Games have come a long way over the years but the basic formula and genres for games have not changed much. What we have been seeing though are a number of hybrid games that don't fit into the "box" of their genre. Mass Effect 2 (ME2) for example is a hybrid RPG/Shooter, having elements from both game genres. Other games like Borderlands or Fallout 3 are also hybrids, the distinguishing factor is the percentage of each genra. For example, Borderlands is perhaps 80% shooter and 20% RPG while Mass Effect is 60% RPG and only 40% shooter. Naturally these numbers are not exact but the important observation is that there is in fact a trend to incorporate cross genre features into modern games.

The future of gaming will no doubt be full of games that are made up of elements from multiple genres. This may not be a bad thing at all if it is done right. The hit games of today show that great success can be achieved if games are crafted in such a way as to balance elements to satisfy the gamer while not straying so far from the main genre. The great challenge for game designers will be to achieve this delicate balance.

I think that there will always be fans out there of "pure" genre games. Game studios need to be loyal to their fan base instead of "catering to a wider audience". The business strategy of reaching more people but trimming back games to make them "more accessible" may work at first but I think that eventually this line of thinking will only hurt the gaming industry. Games like Supreme Commander 2 are a prime example of this type of fan base neglect. Total Annihilation (TA) and Supreme Commander (SC) were more successful than the numbers suggested. The fan base of these games was made up of almost 99% hardcore gamers. The games were not considered a great success because of publishing blunders, early release, not enough balancing and testing etc. Gamers felt let down by the lack of support, DLCs and other promised features. Then years later, Supreme Commander 2 is released only to cater to a new audience. How do you think the loyal fan felt after spending years playing a game, talking about it and playing it with friends, sticking to it even through all the patches and balance issues, learning the economy system, longing for the bigger, better sequel and then... Supreme let down comes out. What a massive slap in the face to the hardcore fan.

Why then do game studios stumble sometimes and offend their most loyal fans? Could it be that maybe the crying wanna-be hardcore gamers are more outspoken than the hardcore gamers? Maybe. Consider this a call to arms then... hardcore gamers need to speak up and make themselves heard. The squeeky wheel gets the grease and if the only people out there speaking up are the crybaby snot nosed casual sugar junky quicky-game lovin mindless gamers, then THOSE are the people the game studios are going to be catering to.

I love to game. For me, it is a way to temporarily escape the mundane and to immerse myself with a different reality. Unlike other forms of entertainment which require little or no interaction whatsoever, gaming allows me to participate. Games are designed to be challenging and it takes a measure of skill and dedication to become a decent gamer.

Many games, perhaps especially shooters, sharpen your reflexes and test your snap decision making abilities. The casual, critical or uninterested observer may view games like Modern Combat 2 as a violent senseless activity but the gamer sees it differently. Why is this? The casual critical observer spends five minutes watching a game and the whole time they are thinking about all the negative things they don't like about the game and in the end, they decide that the game is not up to their standards or that it is too violent or that other people should not be playing such things.

Five minutes and this is what they come up with? I have been playing games for over twenty six years in this time period I have played many different kinds of games. Some of the games were even "violent", many featured the ability to decapitate foes or riddle them with bullets, lasers, plasma bolts, cannon balls etc. The thing is, none of these games has changed me as a person. I have never, outside of the games, actually shot or injured anyone, or eaten magic mushrooms to double my size or hit anyone with a sword.

As an adult, I feel that I have a firm grasp of reality and I able to separate the gaming experience from ordinary life. As a parent, I am careful to play my games after the children are in bed because I feel that they are not old enough to understand the adult theme of many of my games. For this same reason, I do not allow my children (3, all under the age of five) to watch movies or TV programs that contain inappropriate content. For now, I control what they can or cannot watch, play or do... but that does not mean that as they learn and grow, that I will not allow them to enjoy the very thing that I enjoy.

Adult gamers are the largest growing segment of the gaming public. We all started playing as kids and we have never stopped playing. Games are not just for kids anymore. Developers of games are often themselves gamers and they are designing games that they enjoy playing. People are starting to open their eyes to new possibilities and the technology is improving all the time. Gaming will continue to become more and more popular and as time passes, the audience will become broader still. Let's face it, people like me will game till our bodies no longer allow us to do so and even then, we'll probably dream of gaming or recall a time when we did.

Shame on governments (Australia and others) who feel that their adult population is not capable of making their own entertainment decisions. Shame on people who think that games are responsible for violence. Shame on people who think that it is right to impose limits on games designed for adults. Shame on people who think that we are not good enough parents to make responsible decisions about what our kids can or cannot play. I have news for people and governments like that... there are more of us than there are of you, we have a loud voice and we will not roll over and let you dictate what is right for us. My feeling is that there are a lot of people out there who agree with me.