Silent Strife
04-02-2005, 01:50 AM
My second article that I'll post here at the forums, dealing with the gaming industry as a whole...
The Perception of Gaming
Thirty years ago, the world was entertained almost exclusively by three forms of media industries: radio, motion pictures, and television. No longer were people content with reading for pleasure; we needed a new way to express our thoughts and transform us to another time and place. Radio became the voice of the people, displaying our cultures best musical talents as well as informing the public instantly of the changing times. Television was and still is the major recreational activity for most Americans. Movies became the reflection of our lives and the standard, albeit skewed in many instances, by which people loved, talked, and in some instances even acted. All three are still part of our ever diversifying culture. However, the need for something more and the melding of many of these attributes led to the industry we know and love today, what we affectionately call gaming. The perception of our beloved industry, though, is much different than any of the others, and not in the best of ways.
By the beginning of the 1980's, the first computer gaming system had come and gone. Still, many passed it off as a novelty, somewhat of a fad for little children to occupy them. Today, the business of video games has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, with a user base surpassed only by that of television. But the industry as we know it now still carries the stigma of childishness that has plagued it since its conception. How this occurred, and how it can be a detriment now and in the future for the gaming world is more important to the industry’s future than many want to believe.
Backlash of the Media
With the birth of this new form of entertainment came the critics. At first, the complaints were limited to false claims of it being a laziness inducing hobby with no educational, physical, or social value. These were common, but dismissed easily by the gaming public for obvious reasons. Then came the cries of excessive violence and amoral content in games such as Mortal Kombat and Doom. Gaming has been unduly given this perception by various watchdog groups and concerned parents, despite the presence of it in other media. They say such things have no place in games. Their reasoning is one that makes many a gamer cringe: “Gaming is for kids.”
Despite the popularity of gaming, the general public still cannot wrap its head around the idea of actual adults taking part in such an activity. They disregard the rating system as incomplete or misleading, regardless of experts calling it better than even that which the movie industry implements. The fact that video game sales exceed the entire profit of the movie industry by more than one billion dollars and growing shows that its not just children taking part. It seems that the naysayers take whatever shot they can at the industry. Everything from blaming school shootings on first person shooters to failing grades as a result of excessive gaming has been spewed from their uninformed, hateful mouths. Why the industry has been singled out in this amount of intensity is beyond me, but the effects of these actions will be harmful if it does not end.
Evolution of Gaming
Recently, the popularity of gaming has brought about certain problems that are increasingly disturbing in nature. The advent of the “casual gamer” has the major companies desperate to keep their short attention spans fueled by inferior, often rehashed games that do not add to the entertainment or artistic value. The profit margin became the new standard of quality, and the sequel the preferred chariot of this black plague. Innovation took a back seat to the sure thing. Rappers, sports stars, and various media celebrities declared it as the new cool pass-time (“new” being relative to their low intelligence and thus their inability to acknowledge it’s history); and so, the floodgates opened and the rush of new “customers” came with them. Along, too, came the age of mediocrity.
Not only has the industry been hit with various public salvos of disapproval and the famine of sub par development, but so too does the professional world snicker and sneer as if it is branded with a scarlet E(“for everyone). It is true that the competition within the industry has been directly increasing over the years with its popularity, but the amount of colleges offering degrees in gaming arts and design is still at a level that displays the perception that it isn’t a serious career track for our brightest minds. The company GameStop, which specializes in the sale and resale of video games and hardware, accounted for half of parent company Barnes and Noble’s profits for its last fiscal quarter. In comparison, the company would have been in the red had it not been for its video game division. Was this publicly acknowledged or cited as a positive? No. In fact, as far as the public is concerned, Barnes and Noble is exclusively a paper media company.
A Dire Prediction
From the looks of things, a second gaming depression is quite possibly in the cards. The perception of the industry and the recent trend towards mediocrity is a recipe for disaster, and even the most casual gamer will be turned off if this trend continues. Video games could soon suffer from the same problems that plague the movie industry. The need for a media as immersive and far reaching as gaming is obvious from its rise to the top. We should all feel obligated to keep it there, especially those who consider themselves true games. Next time you go to your favorite electronics store, don’t pass over the different, lesser known company for the endless Madden or licensed Shrek game. A fall to the bottom is always a possibility, and we need to do whatever we can to change the track of this runaway train. Still, ultimately, the video game industry’s biggest enemy is not its internal problems, but the lack of respect it receives. In twenty years, when most living members of society have played some form of video games in their lifetime, the problem may be nonexistent. However, the need for an image make-over is long overdue, just as long as the rappers and sports stars stay out of it this time.
The Perception of Gaming
Thirty years ago, the world was entertained almost exclusively by three forms of media industries: radio, motion pictures, and television. No longer were people content with reading for pleasure; we needed a new way to express our thoughts and transform us to another time and place. Radio became the voice of the people, displaying our cultures best musical talents as well as informing the public instantly of the changing times. Television was and still is the major recreational activity for most Americans. Movies became the reflection of our lives and the standard, albeit skewed in many instances, by which people loved, talked, and in some instances even acted. All three are still part of our ever diversifying culture. However, the need for something more and the melding of many of these attributes led to the industry we know and love today, what we affectionately call gaming. The perception of our beloved industry, though, is much different than any of the others, and not in the best of ways.
By the beginning of the 1980's, the first computer gaming system had come and gone. Still, many passed it off as a novelty, somewhat of a fad for little children to occupy them. Today, the business of video games has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, with a user base surpassed only by that of television. But the industry as we know it now still carries the stigma of childishness that has plagued it since its conception. How this occurred, and how it can be a detriment now and in the future for the gaming world is more important to the industry’s future than many want to believe.
Backlash of the Media
With the birth of this new form of entertainment came the critics. At first, the complaints were limited to false claims of it being a laziness inducing hobby with no educational, physical, or social value. These were common, but dismissed easily by the gaming public for obvious reasons. Then came the cries of excessive violence and amoral content in games such as Mortal Kombat and Doom. Gaming has been unduly given this perception by various watchdog groups and concerned parents, despite the presence of it in other media. They say such things have no place in games. Their reasoning is one that makes many a gamer cringe: “Gaming is for kids.”
Despite the popularity of gaming, the general public still cannot wrap its head around the idea of actual adults taking part in such an activity. They disregard the rating system as incomplete or misleading, regardless of experts calling it better than even that which the movie industry implements. The fact that video game sales exceed the entire profit of the movie industry by more than one billion dollars and growing shows that its not just children taking part. It seems that the naysayers take whatever shot they can at the industry. Everything from blaming school shootings on first person shooters to failing grades as a result of excessive gaming has been spewed from their uninformed, hateful mouths. Why the industry has been singled out in this amount of intensity is beyond me, but the effects of these actions will be harmful if it does not end.
Evolution of Gaming
Recently, the popularity of gaming has brought about certain problems that are increasingly disturbing in nature. The advent of the “casual gamer” has the major companies desperate to keep their short attention spans fueled by inferior, often rehashed games that do not add to the entertainment or artistic value. The profit margin became the new standard of quality, and the sequel the preferred chariot of this black plague. Innovation took a back seat to the sure thing. Rappers, sports stars, and various media celebrities declared it as the new cool pass-time (“new” being relative to their low intelligence and thus their inability to acknowledge it’s history); and so, the floodgates opened and the rush of new “customers” came with them. Along, too, came the age of mediocrity.
Not only has the industry been hit with various public salvos of disapproval and the famine of sub par development, but so too does the professional world snicker and sneer as if it is branded with a scarlet E(“for everyone). It is true that the competition within the industry has been directly increasing over the years with its popularity, but the amount of colleges offering degrees in gaming arts and design is still at a level that displays the perception that it isn’t a serious career track for our brightest minds. The company GameStop, which specializes in the sale and resale of video games and hardware, accounted for half of parent company Barnes and Noble’s profits for its last fiscal quarter. In comparison, the company would have been in the red had it not been for its video game division. Was this publicly acknowledged or cited as a positive? No. In fact, as far as the public is concerned, Barnes and Noble is exclusively a paper media company.
A Dire Prediction
From the looks of things, a second gaming depression is quite possibly in the cards. The perception of the industry and the recent trend towards mediocrity is a recipe for disaster, and even the most casual gamer will be turned off if this trend continues. Video games could soon suffer from the same problems that plague the movie industry. The need for a media as immersive and far reaching as gaming is obvious from its rise to the top. We should all feel obligated to keep it there, especially those who consider themselves true games. Next time you go to your favorite electronics store, don’t pass over the different, lesser known company for the endless Madden or licensed Shrek game. A fall to the bottom is always a possibility, and we need to do whatever we can to change the track of this runaway train. Still, ultimately, the video game industry’s biggest enemy is not its internal problems, but the lack of respect it receives. In twenty years, when most living members of society have played some form of video games in their lifetime, the problem may be nonexistent. However, the need for an image make-over is long overdue, just as long as the rappers and sports stars stay out of it this time.