Hanyou
didn't build that
You sometimes have to wonder how certain arguments become popular.
One of the most ridiculous arguments bandied about by gamers is the "nostalgia goggles" straw man. Say you prefer an old game to a new one, and many times you're immediately assaulted with allegations that your judgment is "clouded by nostalgia" or something of the sort. Worse, I've seen people apologize for their preference of an older game over a newer one, or claim themselves that it may just be due to nostalgia.
Can you imagine people applying this argument to any other art form? If I said I preferred the 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi to the Looney Tunes-esque 1990s Coppola version, or the original King Kong to Peter Jackson's laborious remake, even those who disagreed with me might consider whatever arguments I have to make. Yet as soon as I dare say I like Ocarina of Time and dislike Twilight Princess, or the original 8-bit Phantasy Star to Mass Effect, or Morrowind to Skyrim, regardless of how good my arguments are, a flock of harpies descends on my arguments and steals away all the premises, leaving only the "nostalgia goggles" straw man in its wake.
This is just the sort of argument that would see a child dismissed from a middle school English class ("Shakespeare is so trite and dated! You only like it because you grew up with it!"), but it's trotted out by otherwise sane and intelligent adult gamers on a regular basis.
Why do people make these arguments? Why does the gaming community at large continue to give it any attention or credence? What good can possibly come of it?
One of the most ridiculous arguments bandied about by gamers is the "nostalgia goggles" straw man. Say you prefer an old game to a new one, and many times you're immediately assaulted with allegations that your judgment is "clouded by nostalgia" or something of the sort. Worse, I've seen people apologize for their preference of an older game over a newer one, or claim themselves that it may just be due to nostalgia.
Can you imagine people applying this argument to any other art form? If I said I preferred the 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi to the Looney Tunes-esque 1990s Coppola version, or the original King Kong to Peter Jackson's laborious remake, even those who disagreed with me might consider whatever arguments I have to make. Yet as soon as I dare say I like Ocarina of Time and dislike Twilight Princess, or the original 8-bit Phantasy Star to Mass Effect, or Morrowind to Skyrim, regardless of how good my arguments are, a flock of harpies descends on my arguments and steals away all the premises, leaving only the "nostalgia goggles" straw man in its wake.
This is just the sort of argument that would see a child dismissed from a middle school English class ("Shakespeare is so trite and dated! You only like it because you grew up with it!"), but it's trotted out by otherwise sane and intelligent adult gamers on a regular basis.
Why do people make these arguments? Why does the gaming community at large continue to give it any attention or credence? What good can possibly come of it?
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