Derezzed Gamer

  The Vanishing Ninja: A Lost Era in Gaming Who remembers and looks back fondly at the ninja craze of the 1980s and early 1990s, both in video games and movies? When I think of those times, I recall the iconic hooded images of Sho Kosugi’s intense eyes as he played ninjas in movies like "Enter the Ninja" (1981), "Revenge of the Ninja" (1983), and "Ninja III: The Domination" (1984). It also brings back memories of video games like "The Last Ninja" (1987) for the Commodore 64 and the Shinobi games on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Let's not forget Scorpion and Sub-Zero, standout ninja characters introduced in the first Mortal Kombat (1992). But where did they go? With the exception of characters in fighting games like Dead or Alive (1996), ninjas in classic outfits resembling the old movies largely disappeared from video games from the late '80s with Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden all the way through to Sekiro in 2019 – and even then, Sek...

There is a type of charity that wants more people to suffer like this The gaming epoch from the late '90s to the mid-2000s was a transformative period, marked by consoles like the PlayStation, Xbox, and the earlier influence of Nintendo and Sega. This era set new standards in technology, storytelling, and player engagement, shaping the future of gaming. During this time, companies often used divisive marketing to distinguish themselves. Sega, for example, marketed itself as the 'cooler' choice compared to Nintendo, targeting older kids with Sonic and more mature themes. Similarly, Xbox and PlayStation highlighted their exclusivity and unique features, creating distinct identities within the gaming community. While this fostered brand loyalty, it also emphasized the differences between gaming platforms and their players. Fortunately as the industry evolved, we began to see more cohesive promotional messaging. Instead of focusing on rivalry, these campaigns celebrated gaming ...