Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number: An Ode To The Aging Gamer
Every morning the ritual is the same. Brew the coffee, check the weather, and muster the strength to trudge into work. The day ahead is long and full of insufferable bosses, but the night however…the night is for the wandering hero, saving the world one desperate calling at a time. I am an assassin in search of Templars, I lead the men of Alpha team, I have travelled the galaxy; I am a gamer.
In 2012, the age of the average video game consumer dropped from 37 to 30, according to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (reported by Kotaku.com). This drop in the numbers is the result of young teens and their dependence on apps for new-age mobile platforms such as smartphones and tablets. Still, the core audience is made up of generation that watched the gaming industry grow from a small seed into the billion dollar industry we know today. Video gaming is a luxury expense and today brands such as Microsoft and Sony are able to charge $59.99MSRP for a new title on their Xbox and PS3 platforms. But for an avid gamer who has had thumb callouses since 1991, it’s hard to resist coughing up the cash when the fate of your in-game character lies in the balance. The evolution of the gaming industry has earned its right to take my hard-earned money because what they offer is truly a work of art. Human faces are rendered by developers like never before and they look pretty damned good. Actress Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) will star in the upcoming PS3 exclusive, Beyond: Two Souls launching October 8.
Playing your favorite game is more than just saving the princess nowadays. Instead it’s about becoming someone else entirely in a world far from your own real life. At the age of 28, I am still asked, “how can you sit there in front of that machine all day?” But the answer remains the same; I am a gamer. Sitting in front of the screen is my time portal. My place of Zen. Strap me down and plug me into the Matrix, because I’m going in. Characters in games today are not as linear as they used to be. Their personalities are deep and their storylines are exciting and mysterious until the close. And though sometimes they can be emotionally manipulative, they are also gratifying once the story begins to unfold. Titles such as The Walking Dead (Telltale Games) give the player the opportunity to mold their character’s future and the lives of those around them by making decisions that can sometimes turn the stomach, and even break your heart. The story has evolved, and the emotional investment is real. You can surely find yourself caring for these characters as if they were your own. It’s like a page right of your favorite novel for the modern age, come to life with brilliance and beauty.
So twenty years from now, when my wife sees me plugged into a gaming device like they did in The Matrix, she won’t ask questions, because she knows that I’m a gamer.
