“Grow Up!”
How many older gamers have been told to abandon their favorite activities because it’s all just kid stuff? It usually starts when geeks are in their teens, but sometimes earlier. Comics are for kids! Action figures are such a waste of time! Video games are for 12-year-old boys! Aside from the fact that “video games are for 12-year-old boys” is a. sexist and b. fundamentally untrue, it also paints a world where adults aren’t allowed to like kids’ media.
Becky Chambers, freelance writer and “full time geek,” argues against the notion that being passionate about something makes a person childlike or immature. Becky: “As I’ve said before, I play games for two primary reasons: to undergo a challenge, and to experience a story.” Hard to argue with either, isn’t it?
Chambers makes a distinction between games designed specifically for kids and games kids can play. In the former category she puts learning games like Mathblasters and Reader Rabbit–this is media that adults aren’t going to get much out of. (We wouldn’t judge you if you did, but chances are you’re not going to spend your evenings solving single-digit equations for fun.) The latter category, games kids can play, consists of games like Journey and Ni No Kuni. These are games with very little violence, cute characters, beautiful music and animation, and lovely, evocative—though uncomplicated—storylines. Games like these are perfect for kids!
The thing is, they’re just as perfect for adults. Chambers’ central argument is that just adults shouldn’t have to limit their media consumption only to games that contain adult themes. As someone who enjoys watching kids’ cartoons on a regular basis, I can only agree.
(Source: TheMarySue)
