What drives nearly half of all older Americans — and an even higher percentage of those younger than us — to play so many games on a TV-connected phone, computer, or console? ? What makes digital gaming so appealing that it becomes both a daily activity and a lifelong pursuit, including for a 50-something like me who has been playing since my arcade days in the 1980s?
The easy answer is that it’s a temporary escape from the pressures of the real world – an essential distraction, especially in this past year. And yes, many online games are considered wonderful entertainment: Countless Americans spend time every day playing Sudoku, Candy Crush, Angry Birds, and other puzzle games on their phones or tablets. .
But that’s only one segment of the gaming market. Go beyond quick gratification phone games and you enter a world where the player is more than ever an active participant in a game’s narrative. Your decisions and actions impact how the story unfolds, as opposed to watching a movie or TV, during which you’re a passive couch potato.
A good game allows you not only to leave your reality, but also to create a new one. You are not limited by your age, height, gender or physical disabilities. You might not be able to sink a free kick in real life, but in an NBA 2K21 game you can go one-on-one with Michael Jordan – and beat him. Players learn skills as they dive, taking pride in solving a tricky puzzle or ascending to a new level of challenge. I will forever cherish the look of immense pride on my 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa’s face, as she let it be heard after earning her first victory in the action game Fortnite.
To understand the game, forget the technology and focus on humanity. It’s in our nature to join the fray, learn the rules and master the system, build things (and for some of us, blow them up), win and lose, relax and brag – and even brag about our scores – to spin whole worlds from our imaginations. And like my daughter and I, we also like to win.
No wonder the strains of the pandemic have brought more people into the fold of gaming. A survey by Deloitte, a professional services firm, found that 34% of respondents had tried a new video game activity in 2020. These activities range from playing a new game to subscribing to a gaming service to watching someone else play in the growing phenomenon. called e-sports. And industry analysts say many of those people are likely to stay engaged.
“I personally like to compete and play well,” says P.J. McNealy, CEO of Digital World Research. “Playing one, two or three quick rounds of online deathmatch can be a nice little pocket of entertainment for me – and escape Twitter, COVID or, heck, choose a national crisis!”
Video games have evolved over time and become more interactive through improved visual displays. (Left Mattel Electronics Football; Middle: Nintendo Gameboy; Right: Words with Friends on Smartphone).
“We knew interactivity was cool.”
Want to fly a commercial plane, step into the boots of an action hero, or just create yourself an alternative in an alternate world? If you still think of video games as kid stuff, the equivalent of an electronic toy, you’re missing out on the most sophisticated form of entertainment available.
Yes, video games were all about clearing the screen of objects – take your pick: asteroids, dots, centipedes, alien invaders – while avoiding death en route to the high score. But today, many modern games create immersive experiences, with varied goals. Some play like a movie, with you as the star. The choices you make determine how the story unfolds. Still other games tackle the existential, offering environments where players don’t compete as they build, explore, and share.
“Your creative side, rather than the competitive side, can come out,” McNealy says. Take the Civilization series of computer games. They were launched in 1991 by 67-year-old Sid Meier, an industry rock star whose name still adorns the box. To read this Wikipedia description of Civilization is to realize how far video games have come since the days of a yellow puck munching points: “The player is tasked with leading an entire human civilization over several millennia by controlling various areas such as development, exploration, government, trade, research and military. »
“We always knew we had something special, that we were doing something unique that allowed players to create their own stories, to be their own star,” Meier told me. “Our graphics weren’t as good as the movies. Our sound wasn’t as good as the records. But we had a twist. We knew the interactivity was cool.
The Civilization franchise, which now has 13 games, is more popular than ever. The latest installment, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, was released in late 2016 and is still cited quarterly by publisher Take-Two Interactive Software as one of its top revenue generators. It’s one of many games, including Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls, and Doom, that have been around long enough to engage and entertain generations of gamers.
Another is the SimCity series and its offshoot, The Sims. A game about urban planning and the lives of artificial people might not seem like a good time, but both have captivated players for decades. In SimCity, released in 1989, players managed zoning, infrastructure and municipal budgets. It was oddly compelling and started a wave of simulation games. I spoke to designer Will Wright, 61, now an industry giant, about his inspiration. It turns out his revolution was based on chance.
“SimCity was an offshoot of an earlier game I did – Raid on Bungeling Bay – which was all about ‘shoot and blast everything’,” he says, describing a typical game of the era. “I had to create a world to blow up, so I built myself a tool to build the world, and I found it was much more rewarding to create the world.”
Beethoven, video game composer?
Think of it this way: In 1995, people wondered if video games would ever match the visual fidelity of Pixar’s Toy Story. Today, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine software, which powers titles like Fortnite and Gears of War 5, is also used by film and TV companies for shows like HBO’s Westworld and Disney+’s The Mandalorian, to create visual effects. The Hollywood influence of the video game also goes the other way; many games, especially cinematic ones, cast actors to provide voice work or even “act” in games via motion capture technology.
And music has come a long way. The days of 8-bit ditties, like the familiar Mario Bros. theme, have given way to complex orchestral pieces. And that led to symphonies featuring music from video games touring the country. These have been part of the live performance landscape for 20 years now and have aired on PBS.
“I always said if Beethoven were alive today he would be a video game composer,” says Tommy Tallarico, 53, a video game music composer who has worked on more than 300 titles and now directs also a relaunch of the Intellivision brand of video games. “His goal was to control people’s emotions. What better outlet than video games today? Do you think Beethoven would have been a film composer? Do you think he would have wanted people to talk about his music to two hours? Hell no!
Scalia v. Schwarzenegger: Game Over
Like comic books, rock music, and movies, video games have been blamed for societal problems. In particular, many have questioned the level of violence in certain games and the impact this has on players. The concern is understandable, especially since games are popular with younger gamers, but no substantive studies to date have shown games to be more harmful than other forms of media. This is what led the Supreme Court in 2011 to defend video games. The Case – Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association – revolved around a 2005 California law that prohibited retailers from selling violent video games to anyone under the age of 18. Arnold Schwarzenegger had argued that violent games are the same as sexual materials, as far as government regulation is concerned. The court firmly rejected this argument.
“California relies primarily on the research of Dr. Craig Anderson and a few other research psychologists whose studies purport to show a link between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children,” Judge wrote. Antonin Scalia in the majority opinion. “These studies have been rejected by every court to review them, and for good reason: they do not prove that violent video games induce minors to act aggressively.”
M-rated titles (the “mature” rating that violent games often receive) might seem like they get the most attention, but they don’t actually make up the majority of games on the market. In 2019, they made up just 13% of console game titles.
More recently, some concerns have shifted to in-game purchases as mobile gaming has grown and the nature of the gaming industry has changed from selling as many gaming units as possible to building loyalty. customers for longer periods. So, with digital game downloads, the initial cost can be quite low or even free. But players regularly get offers to buy game upgrades. For example, a free phone game where you play pool against random opponents will repeatedly try to trick you into spending a few dollars to upgrade to a cue. pool table with better spin and ball control (and a killer design). Or sometimes a game will be free for a limited amount of play each day. If you’re engrossed in the game and really can’t put it down until tomorrow, well, get out your credit card.
3000 friends
What about the stereotype that emerged of the poorly groomed, lonely, isolated player sitting in his basement? Video games bring people together, even when separated. Many games can now be played over the Internet, connecting friends and family. Wearing a headset, you can talk with the person on the other side of the screen – and conversations often go far beyond the game as friendships develop or grow stronger. Sometimes you play with a stranger. Other times, you can choose to play with a friend or family member across town or in another city. Check the security settings if your grandkids are playing, and monitor their activity. Interacting with strangers online poses risks for children.
Could gaming be one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic? People who can’t connect in real life meet in the game world and play or build together. People in the same house share a fun diversion that allows them to forget for an hour or two about the dangers looming beyond their door. And grandparents and grandchildren have new worlds to explore together, where young people can often teach. Together they engage in healthy competition or work together on common goals.
“I have friends that I’ve known for literally five to six years that I play RuneScape with,” says Tony Winchester, 67, a retiree from Missouri. “I was talking to someone from Malaysia this morning, from Australia this morning, from Los Angeles this morning, from Canada this morning, someone from South Africa this morning. It’s really crazy.
Players also tune into streaming platforms, like YouTube and Twitch, fostering a community where they can show off their skills and others can comment and converse. On Twitch, Winchester is better known as the gray-bearded Sir Tony Ray with a red crown on his head, and as the master of the fantasy game RuneScape, in which he engages in adventures between knights and dragons. “I usually get 2,000 to 3,000 people connecting to this channel every day,” he says. “Some people say, ‘Hey man, I haven’t seen you in a while and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay’ and then they leave. Others come in and stay four to five hours. I try to talk to everyone that I can. I have a pretty good memory and really consider them friends, not viewers.
Other older gamers find each other through gamer groups – online environments where members post about their gaming activities. The Old Timers Guild is one such group. Deb Hickerson, 67, a longtime gamer who lives in Provo, Utah, vets potential members, adhering to the band’s credo, “No drama…all about fun.” Translation: Don’t start posting about politics and religion on these message boards; only post about a common interest in games.
Although the group is open to anyone 25 and older – a nod to gaming-age stereotypes of what constitutes an “old-timer” – Hickerson particularly appreciates its appeal to older people who find solace in the game. One member is in a wheelchair, the result of a shooting at a convenience store, but in the gaming world, “he could run anywhere.” Another member has lupus, others suffer from chronic pain, and Dickerson herself has a rare trachea disease that restricts her breathing. But when she plays an online fantasy game, she is freed from all that. “I can fly in EverQuest 2. I love flying!”
‘King of Kong’: The Last Word
And we come to this: video games are everywhere today, and several generations play them. To put it into perspective, I spoke to Walter Day, a 71-year-old man whose interest in gambling legitimacy led him to found Twin Galaxies, an organization that certifies and maintains a record score log. (Watch the acclaimed 2007 documentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters to see Day on film.)
“We are the pioneers. And we, as a generation, are still alive, still working with this and pushing this forward,” he told me. “The phenomenon of senior gamers is about to sprout and blossom and become okay, because these tens and tens of millions of people are not going to retire from video games.”
What radio stations are in Grand Theft Auto V?
Ready for a sonic journey through the steamy streets of Los Santos? Hold on tight, the GTA V adventure wouldn’t be complete without explosive background music! In this article, we reveal all the radio stations that set the pace for…
Where to find submarine parts in Grand Theft Auto 5?
GTA 5 enthusiasts, you’ve come to the right place! Do you dream of taming the mysteries of the ocean by controlling your own submarine, but you’re missing those pesky submarine parts? Journey with me into the whirlwind universe of GTA…
What gangs are present in Grand Theft Auto 5?
“Prepare to dive into the fast-paced and tumultuous world of Grand Theft Auto 5! Far from the beautiful cars and sophisticated weapons, we’re going to introduce you to the gangs, these true pillars of the insurgent life of Los Santos.…
Where to find all map items in Grand Theft Auto V?
Ready for another adrenaline-filled journey through Los Santos? Put on your virtual jacket, charge your controller and step on the accelerator to go hunting for the hidden treasures of Grand Theft Auto V. Let me guide you through this urban…
How to become a Grand Theft Auto 5 pro with these tips?
Ready to turn Los Santos into your playground? Embark on a high-speed ride through the urban jungle of GTA 5! Through this article, unlock the full potential of your avatar and become the undisputed king of virtualized banditry. Unspeakable tricks,…
How to change skin on minecraft
How to change skin in Minecraft on PC?Method 2 of 4: No download Go to Planet Minecraft and choose a skin there. … Click “Upload to Minecraft” or “Change Skin”. You should be redirected to the official Minecraft page. ……
How to unsubscribe from PlayStation Plus
How to cancel PlayStation Plus auto-renewal? Go to Settings > Account Management > Account Info > PlayStation Subscriptions. Select the subscription you want to cancel. Select Turn off auto-renewal. How to remove a PlayStation Network credit card?Sign in to PlayStation…
How to download full free xbox 360 games
How to buy a gym on Xbox 360?Purchasing Xbox 360 Content Once you’ve selected your content, simply click the Download to Xbox 360 button to begin the purchasing process.How to buy an Xbox 360 game on an Xbox One?Players with…