That article makes some good points. After all - OLD PERSON MODE - back in my day, when you played a game, you got three lives and maybe a couple of continues. And with that, you were supposed to complete the entire game.

Of course, the games themselves are completely different now, so the new 'wussy' gameplay elements are often more to do with practical necessity (or added realism) than dumbing-down for a more stupid generation. Mid-level saves and checkpoints, for instance, simply prevent abysmally boring repetition. Remember games like Sonic 1 on the Master Sytem? Ever get to the Sky Base level, then accidentally lose half your lives by accidentally slipping off one of the floating platforms? I can imagine what it'd be like playing Metal Gear Solid with the same limitations, and how most people would quite rightly give up if it was that easy to ruin your game, being forced to re-start.