It's been quite a while since I have done anything like this, but I have decided to get back into blogging. This time, rather than focusing on things like current events, politics, movies, or pop culture, I'd like to make this blog dedicated to something that people may actually consider my opinion on: Video Games.
In a strange way, video games have an important connection to my biography. I was born in the early 1980s. Obviously this is before we entered an era of constant communication, data synchronization, sophisticated graphics, modern gaming genres and styles, free to play games, indie development, annual franchises, a true console "war", expensive gaming PCs, digital distribution, and an entire media machine that exists to report on (and in many ways promote and advertise) the gaming industry.
I feel that my generation was really the first to be immersed in video games their entire life and so everything that happens in gaming culture is easy for me to digest and understand. My father probably looks at video games as a whole the way I look at Minecraft. My dad doesn't understand why I could or would spend so much time playing so many different games as an adult, but I can't truly understand why so many young children would want to play with low resolution Legos. But I haven't been immersed in Minecraft the way I have been immersed in console and PC gaming as a whole over the course of my life.
Growing up surrounded by video games since before I went to school and sticking with it all of this time turned me into something of an expert on the subject. For the past 25 years of my life, this industry has advertised and geared their products directly to people like me. I'm not in the game business or anything like that, but I generally have an understanding about where these products are going as well as what will work and what might not be as successful (i.e. Virtual Boy). Most importantly, I know what makes a game "good" or "bad". Sometimes that will change based on who I am talking to. I know Angry Birds is a game that hardcore gamers don't enjoy, but my dad and sister love it. Is the game bad just because someone like me can't get into it? I don't think so. At the same time, I consider a game like Grand Theft Auto V to be a major accomplishment and a compelling experience. My family wonders how someone like myself, who is seemingly normal, can get so much fun out of an experience that essentially allows you to be a consequence free sociopath. Frankly, I think it's just a matter of perspective and exposure.
So why am I writing all of this? What's the goal of this blog? For a little while now, I've been considering documenting the progress and thoughts I have on the video games I play. Video games deserve the same level of discussion and evaluation that would be given to other major parts of our culture such as literature, music, film, etc.
I want to use this as an opportunity to journal my thoughts about the video games I play and start a conversation. I enjoy sharing my gaming experiences with people and I look at this as just another opportunity to help people understand what's out there and what they should know about it. There is no set format...just free flowing thoughts.
I hope whoever reads these posts will find it interesting, even if they don't agree with everything I have to say. Constructive feedback is welcome. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment