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The Nation's Pulse

Oh, the Games People Play

By on 8.26.11 @ 6:07AM

Is there an appropriate age to stop playing video games?

I crept through the tall weeds, grimly aware that I might be taken out by a sniper. These grounds were once a drive-in theater, but had been reduced to a field surrounded by a lonely cluster of abandoned, midcentury modern buildings. An arcade full of dilapidated pinball machines, a snack bar with a cantilevered roof, a two-story projection house. Any of these would be an excellent vantage point for an enemy looking to feed me a bullet. I safely reached my objective, a secret weapon prototype that I was to destroy with a suitcase bomb. As I began to prime the bomb, an enemy soldier ran towards me, assault rifle drawn. I fired my trusty M-16 as I had done so many times before, but I was too late. I crumpled to the ground in a heap. In a desperate bid for survival, I pulled my sidearm, but the enemy dispatched me with a knife to the chest.

Fortunately, this scenario occurred while I was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops, the bestselling video game of all time. In the chat lobby after the match, a boy who sounded all of ten years old trash talked me with expletives that would make a longshoreman blush. But he soon suspended his tirade because something curious caught his eye. Each player is represented in the chat room with a custom icon. One player used an image of the controller from the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as his icon. The little degenerate inquired as to what the image was supposed to be. “I had no idea what that thing was because I’m not a dinosaur,” he explained. Cute kid.

Apparently, Mr. Pint Sized Potty Mouth did not get the memo that according to industry group the Entertainment Software Association, the average video game player is 37 years old. I’m slightly younger at 29, and a member of the first generation to truly come of age in the video game era. I have never lived a life without digital diversions. My father before me fed quarters to primitive arcade games like Pong and Space Invaders. While I missed out on that fun, I played games like Pitfall and Choplifter on his Commodore-64 computer as a two year old.

I received the first game system of my own, the coveted NES, as a gift from my mother circa 1987. The system boasted a whopping 8 bits of graphical processing power (laughable by today’s standards!), and was notoriously flaky. Owners regularly had to blow into game cartridges or swab them with alcohol to get them to load properly. Game progress could not be saved, so a power loss or a parent who turned the console off while you took a bathroom break meant hours of work down the drain. And while the game play was simple, it was deceptively so. Certain games were so maddeningly frustrating they elicited a physical response. Yet I loved every minute I spent playing even though I sometimes shook my tiny first at the TV screen in anger.  Kids like Potty Mouth view the NES as nothing more than an artifact displayed under glass at Nintendo’s company store in New York City, a curiosity that might be unearthed on an archaeological dig of a primitive family room. They missed out on some real fun.

Today’s games are exponentially more immersive. My wife — who apparently does not study Entertainment Software Association data — half jokingly tisks the time and money I spend on games in my ripe old age.  But in recent months, I have experienced life as the survivor of a nuclear holocaust, worked as a homicide detective in gritty 1940s Los Angeles, raced cars, and worked my way up the ranks as a professional fighter all from the safety of my own couch. A pretty good escape for an average guy.

These games have such intricate plots, such painstakingly detailed graphic renderings, that they are undeniably works of art. This might be a vernacular art form, but shouldn’t it be okay to appreciate Citizen Kane and Plan 9 from Outer Space in equal measure? Consumers are voting with their dollars. Video games regularly outsell Hollywood films, and the biggest releases are as hotly anticipated as any blockbuster. Modern games have practical applications, too. The military has been using games for several years to both train and recruit soldiers, and a study indicated that doctors who play for several hours a week are less prone to make surgical errors.

But the pangs of nostalgia sometimes trump even the latest and greatest technology. I traded in my own precious NES console years ago, the proceeds doubtless squandered on more “advanced” games long since forgotten. If only I had more hindsight; the Internet is full of sites like dkoldies.com and nintendorepairshop.com, which sell refurbished pieces of childhood glory — for a price. I’m tempted to buy one in hopes of reclaiming innocence lost. I might not be instantly transported back to the waning days of the Cold War when I played Super Mario Brothers during Cub Scout meetings, but I guarantee I will crack a smile or maybe even shake my fist. Just don’t tell my wife.

About the Author

Bill Zeiser is a communications consultant living in New York City and a 2012 Publius Fellow of the Claremont Institute. Follow him on Twitter @BillZeiser.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (90) |

Brian Mc| 8.26.11 @ 7:06AM

And they wonder why kids have lost interest in the great outdoors. Why go into the U P woods deer camp, rifle in hand, intermingling intergenerationally--building character and life changing memories when you can just sit on your ass and stare at a flat screen with joy stick in hand? "I'm no soldier, but I played one on TV..."

Yes, everything in moderation. But when I witness a commercial where a young mother hands her offspring a game player at the grocery store, rather than interract with the child, where is the point where we have left moderation behind and replaced it with obsession?

Alan Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 7:52AM

"And they wonder why kids have lost interest in the great outdoors."

You don't want them to be tree-huggers- do you?

Alan Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 7:54AM

As long as the videogames are not sexual;
only good clean wholesome violence will do.

Brian Mc| 8.26.11 @ 8:36AM

A true conservationist does NOT hug trees. They are stewards utilizing what bounty the earth offers in a responsible manner brought about by education that allows for continuation that relies on a healthy balance. Tree hugging is a narcissistic maneuvre that offers nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Alan Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 8:54AM

Yes, but the Civilian Conservation Corps, began by FDR;
it must have been Communist. Those hippies living on communes, you know.
Trees release toxic gases, and hurt drivers who crash into them.
Plus there's a woodpecker incessantly pecking on the tree in my backyard.; it must be a yellowbelly sapsucker. A coward: it burned its draftcard!

Brian Mc| 8.26.11 @ 9:17AM

Truly, I don't know what any of this has to do with my statement. There are times when I wonder about your age.

Bill| 8.26.11 @ 10:45AM

Don't forget that a lot of those CCC workers were high-school age kids and many of them gained experience and skills that allowed them to form the NCO corps that led our troops to victory in World War II.

Occam's Tool| 8.28.11 @ 4:29AM

Indeed, and their work was superb.

By the way, my kids play outside everyday they can. Part of homeschooling.

Dave Williams| 8.26.11 @ 1:12PM

Brooksy, baby, were you born an annoying microcephalic, or did you have to work at it?

Alan Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 2:31PM

"Brooksy, baby, were you born an annoying microcephalic, or did you have to work at it?"

You know because you my dear old Paw who raised me when I was but a little laddie back in the old country.

lily | 8.28.11 @ 7:04AM

There is no justifying playing video games for those no longer in their teens.I am a 28 years old doctor, mature and beautiful.and now I am seeking a good man who can give me real love , so i got a username Lindasunny2002 on--a'ge'l'es's'da'te.c óm--.it is the first and best club for y'ounger women and old'er men, or older women and y'ounger men,to int'eract with each other. Maybe you wanna ch'eck 'it out or tell your friends!

Clint Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 9:23AM

I when I was a child I just played with my brother Alan but then Alan taught me that I could make money playing with men like he did.

Alan Brooks| 8.26.11 @ 2:30PM

"Brooksy, baby, were you born an annoying microcephalic, or did you have to work at it?"

You know because you my dear old Paw who raised me when I was but a little laddie back in the old country.

Clint| 8.27.11 @ 10:21AM

Dr.Reich,The Joisey Pussy & His Little Israel Firster Girlfriends are Poseur Punk Posting Again.

They're Scared Of the Tea Party.

Occam's Tool| 8.28.11 @ 4:30AM

You gotta problem with guys from New Jersey, Clint? Personally, I have always viewed you as the Valley Forge Vaginal Vault, myself.

Tomas| 8.26.11 @ 10:53AM

Of, it's all fun and games until you get addicted and spend 90% of your waking hours in front of a computer game. As does my 27 year old son.

Then things are a bit more complicated....

A nod to the "UP woods deer camp" reference.

Ken (Old Texican)| 8.26.11 @ 8:11AM

Yeah yeah yeah,
I enjoyed Roy Rogers blasting everyone with his 36 shooters.

Harry the Horrible| 8.26.11 @ 8:35AM

If you really grow up and take on the responsibilities of an adult and a parent, you stop playing video games. There simply is NO time. I barely get time to read much less play video games.
I am going through more "books on CD" on my commute than I am "books on Kindle" at home.
Unfortunately, the "great outdoors" becomes hard to get to,too. Limited to gardening. I'd like to learn to hunt, but the time and opportunity is limited...

Brian Mc| 8.26.11 @ 8:39AM

Harry,

Do you 'burn' these off the web? Is there special software requried? The only time I find to read is in this chair and during a break at work; utilizing the drive time in a more productive manner intrigues me since most of it is taken up by ads.

Harry the Horrible| 8.26.11 @ 10:42AM

I get 'em from the library. Also, I'm member of eMusic. My membership include about $18 of music and 1-2 Books on MP3 downloads per month.

Old Soldier| 8.26.11 @ 9:18AM

You had time to read the article and post a comment - you can't be that pressed for time.

CrackerHound| 8.26.11 @ 9:48AM

Harry...Life was NOT meant to be lived the way you describe. It is necessary for mental well being to have some downtime every week and most days. One who cannot find time to read a book, spend time with the little ones, or even commune with nature in some fashion is not doing themselves or society any favors.

Sorry for the lecture but I see more and more "adults" who spend WAY too much time trying to prove their worth by doing things that they considered constuctive and not allowing themselves time to stop and open their eyes to the world around them (not saying that video games is the way to do that).

I'm gulity of the same to some extent. My kids grew up and it caught me by surprise. I sure could have used more time doing "unproductive" things with them.

Harry the Horrible| 8.26.11 @ 10:47AM

"Unconstructive" stuff next weekend.
We're headed to St. Augustine to see my wife's "sister" (best best friend) via Cumberland Island (see the wild horses).
Still doesn't leave much time read a book, or shoot stuff, or play video games. But I get to spend it with my wife and kids.

Denver Todd| 8.26.11 @ 9:02AM

There is a difference between what a video game promises and what it delivers. It is like the difference between what Comcast promises and what you experience when you go down to one of their ghetto service centers to turn in your box.

PolishKnight| 8.26.11 @ 11:03AM

DenverTodd, what do you have against Comcast?

Old Soldier| 8.26.11 @ 9:20AM

After a long day of work, kids, their sports, etc... I sometimes unwind by taking down tangos in COD. I'm still a keyboard and mouse killer, no controllers for me.

Melvin| 8.26.11 @ 9:27AM

Oy Vey, I remember when me and my sisters picked up enough cans and bottles in Oregon to collect enough money to buy the first video game console with Pong.
Thanksgiving and Christmas we would play for hours because during that time the Oregon Coast didn't have cable or satellite TV, so when the UHF signal went out because of the Pacific storms we nothing else to do as kids.
What I wouldn't give to relive that time again. The Christmas tree we cut down from the forest, festooned with the tackiest Christmas lights we could find, dad sleeping in his favorite chair and mom cooking the feast. And the only noise the Pong game had was some sort of boop, boop, boop. Times were really so much simplified then.

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 9:44AM

To all those who feel that "adults" by their nature simply do not have the time to do these "childish" things (and really... is it a lack of time, or is it that the endevour is "childish" as the reason we shouldn't partake as "adults"?) a quote from one of my favorite movies:
"But if we do not *take* time, how can we have time?"
You have the time to do that which you choose to do. Do not begrudge others for their choices so long as they are responsible in their life when it mattes, are not a drag on society, and don't bother you with their past times.

Besides... if you have time to watch several movies during a month, how about playing some of these "games" for the story? Bioshock? Metal Gear series? Red Dead Redemption (although the story was drawn out to make the game long enough, but it was still good). Heck... Final Fantasy X got me choked up with it's father/son story line. It was that sad. You get stories that are better than a lot of books and movies plus you get to enjoy the action along the way.

Lord Karth| 8.26.11 @ 3:28PM

When you get served with the divorce papers for emotionally neglecting your wife and children, give me a call and tell me if you can repeat that, with truthfulness.

I practice family law in upstate NY province, and I am seeing more and more divorces and custody battles where video-game playing is a factor. Usually it's the males' (not "men", there is a distinct difference) problem; male spends too much time gaming, not enough on working/spending time on the family/carrying out household responsibilities, and some sort of unwanted financial/emotional/occupational consequence usually follows.

A "male" takes his mind away from his obligations, allows himself to be distracted from his responsibilities (whether through video games, kickball, or some other waster of time), and neglects his obligations to his family, his House, his Line and his God.

A MAN is always aware of his obligations, constantly strives to carry out his responsibilities, does not let himself get distracted from his duties, and works without cease to serve his family, his House, his Line and his God.

"Male" or Man ? Which do you choose to be, sirrah ?

Your servant,

Lord Karth

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 4:09PM

Seeing as how my wife is supportive of my hobbies (and I of hers... she reads as much as I play games and we both love to watch hockey together) it's odd to suggest I'm on a path to divorce. I do the dishes in our home, help with the laundry, keep up with the lawn, etc. and often do nice things for her just because she's amazing. How, preytell, am I negleting her by playing video games?

Again... like I said above, and before... a man, as long as he completes those things required of him, is still a man regardless of how he spends his free time. A "male" as you put it... is childish not because of what he chooses to do, but what he fails to do. There's a huge difference.

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 1:56PM

How many of those women knew they were marrying a gamer, and just figured they'd change him?

That's the single biggest problem I see among my male gamer friends-- the ones that didn't do like my husband, and marry another gamer.

The biggest problem with video games is that a lot of women discount that it's a hobby, and get angry when the man they married stays the same way he was before they married.

In one great illustration, a friend of my friends was a major member of our geek group-- devoted about as much time to gaming in various forms as most folks I know who are on bowling teams spend bowling. (Roughly, an evening and a half a week, with a weekend day every month.) He got married, and cut down on the time he spent on this hobby by about a third... and the woman still complains. He's not allowed to be on his computer if she's in the house; apparently, he's supposed to set in front of the TV and passively absorb that crud, instead. It's "together" time. Where you don't talk or think. And she gets to choose the shows.

Frankly, a lot of women are idiots. Ditto for men. Video games are just a hobby where the gamer is actually around the house-- like any hobby, it can become a hiding place in an already weak marriage, but it's nothing special.

Le Cracquere| 8.27.11 @ 3:26PM

This from the fellow who earlier bragged about working 65-70 hours a week! Long as we're dealing in false dichotomies ... I've known plenty of such men, and plenty of video-game enthusiasts: it's almost inevitably the former, to a man, who are working on their second or third marriages. So much for such "men."

God save us ll from

Stefan Stackhouse| 8.26.11 @ 9:44AM

As Mark Steyn has pointed out in his new book, Americans are no longer capable of sending an Apollo spacecraft to the moon, or building a Hoover Dam. Instead, we invent and play these video games.

When the collapse and fall comes, will people be too preoccupied with their video games to even take notice? (Until the power goes out for the last time, that is. I guess that will get their attention.)

PolishKnight| 8.26.11 @ 11:10AM

Stefan, I don't think it's the fault of our technical ability or even a lack of funding. We could probably rebuild those rockets and send them off to the moon for what Obama spends on the average stimulus for Chicago.

Ironically, the problem is we have too many resources and they're being spent in the wrong place. If someone says they want to send someone to the moon, or better yet, Mars, then they have to justify that decision AND put it into context with all the other porkulus projects they've approved that have gotten less press. When they slush some money over for a bridge to nowhere, it gets a page 34 mention on the NYT and they get a thousand union voters out of it AND some kickbacks to their election fund.

Old Soldier | 8.26.11 @ 3:03PM

That and we have become massively risk adverse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded

PolishKnight| 8.29.11 @ 12:52PM

Good point! This may be controversial, but I think we made too big a deal about 9-11 and natural disasters. Perhaps it's because of the 24x7 media coverage for weeks at a time on an event. It's also possibly due to feminism and women astronauts and schoolteachers dying are unacceptable.

unger| 8.26.11 @ 9:46AM

'This might be a vernacular art form, but shouldn't it be okay to appreciate Citizen Kane and Plan 9 from Outer Space in equal measure?' No, appreciate both yes, in equal measure not a chance.

Another weakness in your argument is your insistence that playing video games is a perfectly mature pursuit, then ending your tepid little self-defense with a wish to regress to the days of your earliest childhood.

The whole thing left me unconvinced. I think maybe it is time to put away childish things.

TrueBlue| 8.29.11 @ 3:08PM

How is playing video games any more childish than someone who puts together miniature trains or WW2 figurines/vehicles? Or hunting and fishing, or reading non-fiction for that matter? They're all hobbies designed to give you a break from your normal lifestyle.

It's the same as ANY activity, in moderation there is nothing wrong with video games. When people become obsessed with ANYTHING then that is a problem, but that comes back to the person not having the wish or willpower to do something else, and the people around them not stopping them.

The REAL issue with the lack of innovation and motivation in this country is how impossible it is for anyone not part of a large corporation to navigate the maze of federal regulations in order to create and copyright a new idea. It's the same problem that is plaguing small businesses across the country, overregulation by state and federal government. If you know that no matter how hard you work, the government (state and federal) is going to take 50% or more of your success and claim it as their own, what is your motivation to go above and beyond the norm?

Stefan Stackhouse| 8.26.11 @ 9:50AM

Marx said that religion was the opium of the masses. Little did he imagine what we would come up with instead. Between video games, and TV, and movies, and pop music, and spectator sports, and amusement parks, and comic books, and literal opiates and the like, we've pretty much assured that the vast majority of the US population is totally brain dead and utterly oblivious to the reality of what is happening all around them.

Redstateboy| 8.26.11 @ 10:22AM

BooYaa! Stefan - well put.

Dan Hirsch| 8.26.11 @ 12:31PM

Did not the Romans use bread and circuses to pacify their citizenry?

Video games have replaced TV which replaced radio which replaced reading. The amount of physical and mental effort of video gaming at lease exceeds that of watching TV. That's a positive...

Also, if you have ever seen people playing a Wii, which sometimes requires calisthenic-like motion or sport movements with your actual body movement, you will appreciate that video games are actually an improvement over the tube.

But the addiction thing IS real, but then people seem to be capable of addiction to almost anything! Drugs, booze, tobacco, sex, video games, television watching, model airplane building, exercise, collecting stray cats, pretty much anything. With the exception of chemically-induced dependency, you cannot blame the activity for the addiction. Most people can avoid the expropriation of their lives by their hobbies and preferences-albeit sometimes only after a dedicated, significant effort to do so.

It's a part of life, get over it...

Dave| 8.26.11 @ 9:56AM

As an avid gamer, I can assure you that the mass of kids playing computer games have no concept of respect, nor a modicum of good behavior skills.

There should be an enforced age requirement for anything that requires the level of social skills most computer games demand. Sadly, most idiots think that it's perfectly acceptable to be jackasses on the internet.

MikeBee| 8.26.11 @ 10:32AM

Dave,
Good comment! There are a LOT of potential workers coming into the market with NO people skills whatever. Spent their entire childhoods relating to a computer screen. When we grew up, we played with other kids on the block; making up games, changing the rules as we realized changes were needed; etc. We related with people; today's kids relate to monitor screens.

The CEO of my company is like this. Younger guy, about 29 years old. Must have grown up with computers and hand-held games. Exceptionally good at technology; uses it very effectively to run his company from afar (600 miles away). But, absolutely no people skills. Incredibly rude to people. Instead of negotiating with people, he practices slash-and-burn negotiating. As if he is playing a video game, instead of negotiating with a real person. Blam! You're dead; I win. Has pxssed off so many suppliers with his "negotiating" that we have to look for suppliers from further away, paying more because of their travel costs.

Parents love the vid games, as they are very effective babysitters. No kids running to you, complaining about how so-and-so treated them. But, the loss of a chance to build people skills is crippling kids for their futures. If you wish to succeed in life in your chosen profession, technical skill will amount to, at BEST, 50% of what you need to succeed. The rest of what you need is people skills. If you don't have these, you will not be able to go very far in your chosen profession.

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 2:06PM

My mom was a teacher, many years ago; she'd start out her high school classes by informing them that while she'd try to educate them as best possible, good manners would get them further than a good education. Pissed off a lot of other teachers...but the kids that listened say it worked. ^.^

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 2:04PM

Way too many people let their ill-trained brats play video games.

Sadly, when you meet the "parents," it usually becomes clear why their children are ill-trained brats. Either the video game is the parent or the parents are ill-trained brats.

I think there's a field of study about how many people will treat folks horribly online, but would NEVER do anything like that in person-- "distance induced psychopathy" is usually what my group calls it. Same thing as trolls. Scary thing is, if you look around these days, you'll find face-to-face examples of this sort of psychosis. Seems to most often boil out of politics, but flashmobs are an example of the...elevation of personal satisfaction over any consideration of others, I guess would be the best way to put it.

There's a LOT more destruction for "fun" in cities than I ever saw when I lived in a small town, other than when city people came to visit the parks.

Redstateboy| 8.26.11 @ 10:20AM

Gee.... and I wasted my youth riding my bike, playing hoops from sun up to sun down, swimming, playing football and chasing young hotties when all that time I could've been sitting in a darkend room playing with my joy-stick... who knew?

Gary| 8.26.11 @ 11:26AM

As a gamer at age 65 I agree that they can be a problem for youth in addition to the new hand held devices that are used today. I grew up mostly playing outside even after we got TV when I was five. My son did play games some but his biggest fun was fishing, basketball, and collecting turtles from the drainage canal near our home. Parents should place limits on gaming but I know that, having been a parent, this is no easy task.

Dave| 8.26.11 @ 4:31PM

Ahh those were the days.

If it was sunny out, the nearest field or basketball court, or even our own street was fair game!

Sometimes we'd risk a floggin by the parents and do it when it was raining too.

Tiddly| 8.27.11 @ 11:53PM

Let's keep this clean, now

Kingofthenet| 8.26.11 @ 10:50AM

I wonder how many of these 'Productive' people who see Video Games as 'childish' sit for hours in front of the TV watching some reality show or another, at least with most Video Games you gotta think.

Gary| 8.26.11 @ 11:20AM

I am 65 and play pc games and online RPGs. It started with my son's Atari, Sega, and Nintendo systems. I still have the antique Atari. I am not obsessed by games but they are a welcome diversion, especially now since I am a recent widower. I also read a lot and play guitar, but games are fun.

Lord Karth| 8.26.11 @ 3:08PM

Games may be "fun", but they are the mental and emotional equivalent of "the harlot whose mouth is like honey". They take time away from one's proper work, proper responsibilities, and distract from recognition of, and action on, one's proper obligations.

Your servant,

Lord Karth

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 3:18PM

Reading AmSpec takes time away from those things. Using the bathroom takes time. Reading books takes time. Watching the news takes time. What you're complaining about is when someone takes TOO MUCH time to do something (anything) and has not enough left over to do that which he ought to do. But as long as what ought to be done is done... what's your problem?

Lord Karth| 8.26.11 @ 3:35PM

Because all too often what ought to be done, or what HAS to be done, is not done, to the detriment of those who count on the shirker. This causes harm to those who depend on the shirker, whether it be said shirker's employer, spouse, children or Line. It is also a direct affront to the shirker's God.

Best not to put oneself in that position to start with, no ?

Your servant,

Lord Karth

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 4:12PM

Like I said above... we agree on the concept that it's irresponsible. The divergance comes in that you imply, at least by the tone and worse you choose... I could be wrong... that the shirker is a failing adult because of what he's choosing to do. I attest that it's not what he chooses to do (games, read, work more, etc.) but what he fails to do that makes him pittiful.

And maybe, in the end, we do agree. But that would require you to accept that video games, kickball, or crayons and a big chief pad, are fine... so long as what SHOULD be done IS done.

Mary| 8.26.11 @ 3:46PM

I'm 65 and I too play RPG PC games and have played them for years. Being retired I now have time to devote to things I want to do. I read a lot, spend time out of doors , and yes, games are fun. Especially in the bad winter weather.

Petronius| 8.26.11 @ 11:24AM

My late mother told me to be happy I lived when I did and she was so right. I have pinballs in my kitchen. And the most involvement with games I get here is playing bridge on line. The only holdover from our past culture now resides in this gaming universe. Social Darwinism used to be pro forma in all aspects of life. And that is what video gaming is about.
Sooner or later the day will come when Liberalism will be overthrown or lead us to total ruin and all the peoples of this earth will have to compete heads up with each other for resources in order to survive. How well will the gamers manage on the hoof? I doubt they will see the sun come up the day after.

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 2:21PM

....You don't know many gamers, do you? Or maybe you just don't realize you know them....

Hint: almost all the military members I know, other than those with desk jobs, play video games. Ever see that silly commercial with a bunch of college guys playing SOCOM, doing an attack, and being wiped out by four guys who are clearly supposed to be Navy SEALs? It's funny because it's pretty dang accurate....

In spite of what the TV has told you, gamers are not all sweaty, pale, 35 year old guys in their mother's basement.

Le Cracquere| 8.27.11 @ 3:47PM

I don't know--might depend on the genre. First-person shooters and strategic sims are scarcely combat training, but they seem marginally more relevant than, say, golf or playing catch. Now, Final Fantasy or Katamary enthusiasts ... you can probably start incorporating their remains into post-apocalyptic recipes now.

Truncheon| 8.26.11 @ 11:30AM

Stefan writes: "Instead, we invent and play these video games."

Kindly refrain from annexing Mark Steyn as justification for your distaste with the recreational choices of others. The video game itself is an example of the things Mark Steyn suggests we've lost, not a cause.

Truncheon| 8.26.11 @ 11:32AM

At the bottom line, anyone who stares passively into a television screen absorbing the drek of the day, lacks the moral qualifications to criticize those who engage in *interactive* and *social* forms of entertainment.

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 12:55PM

Then you fail to grasp the social skills needed for games such as World of Warcraft or playing on a dedicated team that competed in Call of Duty.
Some guilds are larger than some comapanies. And its real people on the other end of that computer monitor. People with all the baggage they can muster. A good guild leader will have all these "social skills" you claim he doesn't have. It would be wise for those who don't play games to try and understand the vast variety of types rather than pigeon holing them all into "Barny The Dinosaur" type entertainment where you're simply a passive zombie with no real interaction with other people.

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 2:26PM

Amen.

Dealing with guild drama-- and bad guild leaders-- can be quite an educational experience in itself. If folks are willing to learn from the games, they will; I know that being an officer in my old guild helped me be a better NCO in my shop, and visa-versa. Diplomacy skills!

Pelligrino| 8.27.11 @ 4:30PM

Hm....diplomacy skills. People skills. Human interaction skills. Where have I seen them before...?

Aha! In "Real Life."

As in like being a Little League coach, assistant basketball coach, a referee, a volunteer for the local annual 10 Km fundraiser, a Sunday School leader for teens, an Emergency Response Team volunteer in your community working 2 weekends every month.

Real life situations filled with real people and all their intracacies, merits, and warts will give you (all of us) more maturity, more real responsibility, and more tools in the personal kit bag to tackle the real challenges of life.

And something of real value: Lasting joy.

Foxfier | 8.27.11 @ 5:46PM

You really have no idea what you're talking about, do you? Have you ever even chatted with someone in an online guild about what is involved? Do you realize that "real people" don't become less real because you happen to be talking to them over the internet, and that their intricacies, merits and warts are no less involved in volunteer work just because it's informal and not related to a game that YOU like? A club's social interaction is no less real for meeting in a virtual space than when it meets in a cafeteria?

I suppose you also think that it's impossible to speak to people by phones-- after all, /real/ conversation goes on face to face.

For bonus points, you don't seem to realize that not everyone is able to volunteer for regularly scheduled events, and you further assume that being a gamer means you don't interact with non-gamers or volunteer. Dang, guess I'll have to tell my father-in-law that he's not allowed to play Warhammer AND volunteer with the fire department, because some sanctimonious braggart online can't figure out that gaming tends to take the place of watching TV or other time-fillers. Why does he know? Because the TV told him so, I suppose... it's clearly not from knowing a decent selection of folks who play video games.

Occam's Tool| 8.28.11 @ 4:35AM

My wife got involved in a Role Playing game. Ended up buying her books on Medieval War Tactics suggested to me by a friend who's a retired Army Battalion Commander. Also, she got to be friends with her on-line acquaintances. Hey, life is an interesting business. Some of the nicest people I know post here.

Foxfier | 8.28.11 @ 2:51PM

That's how it generally goes, in my experience-- folks try it out, and either get serious (which involves learning-- be it tactics, folklore or just personnel management) or they eventually fade away.

Funny note: my husband is working at PAX this weekend, and saw a guy get complemented on his "costume"... the guy was an Air Force recruiter working the show, and they let him run around in their camo uniform. They even had some sort of booth. Apparently, gamers are really good choices for technical jobs, flying unmanned vehicles, etc.

Le Cracquere| 8.27.11 @ 3:50PM

Couched in the form of an Internet thread post. "Irony" is an oft-misused term, but you've just managed to embody it.

Paul McGrath| 8.26.11 @ 12:06PM

All I can say is that I finally broke down and bought a PC game about ten years ago. It was Age of Empires. I know this sounds rather pathetic, but playing that game was maybe the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life. I mean this sincerely. I enjoyed playing that game as much as anything I've ever done.

Dan Hirsch| 8.26.11 @ 12:35PM

Never had kids, didja?

You don't know what excitement is...but that might not be such a bad thing...

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 12:57PM

Never played Age of Empires II, didja?
It's a fantastic game.

True... not as worthy a goal as being a parent. The only rival is being a good spouse. But... all the same, a good game of AoE II is fantastic. I used to play with my dorm hall mates in college. Was a great way to get to know the guy across the hall. Through this game we were able to become friends and I learned some about his culture (exchange from Hong Kong). Like, for example, never eat his snacks. They are disgusting.

Paul McGrath| 8.26.11 @ 2:06PM

I now have two grown children and I will candidly admit that I neglected them shamefully during my A of E delirium.

k962| 8.26.11 @ 12:32PM

37 years old says it all! These same people don't know how many stars are on a US Flag! And They VOTE! This is how we get a Barack Obama in office!

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 12:59PM

I would wager that the vast number of elders who draw SS and or Medicare/cade have something to do with the Democratic parties ability to hold power, too. Not just the college boob. And these are the same people who think that those who play video games are failing to "grow up" and be responsible for themselves. Nevermind the fact that these young kids who do get a job, of any sorts, are the ones paying for these elders to live the life in the sun in Florida.

fwb| 8.26.11 @ 12:56PM

By night: COD BO
At 60, I still kick azz against those kids. My reasonable KD is 1.36 down from 1.48 because I go for the objective when I play the objective modes and don't just sit there trying to kill. DUH!

By day:
Professor

At all times, son, father and grandfather

YeloStalyn| 8.26.11 @ 1:00PM

But! But! How do you have the time! You must be a child and forgoin the "grown up responsibilities" of life! You're mentally stunted!

/end sarcasm

Sean| 8.26.11 @ 12:57PM

Video games are all different. There are single player ones and multiple player ones. You really have some very smart and personable people playing these games also. Take some of the online multi- player games. You have individuals that create alliances with thousands of other people from all over the world to accomplish certain goals. Not just anybody can do this. These people would make a great CEO, but sometimes they are working at 7-11.

I think in First Person shooter like in the article you get more childish behavior.

Occam's Tool| 8.26.11 @ 2:50PM

Guys, guys, guys...whatever relieves the stress without the use of substances, as long as the job gets done, is fine. Relajar, everybody. Enjoy the weekend. It's awesome in the Great White North.

Dipesto| 8.26.11 @ 5:16PM

I do not play video games, but have an obsession with Youtube videos of pop music from the (19)20s and 30s. Listening to blackbottoms and charlestons with one brain bit tuned to knowing what was going to happen in the fall of 29, and Euro singers from the 30s, with a knowing what was going to happen in late '39 is some kind of education I guess.. Give me Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee, even if I know what is going to happen to Russ, and to Ruth Etting and Frehel. Re the comment that Americans cannot build big dams or go to the moon anymore; on the back of my dvd of Plan 9 someone wrote that "Ed Wood showed that he could and would make a movie under any circumstances." Maybe we need to make Ed Wood a national role model.

Occam's Tool| 8.28.11 @ 4:37AM

Ya gotta get the Riff-Trax version of "Plan 9." Makes it even funnier.

Also, have you gotten a hold of Kid Creole and The Cocoanuts?

c. j. acworth| 8.26.11 @ 6:02PM

Does chess count as a video game if played with a computer?

PCP Smoker| 8.26.11 @ 8:33PM

Get the wife pregnant and have some kids. After they are about 6 years old, you'll have time to play a couple of hours during the weekend. I would stay away from playing on line. Between the mouthy ten year olds and the older men role playing, you are better off playing with the kids or by yourself.

Moe Blotz| 8.27.11 @ 8:28AM

If you adults were not playing the video games,would youse be out playing kick ball?

Uriel| 8.27.11 @ 9:40AM

My occasional forays into online gaming have taught me its best to mute all other players. It seems like literally everyone is there to hurl as much profane abuse at other players as possible. Games were much more fun when I was younger, had less responsibility, and actually sat next to the people I was playing with. It was a pleasant diversion, but not a consuming passion. The anonymity of online gaming seems to bring out the worst in people. Not too much I don't remember Mario dropping the f-bomb, nailing hookers, or splattering people's brains all over the wall.

mike| 8.27.11 @ 2:46PM

Tree hugging is a narcissistic maneuvre that offers nothing in the grand scheme of things.
http://www.wholesalesunglassesbrands.com
http://www.honey-gifts.com

Pelligrino| 8.27.11 @ 4:14PM

Mr. Zeister, I stopped reading the comments about halfway down: Sure, I'll give you kudos (this is sincere) for placing a real topic here on American Spectator online. This is a real issue.

A real failure issue in America and the modern world.

Are you really 29 years old? Then time to turn in all those little toys and be a man. You want to pretend otherwise, but your wife will be delighted. You'll connect with people, perhaps neighbors. You'll have time to invite a colleague home from work and treat him to dinner with you and your wife.

That simple home cooked meal will be a life memorable moment. Help buddies when they move appartments. Take one night a week and be that volunteer that brings smiles to the seniors at the home. How about being an Assistant Scout Master? Reaching "eGold" or "Platinum" or whatever status on a PC game, X-box, etc. is cheaper than the plastic that says "Made in China."

Get real. Be real. (And you knew this....I'm not writing anything you don't already know. You knew this as you pieced together this article.)

Real life joy is found when you invest in others' lives. You know this.

There is no justifying playing video games for those no longer in their teens.

Again, kudos for raising the topic/issue. This is serious; we are losing already 3 generations of males (and some females) to this disease. It is a lethal addiction.

skip| 8.27.11 @ 4:26PM

Everything in moderation.

In work, sleep, food, sex, alcohol, politics, even religion.

In play, including games, whether analog or digital.

And in internet blogging too.

Kingofthenet| 8.29.11 @ 12:15AM

In a Nutshell...

You have to GIVE Goat Love, to GET Goat Love...

kate| 8.29.11 @ 4:21AM

here is an article about how to steal internet service...
http://www.slate.com/id/2109941/
but i couldn't tell them what i thought, because i had to be a member of facebook....or something.... :(
BTW...i happen to think it is very wrong. bad me.
just a stupid conservative. :)

kate| 8.29.11 @ 4:51AM

so sick of being the last to comment, just because i am up early!
Good Morning America! Miss you.

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