While everyone at Good Enough is their own kind of nerd, thank you very much, as builders of the web you probably expect that we also play video games. And we do! Well, collectively we do, but not to an unhealthy degree. Usually.
I asked the team to share with me what their current favorite game console was, as well as the games they are playing right now. The Nintendo Switch is the big winner amongst our crowd, which is interesting because Nintendo definitely seems to abide by the mantra of good enough hardware.
Shawn shared with us Nintendo's interesting philosophy, which I subconsciously understood while also being unaware. Nintendo strives to come up with ideas using older technology. While Sony and Microsoft use the latest technology for their consoles, Nintendo uses “mature” technology that’s 4-5 years behind the curve. Because of this self-imposed limitation, they’re able to create a console that’s so different from their competitors, while also keeping the console less buggy and less expensive to produce. To wit:
Yokoi said "The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply."He articulated his philosophy of "Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology", in the book Yokoi Gunpei Game House. "Withered technology" in this context refers to a mature technology which is cheap and well understood. "Lateral thinking" refers to finding radical new ways of using such technology. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting-edge technology; novel and fun gameplay are more important. In the interview, he suggested that expensive cutting-edge technology can get in the way of developing a new product.
As you can imagine, "withered technology" is a concept that intrigues us greatly. Lots to learn from this idea!
You might be unsurprised to learn that the game being played the most right now is Tears of the Kingdom. Lettini is deep in the throes of his addiction while James is just dipping his toe into the vast pool of dopamine. Wish our company luck!
Shawn:
I love Playdate even though I personally don't play it (my younger son does, tho). I love their website, love the aesthetics, love their catalog, love their web-based game editor, Pulp. Panic nailed it.
Thanks to Lettini, I recently started playing Street Fighter with my younger son. It's really fun! It's the first video game that I've really enjoyed since Mario Kart from way back in the day. I'm tempted to play Zelda but I don't have much time and am afraid to lose all my spare time to it.
Smart move in my opinion. Don't take that first hit if you want to avoid addiction!
Patrick is also Switched on:
The only console I've owned in the last 20 years is my current Nintendo Switch. I mixed up the games I played when I first got it in 2020, but for the past 2 years or so I have exclusively played Rocket League. It's a sports game with no storyline or anything like that, but I like that I can play with people I know and that I can see actual improvement in my game over time.
Myself, I've been avoiding Zelda for most of my life and if I do pick it up it might be in the form of an older game. Most of my current gaming time is on the PS5, a fabulous machine. I've been working through the glorious depression of The Last of Us Part II when I can tear myself away from Fortnite. I definitely only play Fortnite with my kids as a bonding experience. Yes, definitely.
Last, but far from least, Arun has chosen to play the hardest game:
I don't own a game console.
My game console is life itself, motherfuckers.
😁