Growing up as a member of Gen Z, I was lucky enough to experience the seventh generation of video game consoles during my childhood. When I refer to the seventh generation, I’m using Wikipedia’s classification, which includes the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. In this blog, I want to look back at what it was like growing up with these consoles and why the seventh generation remains such an important era in gaming for me.

Nostalgia

This was my childhood gaming generation, so naturally, I have a lot of memories attached to it. I had a huge amount of fun with these consoles growing up.

The Xbox 360 was my console of that generation. It was in my bedroom and I would stay up past bedtime playing Minecraft and Skyrim. We also had a family Wii and I played my uncle’s PS3 a lot, so I ended up experiencing all three consoles. Because of this I have a stronger connection to the 360 and Wii. As an adult I now have a PS3 and am making up for lost time.

Having nostalgia definitely influences my opinion. It probably makes me a little more biased towards the consoles I grew up with. Honestly, I’m fine with that.

Games are good

Games make a huge difference for generations. Series like Infamous, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted started on the PS3. I played all of those games with my uncle as a kid so I didn’t miss out at the time. We were all hooked and they are still some of the greatest PlayStation games. Even today, with the PS3 I bought as an adult, they stand to the test of time.

Then you have the big games like Skyrim, GTA V, and Minecraft! These were released this gen and they are some of the biggest game still. Minecraft in particular is still one of my favourite games, and I think a big part of that is because I discovered it during this generation. It’s also crazy to think about how long some of these games have lasted. As of writing this, neither Grand Theft Auto nor The Elder Scrolls has had a new mainline game since that era. GTA VI is even releasing on consoles two generations later. Crazy work.

There are also plenty of games that haven’t received the same level of re-releases or attention but are still great in their own right. Skate 3, Mini Ninjas, and Skylanders are good examples. They feel like products of their time in a way that I actually really like.

Backwards Compatibility

Another great thing about this generation was backwards compatibility. You could play GameCube games on the Wii, original Xbox games on the Xbox 360, and PS1 games on the PS3. That meant these consoles weren’t just a way to play the newest games as they could also give you access to older ones. I think that’s important because some of those older games are genuinely great. Being able to play them on newer hardware allowed me to also play some older and good games. For example, Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life on GameCube was another game I loved as a kid!

Looking back, I think the seventh generation of consoles was a pretty special time to grow up with games. I know I’m biased but I am biased for a reason. These were great consoles and I loved playing them! After all, hardware and graphics don’t matter as long as you are having fun.