The Video Game Category of Necessity

I truly love video games. I can say this after having completed the 30 hours worth of gameplay required to beat Yakuza 3 on Easy mode (which is apparently only 34% of the game completion). I remember getting my very first Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) when I was young. I was out of the classified ads in the paper, and it came with a strange japanese cartridge that contained 101 of the most important games of the time. I played everything, all the classics.

I have since owned pretty much every system to come out, including Sega Genesis, Super NES, N64, Gamecube, PS2, PS3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox, and Xbox 360. I remember these days fondly, and have many memories of many great games. I don't want this post to just be about what I like, so I'll get to my point. With the increased technology, availability, and variety in games available, I believe that video games are becoming so common a form of media, that they will rival movies in popularity.

We have already seen advertisements in theatres for up and coming games. Gears of War had an amazing trailer for the big screen. Also, as a fairly recent development, it is becoming common to see product placement in games. It's the reason why I still prefer 5 Gum; it's the Spiderman Game Gum. In any case, I think that the Wii especially has moved the video game industry into a much larger target market. My grandmother plays tennis on the Wii, and the vampires of True Blood play golf. Everyone can find a game they like, and join the world of gamers.

I do believe that the rating system is important. Just like the movies, a rating board that does not make money based on what the ratings are, is a concerned third party that allows others to be better informed. I guess the main point here is that I have 2 opinions: 1) All children should have access to at least one kind of video game system, and 2) All video games played should be monitored by parents. It is at a point where not having video games will be like not having movies, or internet. It will be robbing your child of something that there is really very little reason to rob them of. Like movies, as long as the content is monitored, there is only enjoyment to be had.

I could go into the details of how some people think video games make kids violent, but that's not my point. I just wanted to share my strong opinion that in the near future, every child should have access to video games of some sort, the same way children should have access to movies. They are so much fun, and are even more social than watching a movie with friends; there is talking and joking while playing in most cases. In fact, there are some important things that can be learned from video games that can't be learned anywhere else.... like which weapons work best against zombies. You really don't know until you try.