No worries Mr Merrick lol, thanks for correcting me on that with the Ngage too. Never tried one but again looking back at the things companies tried to do it’s a very different experience from today. How did we ever survive without an IPhone. I think most companies were stuck in the keyboard type phase. BlackBerry for example. Still kinda aimed at the business man on the move. I still have my N900 around still boxed. Screen went on it tho, had it fixed at a market place then went in a week or two. (Touchscreen) Hahaha oh my life you can say that again, hahaha. I have kids too, One hitting the Kevin stage. (Old TV ref from Harry and Chums). I’ll save you the details as I’m sure all kids want to do is play games non stop, and will do anything to manipulate that. No matter what rules I put in place it’s hard now because for kids these days it’s their way of socialising with others. Online interaction with groups of friends. Yet the language is disgraceful because again they forget lost in moment, all fired up with hormones. The I want to be big I am of the group so talk like wanna be gangsters. That’s the destructive side of games and how it can split the family unit up. Had this last night actually with my 14 year old as this recent thread and our conversation got me thinking. I told him that basically as kids we used the entertainment systems (Games consoles) for fun and entertainment. We played and walked away. Yet I explained that games make children addictive so removes the fun. The fun is removed because when you ask a child to stop playing games to do something as a family it’s like setting a nuke off. Ie a child walks away frustrated or pent up not happy or fun to be around. He did agree and seen how games do make him feel at times. Yet if a child is addicted no matter what a parent does it can have other implications in social interactions later on in life. I had a few friends that were classed as geeks, didn’t live on the estate so had an all the latest stuff. One locked himself away with a microwave and a kettle lol. He used PC yet I never got into them though. Cost and to technically for me. Yet funny enough ended up doing an engineering course where I messed around with Auto CAD. I stuck to pen and paper tho. That was nice then, cool tho as looking back now how adventurous having PC knowledge is. Oh man again after being there from day one I guess we’ve seen it all. The raise of games and evolution. The passion we had as a child, so design I loved SimCity by Maxis on SNES. Driving NfS in the NSX or Supra driving on a motorway with an inside car view. Truly amazing as child but I wanted to see what we have today back then. Kids are so so lucky today and moan to easy. Always expecting more, yet guess that was me as child. To see something so realistic you can’t tell the difference, I wanted more. Trains were in my life as child, yet non existent on consoles. The only time I experienced anything to do with train was a program where it shows correct use or EWS, AWS, and down hill braking. Basically not over using the brakes. 1 to 5 it had. A very basic program on a little orange screen display monitor, like a B&W TV. He worked for BR but at that time in the mid 90s must have been Rail Distribution. Gave me a calendar once with all the different sectors. So when I seen Matt plays a few years back I was instantly hooked. Bought TSW2020 and still here today. Why well I’d never experienced driving a train. I moved a deltic once as a show in Manchester but that’s it. In recent years things changed drastically for me personally so spent more time on games. I replaced SimCity with City Skylines, Transport Fever. I had slips roads for once, and a basic way of traffic management. The more complicated the better I love watching the traffic flow and work like blood does in the vains. Then all the landscaping on Transport fever like my own model railway watching them go about their work. It’s visually pleasing to watch. Couldn’t stand what EA did to the NfS franchise plus did driving for a living so when things changed found The Crew 2 then Motorfest. Yet my passion for TSW was always there and still is. Be driving or LD. For me it provides two worlds. And for those children of the past who once dreamed about driving a train can finally do it with TSC/ TSW. The scenes that one can create in LD or flying up Shap. This is what evolution looks like. I never used PC so when this came to console I was truly thankful to DTG. I could drive trains, make liveries and by making them provide others with the opportunity to drive such iconic machines dressed up. To dream and make the impossible possible. DTG did make it possible, why I try not to moan and just let things slide. Others and I have something we could only dream of having say 10 years ago thanks to the hard work by DTG with Matt being the driving force behind it all. GTA I have mixed emotions about. I loved Stray because it’s opened the heart and mind to how we treat Ai. Are they human when they act human so we share the same emotions. The Joy of life and the fear of death. They shared the same emotions as us in that game. Definitely an eye opener for me. GTA is a game yet now it’s seems like it’s creating a world where people become more addicted. And to what, Killing and basic lack of any moral compass. Yes ya can slap an age certificate on it but we as parents are then lumbered with a small nuke that can go off at anytime. All the kids wanting the latest game and trend. When we was kids at school you’d be okay if you had Kickers yet own Nicks trainers and that your rep done for right there. Same now but with games. I agree the game is fit for the 18s and over but kids will play but at that age may not have any understanding of the rights and wrongs. My fear with GTA and why I backed away from the franchise after having kids is it teaches them nothing about life. It’s a game but that line between game and real life has been crossed. Will GTA6 bring enjoyment or entertainment to the house or be ripped apart by a child’s addiction to a trend that should not appeal to children underage wanting to kill. And Kill Ai that by the looks in GTA6 look pretty real to me. Ie GTA6 blurs that line or even takes it away when a child happily pulls a trigger on a character in game with human emotions begging for its life. A child happily pulls that trigger with no emotions. Not good in my opinion. Story or no story it’s the implications it’s has on a child development and bond with their parents. So yes I too was a troublesome child, behavioural difficulty/ learning difficulties. I had to use Bed to remember my B and D’s. But still had friends all over because kids were kids. Less expectations on our shoulders, all in the same boat. We got up to all shorts because we played out. Seen kids get knocked over by cars, nasty fights, and plenty of high speed bike crashes. Building bases and then burning them down. One thing remained tho, respect to our parents and authorities. Dragged back to the scene of the crime to apologise for any damage to property or child lol. I was wild child and still have one ear bigger than the other lol, yet wasn’t addicted to anything. Games changed all that and I wonder if I put these question to you and the community I wonder what answer came back. Has gaming changed for the better or not?. Has fun been removed with a duty our addiction to play the latest games so we don’t miss out?. Are some games good for a child to be around like GTA6?. And more importantly has the change destroyed smaller games developers not competing with game ideas or concept but with society itself. Ie would GTA6 impact DTG and if so would that mean for fans of the franchise. All because a kid feels more inclined to say they play GTA6 at school than TSW6. Sorry if I went on here, yet it’s an interesting topic for me. As a parent and a gamer. Id be interested to hear how you feel about some of what I’ve mentioned. I think I have a good point looking at from the perspective of a parent that’s seen first hand the damage done by games like GTA5, Fortnite. They have a lot to answer for making children addicted especially Fortnite. It’s shameful how they have targeted a child’s brain. A free game thats made millions by designing the game to be addictive to a younger generation. Is seeing a child cry because they will get bullied for not having the latest skin fun to watch. Is this what game bring now. Tears of pain not of laughter. GTA6 will not be coming to this house because I know what it will bring. Misery and suffering. Hard tho because I’ve always bought GTA but with kids now I have to be responsible. Kids at 9 shouldn’t know what a strip clubs is. I see the funny side yet I’m not a child no more. I’m quite happy to drive for 3 hours up North and back on the WCML. I’m alone in my cab watching the scenery pass by. Not listening to MF this and MF’er that. I’ve heard it and seen it since I was a kid, old news GTA6 is for me. The one thing I never got tho was my own model railway. Will I ever see a game like that on console. I’ve tried and tried with not a whisper back. Why looking back I’m disappointed with myself for not owing or learning about PCs. I’d build a game myself if I could, because is there a market for it. I think there is because in all these years I’ve not found one game I’d class as that have you?. ✌
Had th CD 32 as well. But I also had the Commodore C16, The Plus 4, The C64, C128 and finally the Amiga 500 then the Amiga 1200, 486 PC then as they say the rest is history. Loads more PC's then a PS1, about 18 PS2's (one broke then all the replacements didnt work after that and they sent me LOVE loads, So ended up getting a brand new one from Sony. Worked for a year then died. and bought myself a PS2 Slim). PS3, PS4, PS4 pro (x2) Still hav one of them./, PS5, Series S, Series X (both now sold). Couyple of more PCs and several laptops Hentis
The way I look at it regarding violent games like GTA is my kids have access to the internet, all the things I wouldn't want them seeing on GTA are readily available for them to see on the net. YouTube, movies etc.... I would rather them play out those sort of fantasies on a computer game than go out and do it in real life! My 12 yo plays GTA 5 a lot, but he's into planes so he's modded GTA 5 on the pc and is flying around most of the time. My youngest also plays GTA but spends most of it driving trains as that's what he's into. He has got tsw but it's a bit too realistic and he cannot quite get to grips with all the controls yet. My 12 yo also spends a lot of time developing he's own games on Roblox, he's always got me taking him up and down the country so he can research airports and air bases etc for he's games. I know people slate Roblox but at 12 he actually earns money from it and pays other developers to do things beyond his skills. My eldest at 17 also spends a lot of time developing on Roblox and makes money from it. They have both acquired those skills from the likes of GTA modding etc... Some games can teach them more than just violence. Yeah I don't think there's anything like that available for consoles, not that I've heard of anyway. There's games like rolling line where you can make model railways, TSC you can kind of make realistic model railways. But those are only available on pc. It's never too late to make a model railway. It's a good investment, I mean I have purchased rolling stock in the past that's worth double what I payed for it nowadays. Track layouts aren't that expensive, it's the trains and that what cost the money.. I used to go to model train conventions where you can pick up second hand stuff for pennies. There's a few heritage railways I've visited that have shops selling new and second hand stuff cheap. If your limited for space there's always N gauge.
Sounds like you ran a second hand games store with that lot Interesting to see you had problems with the PS1. I had to send my back, (Laser Catching on the disk’s). Must have cost Sony a fair bit as well because you, few of my friends and I all had to send them back for a replacement. Out of all Sony consoles I think the PS3 failed more than any previous console. Saying that the PS2 thin version gave me some hassle. ✌
Agree with everything you have said. In December last year I went to Yeovil Railway center to see Clan Line arrive and be turned on the turntable. Walking back through a building there was a little model railway stand with stuff being sold. All monies would go back into the railway center. I saw a boxed mint condition clasas 86 for sale. Hornby one mid 90's possibly. £30. I was not going to say no to that. Got home gave her a good service and boom she runs like a dream. Well looked after loco. Hentis
I’d agree to that statement. I’ve done it myself as I can’t control no one except guide them. I do that with my 3 kids. Allow them to enjoy their childhood. A trick I’d do when they were kids was taking them down the sweet isle. I’d do this so they got fed up of seeing sweets. No pulling or screaming for sweets. Why because I’d introduced them to it. I’d fully agree with you that if guided and controlled, rules and respect then as parents can judge what we can trust or kids to do online or away. Simple rules like, kids short ya rooms and if you want to go your games you can for hour or two. That’s me understanding that’s part of what kids do, because if I do make it hard then my kids could be singled out for not playing the latest games. Phones they give back at nine, a routine on school nights. Weekends is a free for all. On these games kids can role play or be creative socialise with friends etc within these games, I get all that. Many games introduced elements that can come in handy later on, my son does some modding. I give him the ideas but no way do I understand it all. We played Minecraft a lot and why my son is now interested in art and design. Watching me on TSW etc. It’s always been a responsibility of the parents. I feel you have a great bond with your family where respect is found between each member. Yet if all that is non existent, Ie a child just dumped on a game because parents would rather sit on FB all day, that’s where the negative side of games comes from or even social media. Ie knew a family in the street that left their kids on IPads and phones all day. Never seen them out, yet each one had learning or social difficulties. Their minds a wreak from being on social media, no confidence nothing. They wasn’t guided or brought up. Dragged up basically. I see raising a child as allowing them to find their own passion and then support them. Guide them through. The difference is right there to see, your with you children in a calm controlled environment. Yet some kids don’t have that luxury, single parents, low income families even. Kids want the latest stuff which puts immense pressure on finances. Where I live kids are selling vapes to buy games even shoes etc. Social status or peer pressure, all this could leave children angry or frustrated, left out. Games or so integrated into a child’s life in a social context adds so many problems within a social setting. Add no support from parents where kids are dumped on a console or handed a IPad to keep them quiet. Directly or indirectly there is always negative impact with no guidance or security in a family unit. And you have touched upon a subject I was going to bring up on a separate post due to all the recent chat about new IP etc. Father and Son interaction or playing games together. It’s really nice to hear that this still goes on, your involvement and investment sharing with your child’s passion (Roblox). Your right too and by the sounds all are doing well if in a position to do this. I have personally issues that could make me seem hard to work with or I come across all wrong. I’ve tried to build a team and relationships on here for a Railway 200 themed project. Invite or be involved with others that are way more advanced than me with PC’s and programming. I don’t have a penny to my name either, and no experience of doing YT say to raise money. As I say tho it’s all personal stuff that holds me back yet makes me so happy when others can follow their dreams or passion. Being part of all this is both learning from each other. Being there is more important than a kid with it all but no one to share with or be proud of. So TSW and the mention of it being to complicated. This is what modelling or having interest in trains was about. Even in Jobs, each son followed in his father’s footsteps. I missed out on all of that with having no father around, except a family figure who I mentioned worked on the railways. No bond tho. Now I have kids and do my best to bond with them, or do things with them like take them out. Places like RAF Duxford or Cosforth. My First son loved Jets, arm and navy for which he’s continually pushes on with even tho a disability picked up from a RTA made life hard. He’s gained many sea training and weapons training certificates even working on his gold DoE awards. Bit of a marksman and probably picked up from playing GTA when he’s was a kid. (Played it while I was away working). The point I’m making is I did have a bond with all my kids. TSW we played together at one point one child loves liveries, wants to be a graphic designer or architect like his dad lol. Yet they have reached the age where their friends and social reputation means more than family time. A personal issue stopped me from having resources to provide that, I don’t even go out). But that bond was there and you have one too. Which brings me on to games and modelling. Natural progression. DTG Brought out Thomas the Tank, you, I and other dads might play TSW. You mentioned that TSW is to complicated. Would it not make sense for DTG to make a new game aimed solely at children that find TSW to complicated even the way all the added DLCs work. Even I can find it confusing at times. Would a title like this be advantageous to DTG and Dads, looking for that way to bond with their kids. My first train set kinda of deal, kids start on less complicated game then work up to the adult TSW. I think that would be something different in the games industry even tho Nintendo have already gained considerable traction in the family or share based game industry. That step from a kids game to an adult game. I won’t go tho as it’s a separate topic As I say did mean to bring up on a separate thread, yet bit shocked by the news of Ozzy passing and may He finally Rest in Peace. Anyway going back to Games a Modelling is similar to back in the day. Kids saving up to buy the new plane model or train. Could that not be implemented into a game. A model railway building game. It’s not that I have any gripes about modelling rather the opposite. But space time and money has always been the one thing preventing me. I’m no expert trust me yet knowing about Hornby and the model industry is in many ways struggling. Who with the games industry that destroyed many toy companies. I emailed Hornby with a few ideas, main one being entering the games console industry. Possibly working with DTG. Ideas. Why because I can’t build nothing because I have no knowledge only ideas or dreams. Since a little child that never gained a train set, never in one place to call home I have never had my train set. I had SimCity, Rail Tycoon, many transportation games but none that offered me it all. Transport Fever is close tho, TF3 has not long since been released. Yet why has it taken so long for me to find a console game from major companies like Hornby working to make it in the console gaming market. 35 years and still nothing on consoles that hits the spot. If we’re talking about games now and then, even future games why not blend father and son relationships, even mother and daughter relationships as again girls tend to be left out I feel. A simple TSW for kids or model railway game that naturally leads to the more complex or expensive games. Ie Hornby providing highly polished models, that you keep on your shelf in game. You can view them like in car games all detailed, tasty looking. Would all this help children get into the rail industry as driver?. Could the next step for games be working with other agencies in the transport sector. Like little training simulators for kids haha. Not just one Dev or company many working towards a simple game, to a complex game to an actual Job. They did this with Gran Turismo Sports team. Imagine how cool it would be if DTG worked with real TOCs that the game is so real that if a player in a competition game first then a Job was waiting. Games was basic when I was a yet like today games competitions are huge like the games. And could a full on model game be seen. Even actually model building games. I love models I do but are they old fashioned. Yes because they just collect dust and if not on a game will be forgotten about. I hope this has made sense because I’m trying not to sway off topic. Yet again after all this time playing games I wish there was something I’ve not seen before on console. I don’t know about you but I’m glad the tech moved on, games are so good now. Yet times have changed from the 80s, is respect in society still there so children enjoy playing games responsibly and a parents duties to raise a child correctly. For like I say games like GTA6 can be fun if a child is not so easily influenced by what they see, for that they can re in act if left with no guidance or moral compass from their parents only peer pressure to be the big I Am, wanna be gangster. A Hoody and Vape walking around like they own the world. That’s the dilemma I find my self in with Kevin number one, I’ll have second popping up any time soon. GTA5 is what they play now because all their mates do, no doubt when GTA6 is out it will be the same. I’m not competing with GTA6 I’m competing with his peers and that outside influence I don’t fully agree with, as all play GTA. Ie have a really bad time listening to the outburst or abusive language they picked up from the game and society in general. I find it hard as parent because I have to let my child be free, I give advice while understanding what’s important to a child or young teenager. It’s disrespect from a child living in disrespectful society seeing what they see in media etc that’s the problem. How can I or anyone compete with that. To ask my child now to lay of his phone is like cutting oxygen off. They can’t survive without media and phones. Ie have I lost my child to the corporations that only make a child addicted. Gosh I sound old fashioned lol. And I do apolozise to you and any reader for going off topic. Been awhile since I’ve waffled on Things have changed tho drastically since I was a kid. Games are games but now part of society. So do these games companies have responsibilities to teach society decent moral behaviour over one of a negative aspect where discipline and disrespect to parents even police authorities have become a regular part of a society. Lee✌.
