5 reasons it's still not cool to admit you are a gamer.

[Gamerforlife]

That's a pretty one sided article, not that impressed with it I have to say

[the7k]

I found a lot of it to be accurate, but for a lot of it he seemed to focus on gaming trying to be a storytelling medium. How for every minute of bioshock that had a good story, 10 minutes was shooting things. Games aren't movies or books or plays. They're meant to be played. If a game wants to strive to have a good story, or be 50% cutscenes (which is nearly impossible to guage since the player controls how much time is spent on actual gameplay, like with his gta example) then they should go for it, but just because a game doesn't have a deep story doesn't mean it's not a "mature" game.

I see what you are saying and I agree - games aren't another medium and they should play to the strengths of the medium.

However - is killing things the only way our medium can express itself? No. We can find other ways if we just tried. It's not about making a game 100% cut-scenes - it's about finding creative solutions to how you create gameplay without always resorting to violence.

[jfrost]

I don't know about the industry treating gamers as 17-year old douchebags. Sure, there's a lot of vulgarity in games, but as soon as people try to put actual sex in games, with a storytelling purpose, people start to freak out. Think Mass Effect. And somehow when developers just treat women like inflatable dolls it doesn't catch anybody's attention.

[emwearz]

1 reason it is

[Pulsar_t]

"Cool" is dictated by the elitists who run the media and fashion industries. But I do mostly agree with the article nonetheless.

[Erik_Twice]

1 reason it is

Is that a bomb? If it is, then I agree! But please don't kill me!


@Pulstar

I disagree. Each person or group has a diferent version of what "cool" is. Yes, even geeks.

[Pulsar_t]

@Pulstar

I disagree. Each person or group has a diferent version of what "cool" is. Yes, even geeks.

True. To me stock car racing is a disgrace, but many thinks it's cool. But smelly twats playing MW2 on live? I think it's universally agreed that they're so uncool they might actually self-combust.

[Gnashvar]

I agree with the article.

It's funny how games like God of War and GTA give us that silly teenager feeling yet I don't feel like that when playing Super Mario or Sonic games, which are more so kid games.

[Pulsar_t]

Games are partially about escapism, but it seems the more involved you become the more it becomes an alter ego (MMO's). Ben X touched on this subject quite well.

How do you make games for grownups without making said games look like teen angst fulfillers, and without making them "boring" (adventure games, for instance, which are still unpopular)?

[Weekend_Warrior]

If anything... it's the video game developers who are douchebags. They're the ones giving the female characters half-naked clothing to wear and having them engage in lesbian sex. I mean, who's trashier... the person watching the porn or the person MAKING the porn?