is an intense gamer: he averages 48 hours a week — the equivalent of a full-time job. He visited MVP in an attempt to find the coveted NES system.

“I want to revisit my childhood,” said Upmalis, “but I still enjoy the fast, smoother-running game that a PC can offer.”

There are positives and negatives to both modern and classic games. People can appreciate the production values associated with the newer games, such as Metal Gear Solid 5, but aren't ready to completely pass up the challenge of rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser in Super Mario Bros.