Journal Entry 1
In this age of easily accessible information and seemingly limitless technology, there is always something new and exciting on the horizon. The gaming world has exploded into an enormous industry, and the demand for advancement is ever-growing. The question is – have video games improved? They are certainly more advanced, more diverse, and more widely available; but is there anything that has been lost in the commotion of progress?
It cannot be denied that in many ways video games have improved. However, no matter how far the gaming industry advances, many of us still return to the games of our childhood, a time when both we and technology were younger and more innocent. Of course, there is an emotional connection with the games of our childhood, but there is more to this than nostalgia. We believe that some games, regardless of their level of advancement, have a timeless appeal. One of the greatest reasons for this entrancing pull is a deep need for an ingredient much modern entertainment lacks – simple charm.
Progress is often taken for granted. When we were children, limitations gave developers the motivation they needed to produce charming creations, and limitations gave us the perspective we needed to be thrilled by them. Today, the lack of limitation has impaired us, and we have lost much of our charm. There is nothing wrong with advancement. Without it, the charming things we enjoyed as children could never have been, but a healthy balance must be achieved to keep our progress from leaving our charm in the dust. Biovoltix seeks to maintain this balance every day of development, because it is possible to be awesome and charming at the same time.
There are certain qualifying fundamentals that must be considered during development. Obviously, one of the most basic fundamentals for games is that they be fun; but it is possible to take them beyond a few hours of entertainment. With the proper design, the charm of a game can become imprinted upon our hearts and minds and last a lifetime. This is the secret discovered by the developers of our childhood, even if only by accident.
It is difficult to define these timeless fundamentals. It may not even be possible to put some of them into words, but we have chosen a specific type of charm that we feel encompasses many of these qualities. We will tell you more about it in a later entry – The Charm of the Unknown.