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“Ooh what a fancy title” you say, but in simple terms, this is about the lack of mass appeal of video games, and how they’re only aimed at a specific market. The fancy title was just to make me look clever and give the post more intellectual credibility (and the iron fisted monkeys pop up later) :-D
Who would you say video games are primarily aimed at?
Yup, you guessed correctly; 15-25 year old males would probably be the best rough estimate.
In a recent study, some data gathering boffins found that the average age of gamers is slowly rising, and is now about 22 or 24 I think. Now to me this isn’t really a surprise, as games have been around for quite a few years, and so fans that have been around since the beginning are growing up as well. BUT (and there’s invariably a but), why do video games only appeal to that certain male demographic and not to different ages & social groups like movies/theatre/books do?
As we all know by now, the video games market is massive, raking in colossal amounts of hard earned consumer cash, yet for all of this financial success, games are still not getting the artistic merit, acclaim and credit among a wider audience they so greatly deserve.
If you look at how movies have become widespread and successful it’s that no matter your age, gender, ethnic background, etc, there are many films to suit your tastes. In short, movies appeal to all, be they thought provoking, sentimental, funny, arty or just action packed, violent or feature an ever gurning Jim Carrey.
Games though, don’t have this sort of mass appeal, which is a real shame. Video games only really appeal to a certain percentage of the population, but whilst their popularity grows every year, they have yet to gain the credibility of being a recognised art form like movies (as you can see by the lack of any decent video game TV shows).
So is there anyway that games could get more popular with different age/social groups?
Some time ago I did some spoofs about games developers who made games for the older age groups entitled “OAP Interactive” and for housewives called “Odd Job Interactive”. Now although they were joke topics, with games like Duck Feeder 2003, Virtual Lucky Bingo, Bus Ride to Bognor, Allotment Tycoon, Roger Moore’s Cruiseship Casino, Last of the Summer Wine, Indoor Bowls 2004, Mr. Sheens Shiny Polish Adventure, Toilet Ducks Sewer Time Splashdown, Jeremy Spake’s Vacuum Power, Wash Wash Dishman and a load more. They do have the smallest bit of relevance as in an IDEAL world, there should/could be an attempt at branching out into an untapped market.
However, back in the real world, there is the obvious risk factor involved for the developers and publishers. Gaming is very big business, so we are highly unlikely to see companies risking their financial necks and clambering to make games like Allotment Tycoon for old people or games for other specific groups, because we all know they simply won’t sell because the people have absolutely no interest in games.
Gaming aimed specifically at the female market has been pretty patronising to say the least, with “Barbie goes to the Mall”, “Barbie’s lovely horses”, “Barbie’s Sleepover Party” and…you get the general idea. I’d imagine that not all girls like Pink GameBoys, horse riding, Barbie, and fashion design packages with overuse of virtual sequins.
I could also go into the fact about a lack of different ethnic characters in games that aren’t just the usual archetypal baddies (*cough* Hitman 2 *cough*), but that is a separate, albeit boring topic about “political correctness and racial equality in video games”.
That is why perceptions of games and gamers need to change; they need to be seen as a “for everybody” form of entertainment, rather than just mindless fun for selected kids/teenagers.
Rather than the usual blood & guts actioners, there should be more ‘friendly’ adventures that are aimed at anyone who would like to have an action/violence free virtual quest, a bit like Shenmue without the fighting, monotony of OTT realism and pugnacious sailors. A game where intelligence and puzzle solving rule over quick reactions and button bashing, and more decent Point & Click adventures would be nice. Mario Party and all those dance mat games would be greatly enjoyed by older people if only they gave games a chance, but they don't.
At the moment though, games are pretty much aimed at teenagers or those who sometimes act like teenagers, and whilst there are many sophisticated mature games out there, Ico & Shenmue for example, they are just grouped together with the rest of the other zany action no-brainers.
Ask your mum, dad, sister, gran or granddad what type of game they would play if they were to play on a console. I did this scientific research (well I actually just asked bored looking family members) about what type of game they would enjoy.
My mum just said, “something without shooting”, and my dad always moans about games, yet deep down I know he loves them. He was an avid Spectrum and Atari 2600 player, so a gaming leopard never changes its spots as far as I’m concerned.
He loved old text adventures, yet he has no interest in Final Fantasy, Zelda etc. The last game he played was Grim Fandango, and he previously enjoyed Broken Sword 1 & 2 and he likes the occasional golf game (though not Mario Golf), and he’d probably love Champ Manager if I ever bother to show it to him.
Just the other day I wanted to play Vice City on the big TV in the living room, but he said something along the lines of “you’re not going to put that loud rubbish on again are you?” to which I replied, “yup”. “But it’s just mindless shooting” he says, when we know that GTA is not just about shooting…you can run people over and chop their heads off making lots of blood come out…But seriously, GTA is a very good game, violence or no violence, but oldies don’t see it like that (plus I tried to sell him the idea that it’s cool because it’s got an 80’s soundtrack).
I said, “We should all want to crowd around the TV and enjoy video games”. Alas though, I didn’t get a reply.
Also, the control pad tends to give older people big problems, I still remember my mum playing (or should I say trying to play) Mario kart on the SNES. Why is it they have problems using controllers?!
Though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a stigma, games do have a reputation for being trashy boys toys aimed at delinquents or social misfits, and so don’t appeal to many older people, and this is a great shame.
Not only is it a great shame for the industry in its search for credibility and acceptance amongst the mainstream, it’s a great shame for the individuals who miss out on the pleasures of gaming because they don’t feel included in the ‘video game family’, as they feel that there are no games aimed at them.
Back in that ideal world again, video games wouldn’t be demonised or dismissed the way they are at the moment, and people from all walks of life, young or old, enjoyed them.
Will we ever see shambling old people shuffling to the shops like zombies in Dawn of the Dead, ready to buy the latest games for themselves? Nope.
Well, I suppose in 50 years time, when those aforementioned monkeys rule the world with iron fists and we all ride around in hover cars and still can’t open the cellophane wrappers on new videos/dvds/holocube’s, video games will be aimed at older people; Us!
Until then though, it looks like video games are primarily a young male persons plaything, a bit like a pe…
Who would you say video games are primarily aimed at?
Yup, you guessed correctly; 15-25 year old males would probably be the best rough estimate.
In a recent study, some data gathering boffins found that the average age of gamers is slowly rising, and is now about 22 or 24 I think. Now to me this isn’t really a surprise, as games have been around for quite a few years, and so fans that have been around since the beginning are growing up as well. BUT (and there’s invariably a but), why do video games only appeal to that certain male demographic and not to different ages & social groups like movies/theatre/books do?
As we all know by now, the video games market is massive, raking in colossal amounts of hard earned consumer cash, yet for all of this financial success, games are still not getting the artistic merit, acclaim and credit among a wider audience they so greatly deserve.
If you look at how movies have become widespread and successful it’s that no matter your age, gender, ethnic background, etc, there are many films to suit your tastes. In short, movies appeal to all, be they thought provoking, sentimental, funny, arty or just action packed, violent or feature an ever gurning Jim Carrey.
Games though, don’t have this sort of mass appeal, which is a real shame. Video games only really appeal to a certain percentage of the population, but whilst their popularity grows every year, they have yet to gain the credibility of being a recognised art form like movies (as you can see by the lack of any decent video game TV shows).
So is there anyway that games could get more popular with different age/social groups?
Some time ago I did some spoofs about games developers who made games for the older age groups entitled “OAP Interactive” and for housewives called “Odd Job Interactive”. Now although they were joke topics, with games like Duck Feeder 2003, Virtual Lucky Bingo, Bus Ride to Bognor, Allotment Tycoon, Roger Moore’s Cruiseship Casino, Last of the Summer Wine, Indoor Bowls 2004, Mr. Sheens Shiny Polish Adventure, Toilet Ducks Sewer Time Splashdown, Jeremy Spake’s Vacuum Power, Wash Wash Dishman and a load more. They do have the smallest bit of relevance as in an IDEAL world, there should/could be an attempt at branching out into an untapped market.
However, back in the real world, there is the obvious risk factor involved for the developers and publishers. Gaming is very big business, so we are highly unlikely to see companies risking their financial necks and clambering to make games like Allotment Tycoon for old people or games for other specific groups, because we all know they simply won’t sell because the people have absolutely no interest in games.
Gaming aimed specifically at the female market has been pretty patronising to say the least, with “Barbie goes to the Mall”, “Barbie’s lovely horses”, “Barbie’s Sleepover Party” and…you get the general idea. I’d imagine that not all girls like Pink GameBoys, horse riding, Barbie, and fashion design packages with overuse of virtual sequins.
I could also go into the fact about a lack of different ethnic characters in games that aren’t just the usual archetypal baddies (*cough* Hitman 2 *cough*), but that is a separate, albeit boring topic about “political correctness and racial equality in video games”.
That is why perceptions of games and gamers need to change; they need to be seen as a “for everybody” form of entertainment, rather than just mindless fun for selected kids/teenagers.
Rather than the usual blood & guts actioners, there should be more ‘friendly’ adventures that are aimed at anyone who would like to have an action/violence free virtual quest, a bit like Shenmue without the fighting, monotony of OTT realism and pugnacious sailors. A game where intelligence and puzzle solving rule over quick reactions and button bashing, and more decent Point & Click adventures would be nice. Mario Party and all those dance mat games would be greatly enjoyed by older people if only they gave games a chance, but they don't.
At the moment though, games are pretty much aimed at teenagers or those who sometimes act like teenagers, and whilst there are many sophisticated mature games out there, Ico & Shenmue for example, they are just grouped together with the rest of the other zany action no-brainers.
Ask your mum, dad, sister, gran or granddad what type of game they would play if they were to play on a console. I did this scientific research (well I actually just asked bored looking family members) about what type of game they would enjoy.
My mum just said, “something without shooting”, and my dad always moans about games, yet deep down I know he loves them. He was an avid Spectrum and Atari 2600 player, so a gaming leopard never changes its spots as far as I’m concerned.
He loved old text adventures, yet he has no interest in Final Fantasy, Zelda etc. The last game he played was Grim Fandango, and he previously enjoyed Broken Sword 1 & 2 and he likes the occasional golf game (though not Mario Golf), and he’d probably love Champ Manager if I ever bother to show it to him.
Just the other day I wanted to play Vice City on the big TV in the living room, but he said something along the lines of “you’re not going to put that loud rubbish on again are you?” to which I replied, “yup”. “But it’s just mindless shooting” he says, when we know that GTA is not just about shooting…you can run people over and chop their heads off making lots of blood come out…But seriously, GTA is a very good game, violence or no violence, but oldies don’t see it like that (plus I tried to sell him the idea that it’s cool because it’s got an 80’s soundtrack).
I said, “We should all want to crowd around the TV and enjoy video games”. Alas though, I didn’t get a reply.
Also, the control pad tends to give older people big problems, I still remember my mum playing (or should I say trying to play) Mario kart on the SNES. Why is it they have problems using controllers?!
Though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a stigma, games do have a reputation for being trashy boys toys aimed at delinquents or social misfits, and so don’t appeal to many older people, and this is a great shame.
Not only is it a great shame for the industry in its search for credibility and acceptance amongst the mainstream, it’s a great shame for the individuals who miss out on the pleasures of gaming because they don’t feel included in the ‘video game family’, as they feel that there are no games aimed at them.
Back in that ideal world again, video games wouldn’t be demonised or dismissed the way they are at the moment, and people from all walks of life, young or old, enjoyed them.
Will we ever see shambling old people shuffling to the shops like zombies in Dawn of the Dead, ready to buy the latest games for themselves? Nope.
Well, I suppose in 50 years time, when those aforementioned monkeys rule the world with iron fists and we all ride around in hover cars and still can’t open the cellophane wrappers on new videos/dvds/holocube’s, video games will be aimed at older people; Us!
Until then though, it looks like video games are primarily a young male persons plaything, a bit like a pe…
The Civilization games seem to suck non-gamers in as well, at least the older more anally-retentitive ones. (And I speak as something of a Civ-fanatic myself.) There's something about founding your first city, then thinking 'well, I'll just build a road, here', that grabs people and only lets them go six hours later. In fact building stuff and running stuff seems to be quite a common theme in games with mass appeal: Civilization, Sim X, Y Tycoon etc. Control freaks.
It's good that you mentioned the Sims as a game that appeals to all (as I forgot to mention it), also Sim City and other similar strategy games appeal to the masses, but there's not really many others.
Then we move onto the Dead or Alive series, BMX XXX and Vice City...
Then we move onto the Dead or Alive series, BMX XXX and Vice City...
...monkeys ruling the world with irn bru...
Now THAT would have grabbed my attention.
I think there are certain games that appeal to just about everyone, like the Broken Sword games you mentioned. You don't have to be particularly hardcore to enjoy them, and 'real' gamers don't dismiss them as rubbish like they do with Myst or The Sims. I recently made the mistake of lending my sister - who has never really played a game in her life - my GBA with Yoshi's Island. I am having a hard time getting it back. So I think the problem is not that the games lack appeal, but that 'normal' people don't get a chance to play them.
On the hand there's all this prejudice about games being for people with no friends. To them I say: whatever.
Then on the other hand there's the fact that if a non-gamer wants to play a game they have to wade through a bunch of heavily marketed pap to get to the good stuff. If you sent a non-gamer into your local branch of Game then the chances of them emerging with a game like Ico or Deus Ex are very low; nine times out of ten they'll buy Fifa or Die Hard With A Vengeance. Case in point: my mum. Last year she gave me a GBA for my birthday - along with a copy of Harry Potter. This was all very nice, except for the fact that I was 22. Now, if that was the first game I ever played then I'd never want to play another one in my life. And, I'll be honest, even though I love games and know that Harry Potter is just rubbish, I still didn't want to play another game for the rest of my life. It was that bad. In fact, everything that's wrong with my life was caused by getting Harry Potter for my birthday.
So, in conclusion, the following things stop games from having mass appeal:
Spotty boys who spk lk th1s.
And EA.
Now THAT would have grabbed my attention.
I think there are certain games that appeal to just about everyone, like the Broken Sword games you mentioned. You don't have to be particularly hardcore to enjoy them, and 'real' gamers don't dismiss them as rubbish like they do with Myst or The Sims. I recently made the mistake of lending my sister - who has never really played a game in her life - my GBA with Yoshi's Island. I am having a hard time getting it back. So I think the problem is not that the games lack appeal, but that 'normal' people don't get a chance to play them.
On the hand there's all this prejudice about games being for people with no friends. To them I say: whatever.
Then on the other hand there's the fact that if a non-gamer wants to play a game they have to wade through a bunch of heavily marketed pap to get to the good stuff. If you sent a non-gamer into your local branch of Game then the chances of them emerging with a game like Ico or Deus Ex are very low; nine times out of ten they'll buy Fifa or Die Hard With A Vengeance. Case in point: my mum. Last year she gave me a GBA for my birthday - along with a copy of Harry Potter. This was all very nice, except for the fact that I was 22. Now, if that was the first game I ever played then I'd never want to play another one in my life. And, I'll be honest, even though I love games and know that Harry Potter is just rubbish, I still didn't want to play another game for the rest of my life. It was that bad. In fact, everything that's wrong with my life was caused by getting Harry Potter for my birthday.
So, in conclusion, the following things stop games from having mass appeal:
Spotty boys who spk lk th1s.
And EA.
In case you were wondering, the full title should read "Games: market individualism, social exclusion and monkeys ruling the world with iron fists."
“Ooh what a fancy title” you say, but in simple terms, this is about the lack of mass appeal of video games, and how they’re only aimed at a specific market. The fancy title was just to make me look clever and give the post more intellectual credibility (and the iron fisted monkeys pop up later) :-D
Who would you say video games are primarily aimed at?
Yup, you guessed correctly; 15-25 year old males would probably be the best rough estimate.
In a recent study, some data gathering boffins found that the average age of gamers is slowly rising, and is now about 22 or 24 I think. Now to me this isn’t really a surprise, as games have been around for quite a few years, and so fans that have been around since the beginning are growing up as well. BUT (and there’s invariably a but), why do video games only appeal to that certain male demographic and not to different ages & social groups like movies/theatre/books do?
As we all know by now, the video games market is massive, raking in colossal amounts of hard earned consumer cash, yet for all of this financial success, games are still not getting the artistic merit, acclaim and credit among a wider audience they so greatly deserve.
If you look at how movies have become widespread and successful it’s that no matter your age, gender, ethnic background, etc, there are many films to suit your tastes. In short, movies appeal to all, be they thought provoking, sentimental, funny, arty or just action packed, violent or feature an ever gurning Jim Carrey.
Games though, don’t have this sort of mass appeal, which is a real shame. Video games only really appeal to a certain percentage of the population, but whilst their popularity grows every year, they have yet to gain the credibility of being a recognised art form like movies (as you can see by the lack of any decent video game TV shows).
So is there anyway that games could get more popular with different age/social groups?
Some time ago I did some spoofs about games developers who made games for the older age groups entitled “OAP Interactive” and for housewives called “Odd Job Interactive”. Now although they were joke topics, with games like Duck Feeder 2003, Virtual Lucky Bingo, Bus Ride to Bognor, Allotment Tycoon, Roger Moore’s Cruiseship Casino, Last of the Summer Wine, Indoor Bowls 2004, Mr. Sheens Shiny Polish Adventure, Toilet Ducks Sewer Time Splashdown, Jeremy Spake’s Vacuum Power, Wash Wash Dishman and a load more. They do have the smallest bit of relevance as in an IDEAL world, there should/could be an attempt at branching out into an untapped market.
However, back in the real world, there is the obvious risk factor involved for the developers and publishers. Gaming is very big business, so we are highly unlikely to see companies risking their financial necks and clambering to make games like Allotment Tycoon for old people or games for other specific groups, because we all know they simply won’t sell because the people have absolutely no interest in games.
Gaming aimed specifically at the female market has been pretty patronising to say the least, with “Barbie goes to the Mall”, “Barbie’s lovely horses”, “Barbie’s Sleepover Party” and…you get the general idea. I’d imagine that not all girls like Pink GameBoys, horse riding, Barbie, and fashion design packages with overuse of virtual sequins.
I could also go into the fact about a lack of different ethnic characters in games that aren’t just the usual archetypal baddies (*cough* Hitman 2 *cough*), but that is a separate, albeit boring topic about “political correctness and racial equality in video games”.
That is why perceptions of games and gamers need to change; they need to be seen as a “for everybody” form of entertainment, rather than just mindless fun for selected kids/teenagers.
Rather than the usual blood & guts actioners, there should be more ‘friendly’ adventures that are aimed at anyone who would like to have an action/violence free virtual quest, a bit like Shenmue without the fighting, monotony of OTT realism and pugnacious sailors. A game where intelligence and puzzle solving rule over quick reactions and button bashing, and more decent Point & Click adventures would be nice. Mario Party and all those dance mat games would be greatly enjoyed by older people if only they gave games a chance, but they don't.
At the moment though, games are pretty much aimed at teenagers or those who sometimes act like teenagers, and whilst there are many sophisticated mature games out there, Ico & Shenmue for example, they are just grouped together with the rest of the other zany action no-brainers.
Ask your mum, dad, sister, gran or granddad what type of game they would play if they were to play on a console. I did this scientific research (well I actually just asked bored looking family members) about what type of game they would enjoy.
My mum just said, “something without shooting”, and my dad always moans about games, yet deep down I know he loves them. He was an avid Spectrum and Atari 2600 player, so a gaming leopard never changes its spots as far as I’m concerned.
He loved old text adventures, yet he has no interest in Final Fantasy, Zelda etc. The last game he played was Grim Fandango, and he previously enjoyed Broken Sword 1 & 2 and he likes the occasional golf game (though not Mario Golf), and he’d probably love Champ Manager if I ever bother to show it to him.
Just the other day I wanted to play Vice City on the big TV in the living room, but he said something along the lines of “you’re not going to put that loud rubbish on again are you?” to which I replied, “yup”. “But it’s just mindless shooting” he says, when we know that GTA is not just about shooting…you can run people over and chop their heads off making lots of blood come out…But seriously, GTA is a very good game, violence or no violence, but oldies don’t see it like that (plus I tried to sell him the idea that it’s cool because it’s got an 80’s soundtrack).
I said, “We should all want to crowd around the TV and enjoy video games”. Alas though, I didn’t get a reply.
Also, the control pad tends to give older people big problems, I still remember my mum playing (or should I say trying to play) Mario kart on the SNES. Why is it they have problems using controllers?!
Though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a stigma, games do have a reputation for being trashy boys toys aimed at delinquents or social misfits, and so don’t appeal to many older people, and this is a great shame.
Not only is it a great shame for the industry in its search for credibility and acceptance amongst the mainstream, it’s a great shame for the individuals who miss out on the pleasures of gaming because they don’t feel included in the ‘video game family’, as they feel that there are no games aimed at them.
Back in that ideal world again, video games wouldn’t be demonised or dismissed the way they are at the moment, and people from all walks of life, young or old, enjoyed them.
Will we ever see shambling old people shuffling to the shops like zombies in Dawn of the Dead, ready to buy the latest games for themselves? Nope.
Well, I suppose in 50 years time, when those aforementioned monkeys rule the world with iron fists and we all ride around in hover cars and still can’t open the cellophane wrappers on new videos/dvds/holocube’s, video games will be aimed at older people; Us!
Until then though, it looks like video games are primarily a young male persons plaything, a bit like a pe…
Who would you say video games are primarily aimed at?
Yup, you guessed correctly; 15-25 year old males would probably be the best rough estimate.
In a recent study, some data gathering boffins found that the average age of gamers is slowly rising, and is now about 22 or 24 I think. Now to me this isn’t really a surprise, as games have been around for quite a few years, and so fans that have been around since the beginning are growing up as well. BUT (and there’s invariably a but), why do video games only appeal to that certain male demographic and not to different ages & social groups like movies/theatre/books do?
As we all know by now, the video games market is massive, raking in colossal amounts of hard earned consumer cash, yet for all of this financial success, games are still not getting the artistic merit, acclaim and credit among a wider audience they so greatly deserve.
If you look at how movies have become widespread and successful it’s that no matter your age, gender, ethnic background, etc, there are many films to suit your tastes. In short, movies appeal to all, be they thought provoking, sentimental, funny, arty or just action packed, violent or feature an ever gurning Jim Carrey.
Games though, don’t have this sort of mass appeal, which is a real shame. Video games only really appeal to a certain percentage of the population, but whilst their popularity grows every year, they have yet to gain the credibility of being a recognised art form like movies (as you can see by the lack of any decent video game TV shows).
So is there anyway that games could get more popular with different age/social groups?
Some time ago I did some spoofs about games developers who made games for the older age groups entitled “OAP Interactive” and for housewives called “Odd Job Interactive”. Now although they were joke topics, with games like Duck Feeder 2003, Virtual Lucky Bingo, Bus Ride to Bognor, Allotment Tycoon, Roger Moore’s Cruiseship Casino, Last of the Summer Wine, Indoor Bowls 2004, Mr. Sheens Shiny Polish Adventure, Toilet Ducks Sewer Time Splashdown, Jeremy Spake’s Vacuum Power, Wash Wash Dishman and a load more. They do have the smallest bit of relevance as in an IDEAL world, there should/could be an attempt at branching out into an untapped market.
However, back in the real world, there is the obvious risk factor involved for the developers and publishers. Gaming is very big business, so we are highly unlikely to see companies risking their financial necks and clambering to make games like Allotment Tycoon for old people or games for other specific groups, because we all know they simply won’t sell because the people have absolutely no interest in games.
Gaming aimed specifically at the female market has been pretty patronising to say the least, with “Barbie goes to the Mall”, “Barbie’s lovely horses”, “Barbie’s Sleepover Party” and…you get the general idea. I’d imagine that not all girls like Pink GameBoys, horse riding, Barbie, and fashion design packages with overuse of virtual sequins.
I could also go into the fact about a lack of different ethnic characters in games that aren’t just the usual archetypal baddies (*cough* Hitman 2 *cough*), but that is a separate, albeit boring topic about “political correctness and racial equality in video games”.
That is why perceptions of games and gamers need to change; they need to be seen as a “for everybody” form of entertainment, rather than just mindless fun for selected kids/teenagers.
Rather than the usual blood & guts actioners, there should be more ‘friendly’ adventures that are aimed at anyone who would like to have an action/violence free virtual quest, a bit like Shenmue without the fighting, monotony of OTT realism and pugnacious sailors. A game where intelligence and puzzle solving rule over quick reactions and button bashing, and more decent Point & Click adventures would be nice. Mario Party and all those dance mat games would be greatly enjoyed by older people if only they gave games a chance, but they don't.
At the moment though, games are pretty much aimed at teenagers or those who sometimes act like teenagers, and whilst there are many sophisticated mature games out there, Ico & Shenmue for example, they are just grouped together with the rest of the other zany action no-brainers.
Ask your mum, dad, sister, gran or granddad what type of game they would play if they were to play on a console. I did this scientific research (well I actually just asked bored looking family members) about what type of game they would enjoy.
My mum just said, “something without shooting”, and my dad always moans about games, yet deep down I know he loves them. He was an avid Spectrum and Atari 2600 player, so a gaming leopard never changes its spots as far as I’m concerned.
He loved old text adventures, yet he has no interest in Final Fantasy, Zelda etc. The last game he played was Grim Fandango, and he previously enjoyed Broken Sword 1 & 2 and he likes the occasional golf game (though not Mario Golf), and he’d probably love Champ Manager if I ever bother to show it to him.
Just the other day I wanted to play Vice City on the big TV in the living room, but he said something along the lines of “you’re not going to put that loud rubbish on again are you?” to which I replied, “yup”. “But it’s just mindless shooting” he says, when we know that GTA is not just about shooting…you can run people over and chop their heads off making lots of blood come out…But seriously, GTA is a very good game, violence or no violence, but oldies don’t see it like that (plus I tried to sell him the idea that it’s cool because it’s got an 80’s soundtrack).
I said, “We should all want to crowd around the TV and enjoy video games”. Alas though, I didn’t get a reply.
Also, the control pad tends to give older people big problems, I still remember my mum playing (or should I say trying to play) Mario kart on the SNES. Why is it they have problems using controllers?!
Though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a stigma, games do have a reputation for being trashy boys toys aimed at delinquents or social misfits, and so don’t appeal to many older people, and this is a great shame.
Not only is it a great shame for the industry in its search for credibility and acceptance amongst the mainstream, it’s a great shame for the individuals who miss out on the pleasures of gaming because they don’t feel included in the ‘video game family’, as they feel that there are no games aimed at them.
Back in that ideal world again, video games wouldn’t be demonised or dismissed the way they are at the moment, and people from all walks of life, young or old, enjoyed them.
Will we ever see shambling old people shuffling to the shops like zombies in Dawn of the Dead, ready to buy the latest games for themselves? Nope.
Well, I suppose in 50 years time, when those aforementioned monkeys rule the world with iron fists and we all ride around in hover cars and still can’t open the cellophane wrappers on new videos/dvds/holocube’s, video games will be aimed at older people; Us!
Until then though, it looks like video games are primarily a young male persons plaything, a bit like a pe…