The NPD as used their magic to determine that 82% of kids are gamers. Think about that for a minute. That means the next generation is going to be like you and I. No, really, think about that for a minute. Depending on who the you and I are, that could be a good or a bad thing. I'm going to be positive: I think that a nation of gamers is going to be a great thing.
Look, we have a small army to train here. NPD says there's 55.7 million up-and-comers. 55 million minds to meld. 55 million that could learn from our mistakes to be better gamers and people.
These little sh*ts are spending over 10 hours a week playing. As a an elder gamer, I hope that they're spending their gaming hours well. No licensed crap, young ones. Tell mommy that you want fresh, original titles. Remind her that she's helping shape the 55.7 million that will inhabit and rule this country one day.
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 12.04.2009
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now he plays and beats more games than me, but also plays far more hours than i do. i play about 12 in a week, all from Fri afternoon to Sat mourning.
im sure he plays at least 6 hours a day.
only thing is.... hes a NON-inverted player. kids...
"So long as they aren't all just Gears/Halo/CoD-only gamers, this is good."
You know as well as I do that 50%+ of those "gamers" are COD, Madden, Halo only players. - At least those of us who play more than the main name sequels really are the new "hardcore gamers" - in my eyes at least it's no longer about how much you play but what games you play.
Still, it's great to know that our hobby is no longer "just for teh geeks" and is one step closer to being the respected media format that we accept it as.
"So long as they aren't all just Gears/Halo/CoD-only gamers, this is good."
+1
Submergents, not converts!
...But 10 hours/wk? Hmm...
Now load up CoD:MW2 on Xbox Live.
Not such a good thing now, is it?
Future, future.
Are you ready for the children
whoa whoa whoa!
The future is a coming
hey hey hey!
Children, children,
Future, future
...
Children, children,
Children are the future!
Kids!
That sounds great and all, but wait until you actually have a kid. It's not that simple. They have wants and needs beyond what you could expect. They want to play the games their friends are playing. They may absolutely hate the games you used to play. And with good reason, too. I didn't want to listen to most of my Dads old vinyl records.. I wanted to listen to whatever just came out on CD. You don't really get to choose what they're interested in. Hopefully you don't hold them back just because you want to show them what "real gaming" is, and they end up hating gaming in general because you crammed some "shitty" (in their minds) 8-bit garbage down their throat.
I feel the same way about books and film. You have to give them a good foundation against which to judge "the rest of the crap" that they'll inevitably be exposed to in school and beyond. Granted they'll always have their own tastes, etc, but that doesn't mean it's futile to educate them in gaming quality.
Where are honor and character? Where's the sacrifice of sitting down with friends and figuring shit out? These kids are going to be fat and obnoxious.
Just like with the "oddballs" who were the first gaming generation, I think the gamers who appreciate artistic games outside of COD and other crowd pleasers will remain a niche audience. And that demographic will find it harder to get cool new content. NPR just ran a story about how most large companies won't take a chance on any conceptual products. We're probably going to see Modern Warfare 32 and Halo 14 with different names.
If this comes true, this many gamers, be interesting to see how many of that generation have kids and what kind of parents they are.
@the WoW haters.
I've played it and it's not half bad. I just plan to do it 1 month every year cause I like my other games too. I like the story and Illidan is just awesome.
But I'm with the people who DON'T play it 24/7.
Same with Age of Conan and Everquest.