When the team at All Home Connections announced our Classic Video Game challenge, we were impressed by how many strong applications poured in. But ultimately, we selected one pair best suited for the job.
Tasked with playing 20 hours of a classic and modern video game within two weeks, our brave players proved that they were more than up to the challenge.
Meet Our Players
Player One: Joseph Roberts
Joseph Roberts has been a gamer for all his life. Not only has he studied game design for years, but he’s made a number of games on his own. Plus, he tests and reports on games for an investment team, so he has the chops needed to play these classic and modern games and give a full report.
Player Two: Debbie Threatt
In contrast, Debbie, Joseph’s mother, had “hardly touched any games at all” before agreeing to this challenge. Being of a different generation and gaming skillset from her son means Debbie offered a valuable, alternative perspective on these games.
Challenge Results
Once they were selected, our duo faced the challenge of playing 20 hours of Kirby’s Adventure (1993) and Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) in two weeks. They were given a set of questions to answer as they played, as well as a heart rate watch to measure which games got them the most frustrated or pumped up.
Which Game Caused the Highest Heart Rate Increase?
It would seem that newer games cause a stronger emotional reaction. According to data, Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) was the game that caused the highest increase in heart rate for both Joseph and Debbie.
Did They Prefer Modern or Classic Games?
It turns out the original is not always the best—both players preferred the modern iterations of the games they played.
“There was also just so much more to see and do in the modern game that it made me more entertained,” Debbie noted.
Joseph’s perspective? “While the classic is made well and worth a play—even today—the modern game outclasses it in control responsiveness, visuals, content, and instruction.”
Which Game Was More Difficult?
Both players found the classic games to be more difficult than their modern counterparts. Debbie expected the classic to be much easier than it actually was, and Joseph found the classic game instructions difficult to find.
Are the Classic Games What They Expected?
“The classic was as good as I had expected as I had played the remake of it, so it was very familiar to me, but the remake was better for the same reasons I find the modern game from this challenge better,” Joseph stated.
“I figured the modern game, with its more complex controls and amount of content, would be harder than the classic game, but the modern game was easier to play for the most part,” Debbie said.
Will They Play Classics in the Future?
For Joseph, the answer is a clear yes: “I will certainly play more classic games in the future; I even started one or two in between the play sessions for this challenge. I have been a gamer almost since birth, so nostalgia is still a worthwhile reason for me to play classic games—if nothing else.”
Debbie is optimistic too: “I have never been a gamer and have hardly touched any games at all until this challenge, despite my children having grown up with them, but I feel I may play other classic games. If I do, it will be for just having the experience itself or because I have a chance to play with someone.”
Overall, our Classic Video Game players rose to the task and provided wonderful insight into whether the modern versions of games hold up to their classic iterations. And whichever version of these games you decide to play, we wish you the best of luck.
All Home Connections is an authorized AT&T retailer specializing in internet, TV, and other service plans.
Reporters can email questions to press@attsavings.com.