On updating a classic (Off-Topic)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, April 18, 2019, 08:43 (2044 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY

Some things are pretty darn close to timeless, at least in human terms. Hero mythology has been retelling the same basic story for like 20,000 years, probably much longer. Star Wars, Beowolf, Saint George, The Mesopotamian creation myth, they’re all the same story. That’s a story that LASTS. It keeps getting updated to fit the society of the day, but the core of the story doesn’t change. Because it’s equally power and meaningful now as it was 300, 2000, or 15000 years ago.

I think you overestimate the number of people who actually read the classics.

You’re right; if Halo CE came out today, it would not have been a hit. But that’s kind of missing the point. Halo was a hit because it tapped into a certain kind of experience that is thrilling and captivating, and it did so to the best degree possible with the technology of its day. Our standards are higher now because we’re accustomed to more powerful technology, but the feelings that developers are trying to evoke using technology are still there, waiting to be tapped into.

The rallied patriotism of 9/11 also helped Halo, whether we want to admit it or not.

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds with this stuff, because who knows how many countless elements go together to create an experience like playing Halo CE in 2001. You can dig down into the art and sound design, the exact feel of the weapons and movement, enemy behaviour... it all matters. And yet I can play Titanfall 2, which shares none of those elements, and have distinctly “Halo” moments.

I can easily imagine an enlightened future where simulations of war are no longer found fun, and the classics no longer ring true because we have moved beyond the human failings of then and now.