These days I have been playing the catalog of the PlayStation 1 and 2 games that marked me when I was young or at the time I couldn’t play: the trilogy of Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Rayman, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, etc… And I realized that nowadays you practically don’t see characters like that in video games anymore.

Just as there was a time when all games were made for children, nowadays it seems that all games are made for teenagers and adults. Even those that don’t seem to be, such as Astrobot, appeal to the nostalgia of the more adult public.

What kind of heroes does my nephew have, for example? There’s Sonic, and it’s something in which we have a connection, but Sonic and other heroes that still remain current, like Mario or Link, are from an era that long predates him and perhaps for him they feel more like a thing of the past, similar to how I feel about Sailor Moon or Mazinger Z, which were heroes of my older siblings and parents respectively.

I don’t know of any heroes that are specifically intended to appeal to young people like my nephew, at least not in a “wholesome” way. Much of what he likes was not made with the child audience in mind, such as Five Nights At Freddy’s or Among Us; and what does, was made for more predatory motives, such as Poppy Playtime or Garten of Banban. The only thing I can think of is Minecraft and… I don’t know, it just doesn’t add up for me.

My nephew doesn’t have a Crash, a Spyro, a Sly to be nostalgic about when he gets to my age.

It’s a little… Bleak…

  • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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    2 days ago

    I think Astrobot is an example of what you’re talking about.

    Also really good observation about FNAF. I’ve noticed the same. What’s interesting is that the longer the franchise go the more they push Purple Guy/Afton as the main antagonist and even make Freddy into a hero at times. It’s like this big unexpected success and they need to make it more acceptable but sort of painted themselves into a corner over time lol.