So I turned on the radio and the show that came on was in the middle of an interview. To my interest the subject of video games came up. To paint a better picture, it was an older woman who was discussing the video games with an older man interviewer. It got really interesting when she started to explain the subject matter of a particular game: "Do you know that in certain games you can buy a prostitute, get her into the car, they have sex, and then he gets out and kills her to take the money back? That is what our young people are doing nowadays, that's why they're so violent." The interviewer first reacted like that was something he'd never heard of, then started agreeing with her the whole way. It got really good when one of them said: "Do you remember the games we used to play?"...
At that point I had to chuckle a bit. Then I started thinking...as a product of the video game evolution...I could not agree more. Young people shouldn't be playing these kinds of games. Then I thought a little harder and I said to myself, I've got it, we should come up with some kind of rating system...wait, damn someone stole my idea...a decade ago. The question isn't whether or not they should be playing, because they shouldn't. I've seen the studies. The question is how they get them...
I'll come back to that point in a moment. I am a responsible adult. I don't play games and let them get me super aggressive. I am a gamer. That means that I play games to play them. The beat them. To figure them out. I like good graphics, good gameplay, and a great story, and if I happen to be able to drive through a city and drop granades behind me and blow up people and cars, that just gives the game extra points, and that makes the game more entertaining. That is what everyone wants to a certain degree, but that is a conversation for another time.
Now back to the point...I can only suspect, but when you visit a video game retailer that happens to be near a high school on the day of a game's release and it is sold out by round 4:30, you can only suspect that some older rated games are getting into younger hands...I'm just saying. The point being, don't blame the games. There are people who enjoy some of these games you would question, and it would really suck if some of you folks messed with with us getting our hands on them somehow. Get on the companies who sell higher-age rated games to younger folks, and if you know someone who is exposing young minds to our favorite but racy games, tell them to think twice about starting it up while younger minds are present.
She never's mad, she never fights. She'll stay up with you all night. She's on when you are ready, she's off when you don't want her, She's got curves and she'll work your thumbs All the sports you like, or stories that can keep you up at night. It's been groovy :)
