Games: Not just child's play

The problem is, we've always associated the word "game" with something kids do. Now that there are digital games for kids *and* adults, those of us over 40 who didn't grow up with them are confused, concerned, etc., about the ones for adults, The Economist suggests. "Like rock and roll in the 1950s, games have been accepted by the young and largely rejected by the old. Once the young are old, and the old are dead, games will be regarded as just another medium and the debate will have moved on." In fact, the Economist says, games are well on the way to becoming a mainstream medium - half of Americans play videogames, but of course 76% of them are under 40 and the average gamer's age is 30. So, to gamers, games are more and more like movies, both in production values and in variety of content and age-appropriateness. Parents who are gamers know that they need to be as aware of game ratings as they are of film ratings. Gamer parents also know, the article suggests, that even Grand Theft Auto isn't all about violence. "The problem-solving mechanic that underlies most games is like the 90% of an iceberg below the waterline - invisible to non-gamers. But look beneath the violent veneer of Grand Theft Auto, and it is really no different from a swords-and-sorcery game. Instead of stealing a crystal and delivering it to a wizard so that he can cure the princess, say, you may have to intercept a consignment of drugs and deliver it to a gang boss so he can ransom a hostage. It is the pleasure of this problem-solving, not the superficial violence which sometimes accompanies it, that can make gaming such a satisfying experience." The piece cites a study of the effects on players of violent fantasy-world game Asheron's Call 2 (look under the subhead "Moral Choices" in the Economist piece for conclusions). [Thanks to reader and dad Tito in Portugal for pointing this article out.]