An interesting thought about gaming now and then

[Sil]

Sounds a lot like me sitting and writing messages on these boards :redface:

nicely observed as always!

I went to see a comedian last night who said -

"anybody capable of growing a beard should not be playing Call of Duty 4...and is possibly a paedophile"

and in a way he's right, it is unnatural. It's also a unique thing that divides the generations now, there are men now (yes, fully grown) who grew up playing videogames and don't want to stop. Maybe it is childish and a little immature, but it's just another way of finding that same comfort people get from any sedate hobby, only with less pay-off

personally I think games are finally getting to the point where they are almost as captivating as films - beautiful, engaging, rich and with story, plot-twists, emotional content, action, character empathy... I'd sound like an asshole if I told you I was tearful when Aeris died in Final Fantasy VII, but I was 15 and loved fantasy; I was there, like reading a book.

And you find other people who remember these things. Some of us have been living half our lives in this little pool of cultural references and imagined environments, from DOOM onwards to the point where it bleeds into reality. We talk about our favourite characters, some people Cosplay (dress up as them in costume) , make fan comics, make their own games and mods. It's a new medium of expression in many ways that is always evolving since the hardcore programmers of the 80s put so much heart into their titles and captured imaginations.

The future makes me both excited and brings a sense of dread. Things right now are fairly detailed, immersive, and gruesome - I've beat zombie corpses with wrenches, chased prostitutes in a car, shot innocent raccoons, and all manner of horrors playing videogames. The thought of these experiences getting more detailed is more frightening given the level of engagement and response from the player, and potentially how young they might be. Most of these things are fun while that makes me sound like a crazy; thankfully my friends and I have a pretty sound grip on reality, and aren't going to start acting out Manhunt or anything ridiculous. Games will get even better, with direct physical actions already playing part (Kinect, Wii) and greater levels of detail and innovation. God help us...

TLDR? I'm a geek.