Yes, I Play Video Games, Shut The Hell Up Already

A year or two ago, my former roommate went out on a date with some chick that he met...somewhere. I can't be any more specific than that because he actually doesn't remember her. When I reminded him of this story, he didn't remember it at all. Must have been a great date, right?

So, she meets him at our apartment and at the time she arrives, I'm sitting on the couch winding down after work, as I often do, playing a video game. Now, this girl has never met me before. She doesn't know me from Adam. So what are the first words out of her mouth? Something along the lines of "Video games? Really? How old are you guys?" How rude are some people? This chick had the nerve to walk into someplace where she was a guest and belittle someone she'd never met because of how they spend their free time. Now that I think about it, she shoots to number one on the list of People Who Need To Be Punched In The Neck.

I'm pretty sure the response that first entered my mind was an R-rated string of invective. But, and I know you'll be shocked at this, I held my tongue and ignored her since she and my roommate were heading back out the door and I assumed at that point that maybe he could get some action and I didn't want to ruin it. Although, again, based on the fact that he doesn't remember her, that probably didn't happen.

But the point is: Yes, world, I'm thirty-one and I enjoy playing video games in my leisure time and I'd appreciate it if you would just shut the hell up about it already.

The whole stigma of adults playing video games has always been sort of baffling to me. I don't really understand why one form of mindless entertainment is superior to another. Do you mean to tell me that spending 3 nights a week sitting on your couch watching American Idol is more intellectually stimulating than me being in a game, interacting with real people and sometimes working and cooperating with those people to achieve a goal? Yes, the goal is virtual and denoted by a bunch of pixels on a screen and is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but the point remains. I may even go so far as to say that interacting with real people over the Internet is more beneficial than sitting and watching ET every night because you absolutely have to know what's happening right this very minute with OMG ANGELINA JOLIE'S TWINS!

But video games are the diversion of adolescent boys, right? As they say, never let the facts get in the way of a good argument. But let's go ahead and look at some facts, shall we? The Entertainment Software Association just released the findings from their annual demographics survey. Here's a few interesting points:

• 65 percent of American households play computer and video games;
• The average game player is 35 years old;
• One out of four gamers are over age 50;
• Forty percent of gamers are women;
  
• Women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent).

That's right! I'm actually younger than the average game player! So suck it, random chick!

This really shouldn't surprise anyone capable of using even the simplest logic. People born in the 70's are the people who were playing Activision and Atari and the first Nintendo and the Sega Genesis in the 80's. And those people are now in their thirties. It makes perfect sense that the hobbies and pastimes of our youth would be similar to the hobbies and pastimes we have in adulthood. I'm pretty sure that The Sims is as close to an adult version of playing with dolls as there is. There are video games these days that are written and tailored specifically to adults, games that are essentially interactive movies. I think it's high time that non-gamers come down off their pedestal and find another group to criticize so they can feel good about themselves. The day is fast approaching when they will be in the minority.

Yes, video games can have a negative effect. Yes, video games can become addictive. Just like watching television! Or smoking crack! Almost everything in existence can be addictive. Gaming, like any other pastime, requires self-control. And yes, of course the games that young kids play need to be regulated by their parents, not our Big Brother government. But there is nothing in that regard that sets video games apart from music, television, or movies.

Video games are here to stay as a mainstream form of entertainment. And, yes, that makes ME mainstream. Difficult concept to grasp, I know. You can come the next time I have a group of friends over to play Rock Band and we can talk about it.