Retrogaming - A Couple of Ironies?

The exact definition of irony aside, I would like to discuss two ... how shall we say, interesting situations? Throughout the course of video game history, many times a company would ignore an opportunity and later come to rue that decision. This is not limited only to the small companies or the larger ones, the software programmers or the hardware manufacturers. Two instances hold in my mind and have immense significance to the entire industry. The companies who were at fault are first Atari, then later Nintendo.

The year is 1983. Atari has a veritable corner on the market, both in software and hardware. Despite the events of the year, the company is still holding strong. A popular company from Japan wants to enter the market in the US. They approach Atari about licensing their first ROM cartridge based console. A deal is reached between the two companies, at the Consumer Electronic Show of 1983. Unfortunately, some controversy concerning a game, the two companies, and the Coleco Adam computer cause the demise of the deal. Later, the company released the console on their own. The company was Nintendo, and the console was the Nintendo Famicom, released in the US a couple of years later as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Atari would regret this decision in the intervening years, as the video game crash of 1983 debilitated them. Nintendo goes on to sweep the market away from Atari, and achieve such a high position that the name Nintendo becomes synonymous with video game.

After this turn of events, you would think that Nintendo would do well after this. In fact, they did. However, they would soon make a similar mistake to the one Atari made.

The year is not important. (It's the beginning of the 1990s.) Nintendo is riding on its success from the NES and popular game franchises like the Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda. Previously, they had shown interest in and started up negotiations with another company for a CD add-on for the Super NES, successor of the NES. Unfortunately, Nintendo decides that the previous contract with the first company is not acceptable and changes to be allied with another company, Philips. Therefore, the Nintendo Play Station never comes to be. Later, the slighted company would rework the prototype and release it for themselves as the Sony Playstation. Other nasty side effects occurred too. Philips was able to release some games of the Mario and Zelda franchises for one of their systems - and from all I've read, they are horrible games. Nintendo here loses its first opportunity to enter into CD based consoles, and continues with cartridges in their next system, the Nintendo 64. Finally, a new rival is put into the market of Nintendo, Sega and the dying Atari.

The important thing to take away is this: Both Atari and Nintendo made a mistake. They underestimated the potential of the companies with whom they dealt. The author feels that it would be amusing if the same thing were to happen to Sony. A small company goes to them with a console idea, but are turned away for whatever reason. They then go on to sweep the market. However, that is but a dream. The industry now seems locked in a three company system. However, to conclude, I merely remind you to never underestimate the competition encountered: it might come back and haunt you one day.

Music/Acting - Performance Anxiety

Recently, I had the opportunity to play piano for a talent show at my college. Before walking on stage, I was quite nervous. My cue came much earlier than anticipated. Even after taking a few seconds to get ready, I really wasn't. It being my first time to play piano on stage, for an audience, didn't help matters. I messed up what I had thought was fully memorized and sufficiently learned. Apparently, it was not. My friends and other audience members say that they didn't notice anything, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it. I am now almost glad that I do not take piano lessons anymore, as having to perform like that on a regular basis would be nerve-wracking.

All of this got me thinking about performance anxiety. In my experiences as an aspiring musician and an actor, the topic has arisen once or twice. In the musical, Once Upon a Mattress, initially going on stage was a bit scary, but after the initial entry, everything else was easy. (Even though I was a minor role, it was still intimidating. Fears are seldom rational, least of all mine.) In my role as the heroic boat captain in Shakespeare's The Tempest, I had few lines, and less stage fright than in previous roles.

By definition, performance anxiety is stress caused by the fear of an approaching performance. It covers music and acting, but can also encompass athletic activities. For some, it stems from a fear of forgetting how to do something. Others feel the need to always perform well. I find it difficult to determine the exact cause for my own performance. The size of the audience can affect the level of anxiety, but not always. Once, I performed in a dinner theatre show of a Sherlock Holmes comedy trilogy. The audience was fairly small, but I still felt as much anxiety as before.

Another factor in performance anxiety is familiarity with the audience. Most of my performances have been to sympathetic audiences (with many friends and acquaintances), and who want me to succeed in what I'm doing. I can take comfort in this fact, yet I still retain some performance anxiety.

However, the anxiety in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. For one thing, it can keep you serious - serious in the sense that you go on stage and do what you came to do, whether that is to amuse or inform. Also, the nervous energy, I have been told, can be channeled into the actual performance to improve it. I'm still not sure exactly what that means, but it may be like vibrato: you don't do it, it just happens.

The important thing to remember is that the audience is on your side and wants you to do well. They took the time out of their schedule - and sometimes have paid - to come see you perform. Channel your nervous energy and their good will, and you will perform well.

At least, I think so.