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Time To Stop Calling Them Games?
GamePolitics wonders aloud about our use of the term game to describe electronic entertainment. In the author's view, referring to videogames as 'games' is inhibiting their adoption by mainstream society (who relates gaming to children's activities). From the article: "Things have changed, of course. Video game content now runs the gamut from kid-friendly titles like Curious George and LEGO Star Wars to adult-themed offerings such as GTA San Andreas and Black to the highly socialized online communities of World of Warcraft and Second Life or the largely adult-populated casual game scene of Pogo. Over the years, gamers and game designers have recognized the artistic and expressive potential of videogames, along with their power to enlighten and entertain players from four to ninety-four. But there are also millions who missed that particular cultural bus."
"Things have changed, of course. Book content now runs the gamut from kid-friendly titles like Curious George and The Ewok Adventure to adult-themed offerings such as Lolita and A Clockwork Orange to the highly socialized plays of Les Miserable and Romeo & Juliet or the largely adult-populated operas of Mozart. Over the years, books and writers have recognized the artistic and expressive potential of the written word, along with their power to enlighten and entertain readers from four to ninety-four. But there are also millions who missed that particular cultural bus."
Books are containers for written content.
Games are containers for interactive content.
I don't see the problem here other than to separate the "good" stuff from the "bad" stuff to help offset political restrictions.
Actually "Graphic Novel" came more to the front when Japanese Manga hit the US harder (read: when Tokyopop started spamming the market) and when it came to adults and non-anime people, their classification for it was "comics" or "japanese comics" (or japanese porn as my father used to put it) Fans would always come back hot-headed insisting they were either "Graphic Novels" or "Manga" (then spinning off a debate on how to pronounce Manga)
Names mean things to certain people. Everyone calls a Q-Tip a Q-Tip, not a cotton swab. Kleenex instead of tissue, it's all about what sticks in more people's minds and what becomes accepted in the mainstream. Games are games because people see them as children's entertainment. Thus when something like GTA hits the home, parents suddenly are shocked to learn that games actually encompess more than just Sesame Street Atari games, they include blood and violence, like TV, Movies, and the 6 o'clock local news.
As a GP reader, I read stories everyday of the wonderful world of idiots that seem to confuse reality with games, and the Jack Thompsons and Hillary Clintons that seem to think banning games and stiffling creative entertainment is a solution to the problem that this society has been on a downward spiral of morals since our grandparents generation. Parents simply don't give a damn about what their kids do, until they kill someone, then they point their fingers at those who aren't even responsible for their kids. All this society knows how to do is point fingers at everyone but themselves. I know, I'm 22, I used to think there was someone else to blame for everything (and there was in some cases). However I know the difference between reality and game, and when I do have children, they will not be playing games like GTA until they are mature enough to know those differences. I shook my head when my girlfriend would tell me about parents buying violent games for their little kids, and people bringing their 5 year olds to Underworld: Evolution. What kinda parenting is that?
If anything, Hillary Clinton and the rest of the government needs to start programs for educating people, not shutting people's eyes.