Is there some unwritten rule that says you have to stop playing video games when you get passed a certain age? I hope not! I'm in my early thirties and I enjoy a good blast on a console as much now as I did in my teenage years. In fact, if anything, video gaming is less of an IQ dampener now than it was when I was kid back when Mario was a toddler and Sonic was but a twinkle in his mother's prickly eye.
Apart from the fact that game environment development has moved ahead light years since then, stories lines and level mapping have become more and more important. The gaming mind has evolved with the consoles and games. No longer are gamers satisfied with platforms and flowerpots. The involving story line, believable graphics and frustratingly difficult puzzles are now the crown jewels of game development. I would content that solving some puzzles in the latest Tomb Raider overing requires as much brainpower as a moderate crossword in the Times.
Unfortunately, the anti-gaming establishment don't see it that way. These people have a fairly narrow view of consoles and gaming: 'it's all violence and bad language', 'moronic' 'lack of imagination', etc. These are just some of the sentiments you'll hear if you bring gaming up around the dinner table or tune in to a debate on the radio or on a forum such as this. The truth is though, adults don't like to admit they enjoy something as low-brow as gaming.
Of course, I wouldn't dream of claiming that there is no such thing as a violent video game, or that bad language never crops up in the occasional story line (just as in films such as Saving Private Ryan or Four Weddings and Funeral). Examples of such games are rife: Gears of War, Halo, GTA, to name but a few. This is where the responsibility of the individual comes into play. Like all things are enjoyable, moderation and timing are key. For example, I wouldn't dream of downing a crate of beer with my mates in front of my 4-year-old daughter, in the same way, I wouldn't dream of having a session on Gears with her in the room either. Would the anti-violent-gaming lobby dream of putting an adult-rated movie on with kids in the room? Of course not, but nobody is castigating violent or adult themed movies.
It is curious that in this day and age there are pockets of the community who still mutter and snipe about video games. The gaming industry is a multi-million dollar/pound industry that provides jobs and prospects for thousands all across the globe. Here in the UK game development is a bigger industry than film making. In fact, it's such a big industry it can't get enough employees. How many employment sectors can say they are starved of talent at this time of economic gloom?
Going back to Gears briefly, it is probably one of the best examples of the convergence between film and gaming. With it's sweeping panoramas, involving storyline and immense orchestral soundtrack, it is probably as close to a film on a console that you are likely to get right now. It is impressive and a credit to the huge team that worked on it if you ever want to get an idea of how many man-hours go into games these days simply check out the end credits on something like Gears or Call of Duty. I have to say, I envy every one of them!
Before I post this I want to just take issue with the so-called 'anti-social' nature of today's consoles. Sure, there are some folks who do spend hour after hour in front of the TV playing video games, and I would say that some of these guys probably need some addiction counseling. On the other hand, there are people like me who very much see their Xbox 360s as a gateway to the world. In the same way that online communities like Helium can offer insights on the rest of the world, Xbox Live offers real-time contact with real people in other parts of the world. Just by playing the occasional round of FIFA online I have had one-on-one contact with Frenchmen, Italians, Americans, Brazilians, even Iraqis.
So am I too old for my console? Not until I lose all interest in creativity and the rest of the world.
Get out there an game, then form an opinion.
Enjoy responsibly.