what are your thoughts on all this

heres the article

i completly agree with everything there. what about you

I dont see how playing a videogame is different to going to the gym, shopping, watching TV, going on facebookor any of those things people do when theyre ENJOYING THEMSELVES!

Its a pastime, a hobby, something people do to wind down, a wayto interact with other people online. Really games are a clever way of mixing, entertainment/social/education into one medium. Its just got bad rep it need to shake off. Some pople spend 3 hours a day on farmvile pretending to cultivate crop (which is possible to do without the aid of a videogame) or fight the alien hordes on Halo (Which is probably alot more productive in comparison)

Well, haters gonna hate.

well games are apart of our culture, but not everyone wants to play soccer. Some people are not fit for it, or their body can't handle it. Games are just a stress relief, like food, drugs, alcohol, sex, and sports. Its in the eye of the beholder, you value what you enjoy. And others who can't play, just bad talk it... typical noob really.

If a kid does crime based from a game, its the parents fault for not paying attention to a change in their behavior. Its obvious when someone is mentally imbalanced, and a kid believes anything. thats why there is the ESRB.

I haven't yet read the whole thing, as this caught my eye and deserves a response:

"That's why you know Grand Theft Auto is an open-ended world filled with countless possibilities to be a hero or villain and your wife girlfriend Mom thinks Grand Theft Auto is that game where you hit pedestrians with a car for prize tickets."

Is that not a true statement? It's all a matter of perception. I can TOTALLY understand why those who don't play games view them in a negative light. Sure the media are biased and selective on what they choose to report, but that doesn't mean some of their claims don't hold some element of truth. If you didn't play games, how would you see being able to gun down an entire police force, banging then stabbing a prostitute to death and then robbing her, go on a killing rampage, etc? Not to mention the general perception by those who don't play games are that they are a kid's hobby and are generally targeted at that age, and it's completely understandable.

Are games misunderstood? Yes and no. They're unfairly scrutinized by the media, that's for sure, but as I said, that doesn't mean it's not somewhat true. Manhunt, for example, is a despicable and completely unecessary game IMO that does nothing but hurt the progression of the industry. There's something to be said for GTA IV, where the murder and choas is just a part of the freedom that makes the game so great, compared to Manhunt, which holds no freedom except on how to best murder people in the most brutal manner as possible. As a gamer, even I don't understand that.

i got a error. :( the link is broken for me

Well maybe that game's not for you. It shouldn't deny everyone else from playing or enjoying the game. Some might say the same for Mario, where you just jump from platfrom to platform.

I've never played Manhunt though, that game slipped completely under the radar and I have no idea what it's like. I also don't agree with whatever the concept of that game is, but on the other hand I've also grown out of the GTA series, which I don't find entertaining anymore.

I just think what's hurting the industry is a lack of sales for games that are not guitar hero or shooters. I'm biased as I don't like both those genres but there are many other games that, other than being fun to play, actually provide an experience, something to talk about with friends, something that at the end of the game you think about and you... just enjoy.

I used to think video games could be the ultimate medium, as a visual interactive experience that combines elements from other mediums already released.

Primarily agree. More importantly. That Bioshock quote in there was nice, especially the Vatican part. Because it made no sense, but he stuck to his guns. I like that.

Luckily I have a mom who also games more than a casual, and a fiance who is very modern and understands gamers, while not being more than a casual one at best, herself.

The only static I've ever received from non-gamers are friends, and most of them have caught the gaming bug themselves over the past few years.

Hilarious article!

I never got the appeal of stuff like farmingville... and I'm a casual gamer myself. Yes games start off confusing but I love RPGs since I love gaining stats, and once I started "gaining stats" so to speak in real life it became even more fun.

Plus I blame shooters and stuff like Guitar Hero for the death of video games! So many underrated games that are totally ignored, selling less than 10,000 copies, for shame people!

Well I remember I got my sister to play Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and she enjoyed it a lot. Same with Paper Mario, I remember when my cousin was visiting me and all up in my space, I told her to leave since it wasn't her house anymore. One thing led to another and now the very mention of a new Paper Mario game makes her sqeaul with excitement.

Well I guess video games aren't as beneficial as reading a book and increasing your imagination... they're just plain mindless fun for the most part.

I agree - the perception of the media etc is ridiculous. I'm lucky and my wife is more than just a casual gamer and understands and all 4 of our kids game too. Now my youngest doesn't start school until next month but he can count to and recognise ALL numbers up to 1000 and many beyond. Why? From collecting studs to unlock characters in the lego games. He taught himself to count and to work out how many more studs were needed to unlock a particular character.

GAMES ARE GOOD!!