I was skimming through game review articles and looking through some of the latest Modern Warfare 2 videos and screenshots. Holy schmoly that's Hollywood-realistic! Then the term 'the graphics plateau' struck my mind and I decided to Google it to see if anyone's written anything about the apex of real-time computer graphics (I just Googled for Graphics Plateau).

I came across this pretty interesting article on Gamasutra and it brought up a lot of valid points about the current state of the gaming industry. The Blu-ray format provides up to an astonishing 50GB of storage space for high-definition movies and games. Crysis is the perfect example that games can look awesome. But honestly, how much do we really care for how realistic the game looks? I found Crysis increasingly dull as I progressed and didn't feel compelled to even complete (let alone replay it and try different attack points).

In fact, most of my memorable game experiences come from games which don't sport super-high-definition-uberleet graphics but from simpler games that dared to step off the edge of market-safety. These games innovated.

Now, when I speak of innovation, not just about the gameplay. When I completed the various Space Quest games, I was so thoroughly entertained by the humour Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy injected into the characters and dialogue. Not forgetting Al Lowe's hilarious Freddy Pharkas - Frontier Pharmacist and Leisure Suit Larry (not the uninteresting crappy new games, mind you). When I played Herzog Zwei, the action-strategy elements were thrilling as hell. I still regard it as one of the best strategy games I've ever played.

The older games were made in a time when there were no statistics about 'your market audience' or any supposed rules for making your game fun (there still aren't any!). It was a time when developers focused on the most important element: Fun.

Fun is not to be mistaken with that bogus farce that developers with heads up their asses talk about when they try to promote their ideals. I'm referring to that tingling sensation at the back of your head you feel when you pull off the perfect headshot. It's that 'one more turn' effect after 5 hours of Civilization. It's that 'oomph' sensation while smacking up the bad guys in Batman. It's that calming aura that envelopes you as you control the wind in Flower. It's that evil glee you get when you blow up the scientists in 'Splosion Man. It's that tiny laughter in your head  when you stick a giant earpick into a monkey's head in Monkey Island.

The big players in the industry are trying so hard to find the 'effective formula' for award-winning games but fail to understand the missing human element in their flawed strategies. It's not about the graphics, accurate rag-doll physics (although it is fun to kick and throw bodies around), 100 different buttons for 'customizability', massive social networks or cutting edge micro-transaction models. It is the unpredictable experiences that intrigue us. Keep it fresh and simple, we'll keep coming back for more.

I'd like to leave you guys with a little ballad from Al Lowe, which he wrote and sang for Freddy Pharkas. How cool is it to be able to write and sing your own intro song?

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