On updating a classic (Off-Topic)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Thursday, April 18, 2019, 12:59 (1835 days ago) @ Cody Miller

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.

Forget reading. These stories have been passed down as part of aural traditions for tens of thousands of years. As soon as humans developed written language, the stories spread there. Same with radio, movies, television, video games... whatever new media we come up with, they’ll spread there too.

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.

I see zero evidence to support that. First of all, Halo was a hit worldwide, not just in the US.. 2nd, it was hit among people of all backgrounds and political leanings. Stories of overcoming an external threat have ALWAYS been popular, because it is a danger that human beings, and our ancestors, have ALWAYS faced.

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.

That is profoundly ignorant thinking. Halo is not a “simulation of war”. It features dramatized combat, but only a very naive person would play Halo and think “yes, this is what war is like”. It’s about facing existential destruction courageously and honourably, which is what human beings have strived to do for as long as we’ve been on this planet. The natural world was constantly trying to kill us (and for many people in less developed parts of the world, it still is). Predators, natural disasters, drought and famine are ever-present threats. And of course, humanity can be its own worst enemy. People can become corrupt, or destructive, or worse. And to think that humans can easily enlighten themselves beyond these flaws... well that’s exactly the train of thought that has lead to the worst totalitarian regimes in history. “If people would just live the way I tell them to, then everything would be perfect!”. Doesn’t work that way :)