So there’s this writer at The Times Online (British Times, not New York) who seems to be the latest graduate of The Kevin McCullough School of Irresponsible Pseudo-Journalism. The gist of her latest article is that many adult men are basically grown-up babies, unable to emerge from their youth because of their silly predilection for their most childish of habits: video games.
I know, it’s 2008 on the internet and I shouldn’t even deign to respond to attention whores like this writer. I understand that if we feed the troll, her goal is achieved. I just can’t let gems like these go unanswered…
At my college evening class last week, two intelligent, thirtysomething suited guys – solicitors or managers to judge from their e-mail addresses – were talking about their new Xbox 360s and what transcendent joy was to be had from them. I eavesdropped more attentively. Apparently, in Gears of War, the smallest details of the largest battles were crystal clear, in widescreen! Surely they were discussing their children’s computer games? Xboxes are toys, after all.
As are DVD players, computers, and board games, right? Surely, this woman has seen grown men playing chess in a park, and didn’t remark to herself that they were silly for playing with toys.
This reeks of the same naivete that puts the anachronistic notion in many people’s heads that fans of animated programming or comic books are stuck in their childhood because OhmyGodyoulikecartoonsandcartoonsareforkids! Um, no, there are whole realms of animation and comics that are specifically designed for adult consumption, not to mention graphic novels. Certainly, advertisers have been paying attention to this marketplace for quite some time, seeing as how they actually know how to do the research.
But wait–this writer did the research, too! She just ignored it.
Worried, I went unto Google and retrieved this trend for you: Nielsen Media Research surveyed American men aged 18 to 34 and found 48 per cent of them had used a games console recently, and on average, it was for 2 hours 43 minutes per day. Yes, half of not-so-young men spend nearly three hours a day gaming.
Kate, my dear, if that worries you, I beg you not to look up the statistics on hours spent watching TV.
Yes, there are plenty of adult gamers and no, we don’t appreciate being marginalized a la Fox News. Video games did $8 billion more in business than movies did in 2007 in the US. Note to journalists: If you don’t take gamers seriously, we’ll return the favor.
[The Dark Ages - Times Online]
February 27th, 2008 at 11:48 am
You know.. it isn’t the video games that are corrupting our youth. It is this “Rock” music. Have you heard this nonsense? I even hear children are participating in “Rock Bands” lately using small guitars…
The corruption is endless really - not sure why everyone isn’t satisfied with an afternoon of listening Amos and Andy on the Radio… if that isn’t risque enough already!
In all seriousness though, I think these people need to just go live with the Amish and enjoy a simpler kind of life because of the scary bright lights. It is apparent they are scared of all things related to progress and don’t understand how the world is changing around them.