in defense of...

i think i'm going to start a psuedo-series of posts responding to some common critiques i hear from people in my community.

the first in this series is:

in defense of...

video games.

i am frequently caught up in conversations where video games are derided for one reason or another, and usually implicitly. it seems to me that the prevailing social assumption is that video games are for kids, and kids alone, and that at some magical point in one's life a person will transcend video games and finally find pleasurable entertainment in classic novels and political conversations.
persons inevitably "grow out" of video games.

right?


this may have been true in the 80's
this may have also been true in the 90's
but we are almost in the TEENS, now, and 30 years brings generational change.

in these 30 years, we have seen many shifts - the definition of 'adolescence' has broadened, age of marriage has shifted later, child-bearing ages have shifted, and thus media and their corresponding markets are shifting.
it is valid to perceive video games as a marketing media, in the same way that popular novels, current movies, and social networking websites are marketing media.

now, does one "grow out" of novels? certainly not. ask any of the adults reading 'Twilight.'
does one grow out of popular movies? perhaps, but only for lack of money to afford 'blockbuster' summers and 'record-breaking' ticket sales. otherwise, certainly not.
does one "grow out" of social networking websites? perhaps one grows INTO them, as millions upon millions of ever-diverse age-groups indicate, but as of now one merely grows into a new site as opposed to "out" of them altogether. (ie., myspace -> facebook)

my contention is that contemporary video games and gaming systems blur the lines of entertainment media in new ways pretty much every 6 months, and thus there is a need for new language regarding this particular medium.

one of the things that motivated me to write this post is the fact that i just finished playing through a game called Mass Effect. This game contained a very intriguing and original plotline, a cast of phenomenal voice actors, and relatively engaging gameplay. i really felt like i was part of the narrative, involved in the relationships that occured therein.
NOT unlike getting caught up in the relational narrative of Lost or Grey's Anatomy.
NOT unlike watching a movie in HD at home or on the silver screen in Cary or Raleigh
it just so happens that the player is involved in the decisions of the story, and the visuals are entirely CGI instead of mostly.

this gaming experience for me was somewhere between watching a movie/reading a sci-fi novel. instead of turning pages, i was pressing a button. instead of reading alone, i was alternately watching, thinking, reading, choosing, watching, reflecting.

this game, as well as many others, seeks to tell a story, and a meaningful one at that. concepts of purpose, destiny, theology, inevitability, prejudice, and the definition of "life" are integrated into the story and action, so that if one isn't careful, they may actually learn something in the process of playing a "simple" video game.

one of the residual, negative comments about video gaming is that it is an individualized, reclusive, anti-social thing to do with one's time.
i could write a whole separate post on the validity of gaming in the realm of social networking, but i'll summarize in a few points:
- all 3 major consoles let you connect with friends in several ways: voice and video chat, text messages, gaming parties, and soon you can watch movies together in two separate locations.
- there is a marked increase in games being produced with "cooperative content" and/or multiplayer components. in fact, a game is now considered sub-par if there is not a cooperative element or online compatibility.
- for non-digital social networking, it is worth noting that the Wii serves as a very capable party-game console, and the Scene-It games for xbox360 make for great game nights with larger groups of people.

people who say "oh, he/she just sits around playing video games" are betraying their misunderstandings rooted in generational separation and lack of cultural relevance.

of course, when i get so caught up in a game that i neglect interaction with my wife, i'm at fault. one must do all things in moderation, with consideration for the family and community context. face-to-face interaction is arguably more meaningful than the digital kind of interaction.

but, it's a lot of fun to get worked up in a game of Halo3 with my wife and some of the youth from church all playing together, from our respective homes.