This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
In Mark Diagle’s recent article “The Big Bang Theory: Symptom of a larger problem, perception,” Mark finds that the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” shows gamers in a negative light and is actually holding us back from achieving equality in the minds of the mainstream.
I don’t really see it that way, but there are a lot of gamers who do. And it’s not just that one show under fire. Gamers, the world over, appear to be taking a very defensive stance towards any kind of joke they feel references them. We take offense every time a news story pops up attacking a Mass Effect sex scene or some other indecency that games have committed.
It seems these people want games to be taken just as seriously as film and literature and they want it to happen as soon as humanly possible.
Why is everyone so quick to want to grow up?
In gaming’s infancy, games were simplistic. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, these were games of few goals with a focus of being fun. Cute, innocent, just like young children.
Then gaming hit puberty. Sex, violence, flashiness: these were the themes at play with Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty pushing the envelope of acceptableness. Every once in a while, we’d see a game that harkened back to that innocence of old: a Katamari or a Kirby, just as teenagers sometimes show glimpses of their earlier years.
Games are still finding themselves. This is a time of experimentation, a time of rebellion, a time for testing boundaries. It’s a time we should be celebrating.
Yet gamers aren’t satisfied just going along for the ride. We can’t wait to be equals. We feel we must shun anything that makes us appear kiddie or immature.
The same things have happened with movies. Originally tossed aside as kid’s stuff, movies have since grown into their own after going through their own awkward years.
Games will be no different. Just as movies and books before them, American government appears to find games a protected part of speech – at least, historically so – allowing them to express themselves fully and still exist.
With each passing year, gaming gets closer to what it’s truly meant to be. But let’s not try to speed up the process. Let’s embrace the chaos. Let’s enjoy this rollercoaster while it lasts. It’s possible that these are the best years gaming will ever have; I, for one, don’t want to look back on them and think about how I wasted them trying to become more mature.