Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Games... Will Bring Us Together.

Is it just me, or does gaming bring people together more than seperate them for the world?
Personally, gaming has always been a chance for me and my brother or my friends to just have loads of fun directed onto one medium - a game. I'm sure our parents were all the more happy for it in a way because it meant nothing in the house got broken from wrestling around or no bones were broken playing ridiculous sports outside.

Multiplayer games, such as the classics like Mario Kart, Goldeneye and Super Smash Brothers (to name a few of my old Nintendo games) and others like Tekken and Halo were something that could provide hours of cheap and fun (and seemingly safe) entertainment. It prevented us from getting into trouble during the holidays, but not only that, it also fuelled our imaginations and competitive spirits.

Looking through other blogs and listening to comments in the past few lectures it has become apparent that I am not the only one who has shared many special evenings bonding with my brother or my friends over a games console. Getting a new game as a kid would often compel friends to come over with controllers to share and learn the new game together. It was always a shared experience. Whilst we played we would eat and drink and talk. The multiplayer game was the host for a small party of friends. It ensured we were entertained and that we had plenty to share and talk about afterwards. Its for friends in a living room what a water cooler provides for tired office workers - a central place to assemble and talk and bond over something.

Playing in this way, I see no correspondence between videogames and segregation or violence or the like. Gaming has always been a social pleasure for me. But I agree, I've never sat around playing games like 'Manhunt' with friends. If parents show a little consideration to what their kids are playing - by paying attention to the ratings of games, then there is nothing to worry about. Me and my brother, both in our twenties, still continue to play weekendly. After a few games of FIFA 07, we even go outside to kick a soccer ball around to try and recreate some of the moves that we've tried on screen. If that isn't a healthy thing for a game to promote, then sue me. Multiplayer games are fantastic in my eyes, and they don't deserve all the bad press they get just because too many parents are letting their kids play the wrong games. Having played games as a kid, they don't need to be sadistically violent to be fun. They just need to be fun enough to bring people together the way the games I've named have done for me and my friends, and you're onto a winner.

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