Gamers Don't Have an Old Timer's Day

It can be hard for a gamer to think about aging. Most gamers are young. Characters in videogames are usually young. The player character is usually a strong, young man. Typically, in games, the more times you do something, the easier it becomes. Either your character becomes stronger as you progress, like levels in an RPG, or the player's experience of a scenario makes it easier the next time, like in a platformer or a racing game. The idea that with time one can become weaker, and less able to cope with challenges, is a frightening thought.

I remember Final Fantasy IV very fondly, as it was the second game of the series that I played. In fact, the SNES cartridge I had did indeed say "Final Fantasy II" but this was merely to prevent the οἱ πολλοί from knowing what they were missing.

Even as a youth I was steadfast in my good RPG habits, which primarily are (1) save, save every chance you get, and (2) when in doubt, level up. Whenever, wherever, just fight random encounters to build yourself up a bit. Well, I luckily didn't fall into a pitfall that was likely to ensnare anyone who follows these tenets blindly. You see, in the Water Cavern, you gain the once great sage Tellah of Mysidia. And as Tellah gains levels, his stats go down, to indicate his advanced age and frailty. If one first leveled "up" for an extended period, and then saved, one would be stuck with an extremely vulnerable sage.

Not only does he become weaker with every battle, in the original version he had a command called Recall, which would allow him to randomly remember one of the powerful spells he once knew. So not only is his body withering with age, his once great magic prowess is now hindered by his failing memory. As a young gamer in the earlier 90's, this struck me as a very interesting mechanic; immediately unfamiliar due to my internalization of the concept that leveling up made characters stronger.

Skip ahead about half a decade to 1996. Capcom was refining the formula of its popular Street Fighter Zero/Alpha to quickly produce a sequel. They had reincarnated Birdie and Adon from the original Street Fighter into the interquel series, and to expand the roster for SFZ2 they again drew from their back catalog of fighters. After his stint as a Chinese assassin in the mediocre original, Gen returned to action in the Zero series after learning that he was dying from leukemia. He sought a worthy opponent, and came across Gouki/Akuma, the master of the Satsui no Hadou. Although it is not entirely clear, one would have to postulate that Gen was finished off since it was a fight to the death, and Gouki was later seen chronologically killing Vega/M. Bison's second body in Street Fighter II Turbo. Although, with fighting games, you never know what's canon, right? Regardless of the timeline, Gen did manage to make a large contribution to the next generation. He is responsible for training the young relatives of his Street Fighter (I) countryman Lee. Of course, I speak of Yun and Yang Lee of Street Fighter III. In particular, Yang's Mantis style is very similar to some of Gen's techniques.

Fatally afflicted, yes, but Gen is still a treacherous challenge in Zero 2 and 3. His ability to switch between his Sou-ryuu and Ki-ryuu styles mid-match makes his moveset formidable. He is remarkably quick and agile for being old and terminally ill, and for this reason doesn't really give the sense of mortality one gets from Tellah's predicament.

But with nothing to lose, Gen faces the deadliest opponent of the Zero series, and dies the way he wished, in battle with a worthy adversary.

Skip ahead to the new millenium, and please take into consideration the character EGM called the fourth greatest boss of all time.

Let me linger in this world just a little longer... I have already slept enough for one lifetime... enough for an eternity...

These words echo through the dense woodland of Sokrovenno, signaling the dawn of one of the toughest challenges the Metal Gear series will ever dish out. Personally, I have an attachment to The End and I can say without hesitation that he is my favorite boss fight. Ever. I believe my first successful attempt took about forty minutes. Even on my Foxhound run it took me almost twenty. And if you're having a really hard time, just keep trying. If you haven't beaten him in two weeks, he will just die of old age. Of course, you could save, and advance your PS2's internal clock a fortnight. Or you could just snipe him in his wheelchair immediately following an earlier cutscene. If you're a cheap fucking coward.

Like the rest of the Cobra Unit, The End is codenamed after the emotion he carries with him into battle, in this case the desire to continue to exist. He is over one hundred years old during the events of Snake Eater, and doesn't have any interest in killing Snake. The Ancient Sniper merely wants to test his ability, and to try once more to do what he does best, to hunt his prey.

Hideo Kojima seems to be revisiting similar themes again in MGS4, wherein Solid Snake is suffering from advanced aging. Preview trailers show this new Old Snake apparently commiting suicide, and there is speculation that his health and stamina may steadily decrease throughout the game, not unlike our first example. Of course, this is merely assumptions made about a Kojima game, which means absolutely nothing, as Hideo loves to shock his audience with unexpected twists.

So from this, what should a gamer learn about aging? About sickness and mortality? I think that in continuing, and finding extra lives, and dodging bullets and Bullet Bills, one forgets that no amount of skill or effort can allow one to evade the inevitable; That there is no eternal life code; And that nothing lasts forever.