Kids Want Wine Coolers, Too!

The problem with the 'mainstream' media's coverage of video games is that they don't understand them. Never did. Possibly never will.

I love this quote from Take Two CEO Ben Feder in a recent interview discussing the gaming press' coverage of GTAIV:

"I think we've moved the debate from 'Okay, it's not a game, it's interactive entertainment,' and it's not for kids. It's not for kids.

Okay. The CEO of the company has made it clear it's not for kids. The gaming media's figured it out. Now, when will joe-sixpack-media outlet catch on? The game=kids product model has been broken. Shattered. It's long dead. Just because kids WANT something, doesn't mean it's made for them.

Note: Have you tried Smirnoff Ice Grape? Oh my sweet heavens, that is some yummy boozy stuff! I'm sure the average 12 year old would love it as much or more than God of War 2. It must be for kids! (No, no, it is not.)

-Adam!!!

Parents and Gaming

I just read a rather hum-drum article about how parents can keep up with the video games their kids play. The article starts like this:

Call it a generation gap or a digital divide, if you're a parent who is a little clueless about what video games are appropriate for your child, you are not alone.

Who are these parents who don't understand video games? I know I'm an unusual case, but seriously. EVERY SINGLE PARENT I KNOW PLAYS VIDEO GAMES, at least a little. Now, if you're a grandparent, you *might* be off the hook, though at 38 I'm technically old enough to be one of those myself (my kid is 7, so no worries.)

Video games turned to computer games in the 90's. Console games have remained essentially the same for the last decade. Mortal Kombat showed how violent games could be 18 years ago. Doom, the first modern 1st person shooter, appeared 15 years ago. Grand Theft Auto 2 is over 10 years old.

This isn't new people. The graphics are better, the stories are better, and the content is more complex. Not different, just evolved. Some really kick ass. Other suck. Some are appropriate for kids, some not so much. It's been this way for decades now.

How old are these kids we're worrying about? How old are their parents?

What's more likely is people writing articles about the "mysteries of gaming culture" don't get it. Media types understand the media, and little else (I understand gaming, and little else, I admit it.)

Just like the article says "Gaming is now an $18.8 billion part of the entertainment industry. You have to dig your head in the sand pretty deep to be ignorant of an industry as huge as gaming.

-Adam!!!