http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=7427

Author: Eric Raymond, former software architect on NetHack and Battle for Wesnoth

Summary: An obscure category of pre-modern games showcase the virtues of minimalist video games versus Triple-A cinematic monstrostities. CLI and TUI games in particular free up the designer's focus and implement a solid gameplay foundation.

My take: These early games have distinguishable cultural contribution to our hobby, having unique qualities from the arcade games that come to the regular person's mind when they hear the term "retro". However, the terminal interface went to the dustbin of electronic gaming for good reason. Better to have ascii graphics inside a renderer, with modern control tech. Ultimately, I wish the point about visual polish detracting resources from gameplay was more appreciated with the general public. Games like Crysis and EA: Battlefront were visually stunning and exciting, but the triple-A industry has become centralized and zombified over the past 2 decades, partially because of a consumer fascination with presentation.

Solution: Sever all contact with those who play Candy Crush.