More people play video games every day. Children have started growing up with games, from the Playstation they got when they were 8 to the iPad they got when they turned 10. Video games have permeated society in a way that has never before been seen.
But let's face it, video games aren't exactly viewed on the same intellectual level as books and movies. They're just for kids, right? What possible merit could they possess? These are common viewpoints of non-gamers, people who may not see the whole picture. There seems to be somewhat of a social disconnect between the older generation and this medium of entertainment. Games are easy to write off as "just something the kids do these days", and easy to blame when something goes awry.
Many non-gamers group all video games together, only being exposed to popular first-person shooters and other similar games. However, a large part of the gaming industry revolves around an interactive storytelling experience that is masked by a layer of negative stigma. The Last of Us was mentioned in Empire, a film magazine as "a masterpiece that will be looked back upon favourably for decades." A magazine dedicated to movies was able to analyze and review a game on an artistic level -- something that can and should be brought to the forefront. The recent indie game movement has seen an uprising of artistic, meaningful games that can only be described as experiences in and of themselves, Journey and Shadow of the Colossus being prime examples.
Media coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre included mentions of the perpetrator's gaming habits, with some sources outright blaming the event on games without any semblance of fact to back up the supposed causation. Although many of these claims have been deemed inaccurate, the effect of the media's portrayal of games withstands. Cast in such a negative light, it appears that video games and their developers are stuck being villainized by the media, unable to be seen for any true merit. Such negativity is only compounded and spread due to media consumers who judge without delving deeper into the issue; many parents are very protective of their children and impose sanctions on games without really knowing what they are about. Parents complain about violence in games even though they are able to choose what games they buy for their children. Game content is clearly shown on any packaging and each game is rated by the ESRB. Many parents ignore these clear guidelines and complain afterward.
So how can the stigma associated with video games be absolved? How can they be seen as something more than just a children's play thing?
But let's face it, video games aren't exactly viewed on the same intellectual level as books and movies. They're just for kids, right? What possible merit could they possess? These are common viewpoints of non-gamers, people who may not see the whole picture. There seems to be somewhat of a social disconnect between the older generation and this medium of entertainment. Games are easy to write off as "just something the kids do these days", and easy to blame when something goes awry.
Many non-gamers group all video games together, only being exposed to popular first-person shooters and other similar games. However, a large part of the gaming industry revolves around an interactive storytelling experience that is masked by a layer of negative stigma. The Last of Us was mentioned in Empire, a film magazine as "a masterpiece that will be looked back upon favourably for decades." A magazine dedicated to movies was able to analyze and review a game on an artistic level -- something that can and should be brought to the forefront. The recent indie game movement has seen an uprising of artistic, meaningful games that can only be described as experiences in and of themselves, Journey and Shadow of the Colossus being prime examples.
Media coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre included mentions of the perpetrator's gaming habits, with some sources outright blaming the event on games without any semblance of fact to back up the supposed causation. Although many of these claims have been deemed inaccurate, the effect of the media's portrayal of games withstands. Cast in such a negative light, it appears that video games and their developers are stuck being villainized by the media, unable to be seen for any true merit. Such negativity is only compounded and spread due to media consumers who judge without delving deeper into the issue; many parents are very protective of their children and impose sanctions on games without really knowing what they are about. Parents complain about violence in games even though they are able to choose what games they buy for their children. Game content is clearly shown on any packaging and each game is rated by the ESRB. Many parents ignore these clear guidelines and complain afterward.
So how can the stigma associated with video games be absolved? How can they be seen as something more than just a children's play thing?