This is a look into the personal game history of Kyle Murphy, Game History student at Full Sail University.
Created by subliminalmurph on Aug 6, 2010
Last updated: 08/06/10 at 09:02 PM
Tags: Personal Game History Full Sail Kyle Murphy
Question 1: Why was this game important to you? Final Fantasy 7 was the first game I had played that I had played for over 50 hours and still wasn't able to unlock everything. It was also the first time that I was just as interested in the story as I was in the gameplay. Question 2: From a design perspective, what made the game fun? This game taught me the importance of a full, well-written storyline. Sometimes a game can succeed on mechanics alone, but this game helped show me that a rich storyline can go a long way and help elevate a game from good to great.
Question 1: Why was this game important to you? This game was just awesome because of all the possibilities it opened up as a player. The designers really did continue with the ingenuity that helped them create the original Super Mario Bros. Question 2: From a design perspective, what made the game fun? This game taught me to explore the world I was gaming in, even if it didn't appear that there was anything to be found. The developers added little hidden areas only accessible if you were willing to take risks and go against what they had shown you in their previous game and earlier in this game.
Question 1: Why was this game important to you? Toe Jam and Earl was one of the first games that gave me a huge open world and left the possibilities up to me. I could work straight through the games or spend as much time as I wanted do side missions and exploring, it was all up to me. Question 2: From a design perspective, what made the game fun? This game taught me that you can open the path the player can go down throughout the game and still allow them to have a lot of fun. A lot of games make you follow a narrow line and do what the designers want you to, only leaving you the skill oriented tasks for the player to do. This game gave the player the options of what they wanted to do with the game.
Question 1: Why was this game important to you? This was my first look into the 16-bit gaming world. I remember my friend bringing his Genesis over and being so stunned by how good Sonic the Hedgehog looked compared to my NES games that I used my life savings and bought my own about a week later. Question 2: From a design perspective, what made the game fun? This a platforming type of game but unlike it's 8-bit predecessors it was very high speed and full of action. One of the things that stood out to me the most in Sonic the Hedgehog were the backgrounds. If you look there are multiple layers of backgrounds scrolling at different speeds. This effect really helps create an illusion of speed and distance while racing around the world.
Question 1: Why was this game important to you? This game is what got me into gaming. It was the first game I played and continued to play for many years after we first met. Question 2: From a design perspective, what made the game fun? This game has taught me that innovation and design are more important than following trends. The graphics were cutting edge, the concepts, such as power-ups and scrolling the platform Mario runs on, were ahead of their time. Many developers looked at this game as the new benchmark to aim for in technology and innovation.

