I feel a writing inspiration coming on. I feel like making a criticism of modern gaming. Yeah, I'm talking about the Next-Gen systems' add on of "Over the internet playability." Now, I know I really can't knock it until I tried it, and I haven't tried it. There is just something in my world of gaming fundamentals that just seems array. Let me elaborate...

The first gripe I have is that Internet capability may have its problems in connections. My videogame system is an entire floor from the nearest phone hookup and I'm not in the most populous area in the world. It might pose a problem to me and probably other gamers in the same predicament.

Second, service costs. It costs $10 a month to operate this system. Ten dollar may not seem like a lot but I don't sit by my gaming systems 24/7 (well, unless there is a very good reason). I don't want to pay $10 for a service that I didn't use for that month.

Third, there is a certain unwritten law of all things involving interaction via the internet. That law would be that in the case of any means of interaction between many people on some medium, the few ignorant people ruin it for the all. Gameshark codes (as proved by the Gameshark website) are able to, if hacked properly, affect an internet game. I don't know about you, but if I wanted to duel some person and he had unlimited health, the fun factor of that game, for me, is going to take a dramatic nosedive. Also, if there is any form of chat, as proved in countless chatrooms, it will be contaminated by the ignorant folk who think that the whole world should hear about their imaginary exploits (yeah, you know what I'm talking about). So much for user friendly...

Fourth, the portion of the game that is devoted to the internet capabilities can take away from the entire game. Now, I know that games can still be made with little disk space but the game that is not connected with the internet will not be running on all cylinders, so to speak.

Fifth and finally, making a game that is solely geared toward internet play is much like stamping an expiration date on it's depth. After the Dreamcast stopped its USA marketing, it's internet service cut off. After a disconnection happens to a next-gen system, the stunned gamer has one clump, or a whole bunch of his/her games that are now nearly pointless. Hence, all that is left for future generations to grasp about this system's "legacy" is only a portion of what that game was truly meant for.

I really hope that the reader is not taking this article out of context. I don't really mind Next-Gen systems. Heck, I own a GCN. But, I will permanently cut my ties to the modern and future culture of video games if this internet connectivity becomes a permanent standard for ALL videogames.

-BPZ