Killing the gaming hobby for today's kids...

[Zodd]

Long time lurker, first time posting........

Are the 80s/90s generation destroying the hobby of playing games for kids today?

With the constant debates on making games art, mature, more than simply pressing buttons, etc.....Are we completely dismissing kids of today who are being bombarded with nothing but curse driven, shoot at anything, gore to the max type of games, in an attempt to be seen as a mature medium?

Unlike movies, books, television which have designated sections primarily for kids (without their overall audiences screaming they need to eliminate it), the current atmosphere of playing games is constantly being pushed for more gore, more realism, more mature storytelling, etc.....while anything that seems simple and prone for children are deemed shovelware or "casual".

The high jacking of the hobby of playing games by the 80s/90s generation is something I haven't heard discussed before.

Any thoughts?

[dsheinem]

Long time lurker, first time posting........

Are the 80s/90s generation destroying the hobby of playing games for kids today?

With the constant debates on making games art, mature, more than simply pressing buttons, etc.....Are we completely dismissing kids of today who are being bombarded with nothing but curse driven, shoot at anything, gore to the max type of games, in an attempt to be seen as a mature medium?

Unlike movies, books, television which have designated sections primarily for kids (without their overall audiences screaming they need to eliminate it), the current atmosphere of playing games is constantly being pushed for more gore, more realism, more mature storytelling, etc.....while anything that seems simple and prone for children are deemed shovelware or "casual".

The high jacking of the hobby of playing games by the 80s/90s generation is something I haven't heard discussed before.

Any thoughts?

Welcome, Zodd.

There's a TON of kids games available, many of which are of high quality. M-rated games only account for a relatively small percentage of games sold and games released - there are many more "E" games and many strong-selling games aimed at the children's market.

Certainly if you follow gaming news sites and engage in discussion about games with adults online or offline, the main focus is on more "mature" games. That doesn't mean that there's not a lot of great games coming out that appeal to a wider audience (see: the success of the Wii).

[CRTGAMER]

Are the 80s/90s generation destroying the hobby of playing games for kids today?

Why is it the 80s/90s generation? There are different ages of developers pumping out the games. The game age rating system is little use when a kid wants the latest FPS, the parent will buy it. I don't think all games are just bleeding blood graphics gore, look at portable gaming. Many games on the small format follow Retro style of game play.

[Erik_Twice]

Welcome Zodd

With the constant debates on making games art, mature, more than simply pressing buttons, etc.....Are we completely dismissing kids of today who are being bombarded with nothing but curse driven, shoot at anything, gore to the max type of games, in an attempt to be seen as a mature medium?

Understanding of art is not only not mutually exclusive to it's enjoyment but often neccesary for it.

Promoting a critical understanding of the medium can drive people away, but lying to them and trying not to criticize popular games doesn't help do anything but to enjoy games less.

I also do not think those games you mention are targeted towards kids, but towards a teen audience, often a male one. There are plenty of kid games, I don't think there's a shortage of them.

while anything that seems simple and prone for children are deemed shovelware or "casual".

I have not seen anyone make those claims. Castlevania is simple, good for children and nobody in his right mind could consider it shovelware.

[final fight cd]

games just aren't about getting from point A to point B anymore. it is about "playing" through a movie. and the best movies either have gore/killing or a really good story. or maybe both. but, who wants to "play" through a pulp fiction or reservoir dogs type movie? nobody. people want to play through a rambo type movie and kill everything. and if you look hard enough you can find games for kids. or better yet, just give the kid super mario bros on the NES. classic AND kid friendly.

[Zodd]

Welcome, Zodd.

There's a TON of kids games available, many of which are of high quality. M-rated games only account for a relatively small percentage of games sold and games released - there are many more "E" games and many strong-selling games aimed at the children's market.

Certainly if you follow gaming news sites and engage in discussion about games with adults online or offline, the main focus is on more "mature" games. That doesn't mean that there's not a lot of great games coming out that appeal to a wider audience (see: the success of the Wii).

Thanks for the welcome.

While there are MANY kids games available......the HOBBY of playing, buying, talking, and collecting games are still dominated by the perception of the older generation.

Wii fit, Wii sports, Skylanders, Angy Birds, etc.....are not tolerated as "gaming" to kids today due to what is being shown to them through websites and magazines.

[Zodd]

Why is it the 80s/90s generation? There are different ages of developers pumping out the games.

The majority of adults today who play games and play games as an hobby are from that generation, I'm not pertaining to the developers but primarily the consumers....and they are the parents of today's kids.

or better yet, just give the kid super mario bros on the NES. classic AND kid friendly.

Why must kids today be given games from that era? Its blatantly stating that "my childhood was better than what you have now and you must play what I played to enjoy it"

Can kids today even make gaming a hobby without the peer pressure to play today's most realistic violent games and not have to retreat to retro gaming?

[final fight cd]

Why must kids today be given games from that era? Its blatantly stating that "my childhood was better than what you have now and you must play what I played to enjoy it"

in your first post you said games today are too violent and not kid friendly. games of "that era" aren't violent. makes sense to play games of "that era."

[o.pwuaioc]

Why must kids today be given games from that era? Its blatantly stating that "my childhood was better than what you have now and you must play what I played to enjoy it"

Or it's stating that, like books, movies, and some shows, these games are timeless and can be enjoyed by a younger generation.

[Menegrothx]

It's true though that "back in the day" (8/16 bit side scrollers and even early 3D on PS1, N64, Saturn and Dreamcast) many cartooney platformers were "serious games" (even adults played them and they were just as important part of a console's game library as RPGs, fighters etc and they ware made with same level of professionalism as teen/adult games) while nowadays besides Mario, Rayman Origins and a few other titles, most of "kiddy games" are also bad games. I would gladly buy games based on cartoons, if they were as well made as games like Mickey Mania, World of Illusion, Quackshot etc.

There are some expections to that rule though, like the Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank games (although they have shooting and adult humor). But if you put an AAA game of today next to a "kiddy game" of today, the kid game looks and plays like absolute crap compared to the AAA game, while espescially on the SNES and Genesis there were many very cartooney and childfriendly games that were one of the best games the systems had to offer. They weren't technically inferioir, they were all around well done games like any serious adult game like Arkham City is.