Sonic the Hedgehog and Adventures in Social Media

When I was thirteen I got into video games at my local arcade. Games like Centipede and Phoenix were amazing – different and fairly deep (yes, there were strategies, especially on Phoenix with the hidden 200,000 point bonus).

From there, I moved into home videogaming, particularly with the release of the Sega MegaDrive (the European version of the Genesis).

That started an obsession, as I wanted every new system that came out. And, thanks to a paper round and other part-time jobs, I was fortunate enough to get most – Super Nintendo; 3do; Neo-Geo; N64; Sega Saturn; Playstation and more were added to my collection as I turned a geeky obsession into a gaming reality.

Maybe it makes me a nerd (and it certainly shows my age!) but you know what? So be it.

I have no shame or regrets spending so much time collecting gold rings or rescuing princesses or enjoying so many other game cliches. And you know why? Because I firmly believe that video games were the original harbingers of what we view as social media.

Bold claims? False and rose-tinted spectacles at work? Maybe – maybe not. Think about it a little:

Video games encourage multiplayer. Getting like-minded people around the latest title and enjoying it together.
Video games also encourage you to use your mind and look for solutions to problems and share them with your friends that are stuck in the same section.
Videogames now have fantastic online communities where users meet up to share the latest news on their favourite product, set up challenges that make people better players and encourage others to offer their own take on these challenges.

Do any of these examples sound familiar?

Meeting like-minded people on Twitter and sharing/enjoying the experience? Check.
Have a problem that your social media friends can help with (and do)? Check.
Encouraging greatness through interaction and helping people improve? Check.

Today’s world is increasingly online, and video game consoles offer that in spades. Today’s social media world is about conversations and interaction – Xbox Live leads the way for this in the gaming world. Innovation and new approaches are the norm for social media – videogames that differ from the expected are often the most anticipated.

Perhaps just the fact that social media and videogames enjoy a small yet loyal following compared to the mainstream makes the two mediums such surprising bosom buddies?

Either way, the next time you sit down at a game, maybe you’ll compare it to what you’ve been doing in the social media space. After all, isn’t questioning and improving through action what social media is all about?

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Wendy

A very interesting parallel indeed. And maybe another good way to try and explain social media to those still grappling with the concept? And just look at who's using video games these days. The Wii is bringing gaming to all ages... social media brings the internet and all sorts of other things to all ages. Thanks for sharing!

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Tracy

here was a study awhile back that said 6-year olds that play video games do better in school because they are sharp and make quick-decisions. They are not afraid to express their opinion and they don't take any time (or else their character would be dead) :)

I make the same argument with sports. For example if a kid in Grade 1 is a sports fan he knows how to do four things that the non-sports kid can't.

1. Tell time.. he has to know when kickoff is (8 eastern)
2. Cities... he knows there Baltimore and Denver are
3. Add.. he knows how to add and keep score
and more importantly.
4. Debate.. he knows how to discuss how his favorite team did.

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Matthew Hunt

Social media often feels like a video game to me. There is a gentleman who some time ago brought up this same parallel...if could just remember his name...ahhh...it escapes me. Nonetheless, nice post.

Danny

I'm not sure if it's showing your age, Stacey - my wife is 27 and she suffers motion sickness on "Mario Kart 64". Yet she's a goddess on Guitar Hero III... go figure. :)

I think the main thing is that we look outwith our boundaries and what we "believe" social media to be. After all, ours is just one opinion, right? Who's to say it's right or wrong?

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Great examples, Tracy, and another reason that writing off a genre or hobby as irrelevant can be a big mistake. Anything that encourages kids to think differently and outside the norm should be encouraged - it can offer nothing but benefits for later in life.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your example.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your example.
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Ari Herzog

It's not an exact match, but this picture helps provide a visual:

http://www.newgamesource.com/cocktail_clean.jpg

The console is low to the floor. There is wood-grain cabinet on all sides. You sit on one side, with me on the other. So while you're playing, I'm watching upside down. There's a glass screen we look down on, and the game is projected from underneath it.

This design was used for a variety of games. I think Ms Pac Man was also on the board.

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Wouldn't it be great if it was someone like Nolan Bushnell? :)

Thanks for the Phoenix link, Ari - I must be slipping, didn't even think of that!

That version of Phoenix sounds interesting - projected upwards? How did you play? Looking upwards to images and use hands independently to control on-screen icons?

Ah, the Intellivision - they don't make them like that anymore, that's for sure. And console is still the best description for where we are game-wise today :)

For the benefit of some of your younger readers who may have heard of Sonic but not Phoenix, this Wikipedia link might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(arcade_game)

My introduction to Phoenix was at a friend's house. In their basement was a two-person console, where each person sat on the floor on opposing sides of a air hockey-like screen where the game was projected upwards. Hard to explain.

But it was true multiplayer. Rather than a standard arcade game where one person plays, then the second person must take over the controls, this console allowed both people to use their own buttons.

The better example was Intellivision, which like Nintendo and the later models, allowed two people to play the same game while wired into the console. (Why do I keep using the term, console?)

Great memories, Danny. Valid points all around.

Stacy Lukas

Interesting parallel. Never thought about it that way, but then again, I hit my video gaming plateau at Sonic the Hedgehog and my 16-bit Sega Genesys. Ever since video games started looking so real I get motion sickness and realize I'm showing my age.

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