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In a recent blog, Jo McKinnon of Woman's Day has written "A mum's guide to teenage subcultures". Gaming made the list, as did punk, emo, and hip-hop. Who would have thought that gaming would be considered a "teen subculture"? I would call it a hobby.
Go to the source for the full article.
GAMING:
What it's about: Video games now pull in more money than Hollywood feature films, and cost the same to make. Incredibly detailed 3D graphics set the scene, and there are sound effects and storylines. It's almost like being a character in an interactive movie and, like movies, video games carry a censorship classification.
First-person shooter games have an on-screen view from the character's perspective, and as the name implies involve blasting bad guys to gory effect. Outrage about 'violent video games' is often (but not always) about these.
Other games borrow aspects from role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. You create a character — an avatar — with different strengths and abilities and gain experience points throughout the game (or die, as the case may be). There are also sports games, racing games and adventure games.
And rather than just playing with friends, you can log on to online games on the internet (some require a monthly subscription) and play with other gamers across the globe.
The look: There isn't one.
The games: First-person shooter games — The Doom, Wolfenstein, Soldier of Fortune and Halo series. Other games — The Sims, SimCity, World of Warcraft, the Myst series, Final Fantasy series, Gran Turismo series, Tomb Raider series.
Why parents hate it: Video gaming swallows a lot of time and most parents would prefer their teen to be socialising or outside getting some exercise rather than staring at a screen. There's also a big debate about the connection between violent video games and real-life violence.
What's good about it: Players learn tactics, teamwork and problem solving. The strategies needed can be very complex, so playing a game uses your brain. And there is a community happening, although it's online rather than face to face.
Comments
As for "the look", I remember this guy I met last summer told me all gamers are fat nerds, and I'm like "uhh, I play games?" (I may be a nerd but I'm not fat). He was dead serious. People's beliefs..man..so ridiculous some of the shit we spread to each other.
A bunch of ignorant bigots yapping to themselves in a corner, no one listening to them but each other while the majority of the world remains sane doesn't really constitute a debate to me.
I like the 'good' notes, although the part about community being online-only is just weird. Uhh, E3? Any of the eighty kajillion other game festivals? Pretty much anyone's living room these days?
We judge each other based on such random criteria.
Out of all those, the only sensible titles are World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy (personally I find Final Fantasy boring though).
Myst is just an overrated 'blind-clicking' game, that plays like the unavoidable section in every Final Fantasy where you're in the middle of nowhere on the overworld with no clue as to where you're going. Overall there are about four puzzles that actually require some intellect to work.
It's a guide to teen gaming, not gaming in general. Otherwise they would've at least made effort to mention Mario.
It doesn't really cast gamers in a negative light, and for being a vague little guide it's not bad.
Least it isn't too bad for a parent's guide. Could just be random bashing. Too bad it didn't bash "emo" and the rest that was there. All it is are fads with people trying to be a certain way when they should just look and act like themselves, not complete twits.
Granted, this isn't a huge rant like I was expecting it to be.
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