We analyze the history of one of the most recognizable icons of the video game since its conception
Virtually any game would emotionally blackmail you into saving it from its inevitable death by putting one more coin. In Blue’s Journey we saw how your character was slowly dying while they begged you to save him with tears. Or in Batman, to give you a more popular example, they would put a photo of their parents because of course, Batman could not save his parents, but you cannot save poor Batman.
I have come to have fun, not to cry!
But come on, the thing does not end here. Nuclear missiles, Ninja Gaiden starring in a Saw movie, Spiderman getting beaten up, or literally the character begging the player for his life. And of course, this game over is us losing in each arcade. With the passage of time, little by little these screens were leaning towards simplicity because you were already starting to pay for the complete game, so those times when you dreamed of poor Batman parents are over.
However, some developers wanted to continue dedicating their effort to those players who perished in the attempt. At the time of Megadrive and Super Nes we remember games like Earthworm Jim, which game over seemed more like a party than the sadness of dying trying. We also remember poor Tarzan in his game for PlayStation or Game Boy. In it we saw how the poor man ended up being food for crocodiles, tigers or, remembering the arcades, seeing how his furry friends caressed his last breath.
And the nineties do not end here, because we cannot forget such mythical games as Dragon’s Lair or Heart of Darkness. These classic adventure games offered as many game overs as tricky situations the character went through. Also, the fact that they were animated made things easier, so missing a button meant unlocking a new ending. On the other hand, some games took the game over with humor like Sega rally. This curious racing game said goodbye in a somewhat peculiar way, perhaps to make it a little “cooler”?
