The E3 convention also hosted a retro game area, complete with PacMan, Donkey Kong and other oldies.  The debate rages whether older games are better, or simply nostalgic.

These games are designed to be addictive," said Keith Robinson, president of Intellivision Productions, lamenting the fact that modern games are designed more for sneaking around dark corners and exploring vast mostly fictitious lands than the simple fun of trying to rack up high scores.

Good point… sorta.  If PacMan were 3D, i bet the halls would be dark.  And you couldn't say that living life as a yellow orb, eating glowing food that floats in space while being chased by multi-colored ghosts through a labyrinth is nothing other than exploring fictitious lands.

I once listened to (and met) Nolan Bushnell of Atari fame.  He commented that a great game required that you be able to pick up play almost instantly (game play and interaction were intuitive) and the game was potentially perpetual (ideal for sucking down quarters).  Though this opinion may not describe all good games, I would say that one shortcoming of many modern games is the complexity of the controller and the attention to realistic, unimaginative details.  Hard core gamers will likely disagree, but watching newbie (and hardcore) gamers laugh and have one helluva time playing crazy taxi argues otherwise.

I think those people that can have a great time playing even the simplest of games are true "gamers."