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What adults want from games

This industry is all grown up - it's time for our games to act like it

Words: on May 28, 2011
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110 comments

  • Bercilak - May 29, 2011 2:49 a.m.

    I agree with virtually everything in this article although I do want to point out that some adults still enjoy the occasional boob ogling. Seriously.

  • TheWebSwinger - May 29, 2011 12:40 a.m.

    I'm 21 and what I want from a game is....FUN. This article's all a bit pretentious (that's ironic) and negative, and I hate to say that because I generally enjoy Keast's articles. I can understand why someone who plays/writes about games for a living would complain about this stuff, but for someone like me who just plays games for fun on my free time, this is all ignorable minutiae.

  • ThatGuyFromTV - May 29, 2011 12:35 a.m.

    Honestly kids will do anything to feel like adults. If devs try to implement a "maturity filter" then kids will either find a way around it or get their parents to find a way around it. The kids will high-pitched voices who couldnt be older than 12 years old are also unanimously the biggest, most vulgar loudmouths i have ever heard. I thought I had a problem with yelling shit at my TV, but once I was able to hear everyone else's mics... Jesus, it's like being forced to watch the Chocolate Milk vid over and over again

  • ThatGuyFromTV - May 29, 2011 12:30 a.m.

    COMMENT 69!!

  • iFeastOnAntista - May 29, 2011 12:25 a.m.

    Nicely written, M.K. I especially agree with the comments about the depiction of women in games. If for no other reason, I'm sick of the "impossibly, ludicrously huge tits" paradigm because I don't think those look good! That's not how women look in the real world - and real women look great! There's a lot of depth waiting for us as gamers when the industry starts creating compelling stories with real women as protagonists. How about a game where the strength and power of a mother's love is explored? For a good Hollywood example, I think Thor treated its female characters pretty darn well. Fully clothed, with goals and power of their own. We need more Chells, Alyx Vances, Faiths, etc.

  • Imgema - May 28, 2011 11:54 p.m.

    Ahh Metroid OtherM. The game that made a great, intelligent, subtle, exploration heavy series into a dumb, casual game for kids who like to see Samus wearing her boob giggling zero suit while she cries about her feelings. The worst game of all time in the known universe and beyond if you ask me.

  • nee50n - May 28, 2011 11:49 p.m.

    Great article - agree whole heartedly with many of these comments - particularly sexism in gaming. Me and my partner are both 30 somethings (I've been playing video games since I was 6) and she had been getting into it quite a lot over the last couple of years. But its really tough to find games that are not generic, sexist and unbelievably stupid. I've only come across this site recently, but have really enjoyed some of the articles and glad there are gaming sites that are addressing the issues of first generation gamers. Until the industry starts appealing to more mature audiences - we are always going to be accused of needing to "grow up". Unfortuantely games (like the film industry in recent years) is overwhelming targeted at the family and teenage market.

  • MancisFrorkYorgan - May 28, 2011 10:57 p.m.

    'that an aging and thus more cultured gamer population can enjoy' I'm beginning to sound like I'm genuinely butthurt here, rather than lightly amused, but the 'thus more cultured' line really tickled me. I don't know what your measure of 'culture' actually is, but your statement seemed to imply that adult gamers sit around all day discussing the works of Sartre while we kiddies discuss Eminem. It's just not true in either case.

  • laserwulf - May 28, 2011 10:16 p.m.

    Holy crap, I might even pay extra for an adults-only section for matchmaking in a game. Dealing with brats is the biggest reason for me not playing multiplayer as much as I'd want to; some days I just don't want to bother. Regarding 'helper' mode, Sonic 2&3 did that really well with the inclusion of Tails. The only way you could really mess with Sonic is if you hit a bomb in the bonus stages.

  • RedOutlive10 - May 28, 2011 9:56 p.m.

    Great article, I'm not sure if games with more comedy would sell well though, Psychonauts, and No One Lives Forever 1/2 are big examples of games with a lot of humor in them yet didn't meet great numbers in sales.

  • morganjanzen - May 28, 2011 9:37 p.m.

    I agree, lets stop streamlining games for teens and adolescents and focus on a real experience that an aging and thus more cultured gamer population can enjoy. I hate seeing great game names slowly circle the drain as new updated releases come out and the creators have dumbed it down to the point that I might as well play duck hunt. Such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls and the like. Half the fun is finding and creating mods, why do you think old classic games like Morrowind and Minecraft still dominate gamers lives.

  • UberNoob - May 28, 2011 9:01 p.m.

    I agree with everything here. However, if you are a teenager and are mentally matured enough to hold a conversation with an adult(s) 18 years or older without looking like a moron, then it's fine if you play video games with them, hang out in forums, etc. Just make sure you aren't seeing or hearing things you shouldn't see or hear.

  • TurtleAssasin33 - May 28, 2011 8:05 p.m.

    okay i agreed with everything up to the very last bit. what would putting a button that makes the game mature accomplish? is there some kind of little kid repellant on it? because i can tell you for a fact even though i'm 18, if i were a little kid i would DEFINATELY press that button and not even worry about it. and so would every other kid in the world, and then what do you have? exactly what we do now, little bitches acting like souchebags online, and adults getting pissed because they just want to enjoy their game. so i agree there needs to be a change, but i think the whole button concept is a bad idea

  • MyCoolWhiteLies - May 28, 2011 6:05 p.m.

    Holy shit Mr. Keast, you just listed almost every major grievance I have with games right now. It's funny how many of these could be fixed by simply hiring decent writers. I'm not a writer, but even I can see that they get very little respect in the entertainment industry, and the game industry is probably the worst. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a ridiculously high budget game come out with incredible polish, but a muddled mess of a story and shit dialogue (I think the last few CoD games have been the worst offenders). For very little extra money, just about any game could have a significantly better story, or at the very least, much better dialogue, with no other necessary impact to the gameplay. Also, I'm glad to see at least one other person agrees that the writing in Braid was just terrible, even though the overarching ideas were fantastic.

  • BadJoke - May 28, 2011 6:01 p.m.

    yeah, yeah you old farts just can't stand getting your asses handed to you by us upstart youngsters xDD just kidding

  • Siion - May 28, 2011 5:35 p.m.

    All i can say is that i agree. Thank you for the great article, was worth the read.

  • MancisFrorkYorgan - May 28, 2011 5:27 p.m.

    'And this from kids/teens claiming they are 'mature'. I wouldn't be so sure about that.' And this from the men/women claiming they are 'mature'. I wouldn't be so sure about that. This works both ways. 'Lol the teenagers claiming they're mature. You ain't mature till you're 21, kids! I've never met anyone under 18 who isn't insanely annoying.' Well, if *you* haven't met anyone under 18 who isn't 'insanely annoying' then, obviously, nobody has met anyone under 18 who isn't 'insanely annoying'. You've just made an incredibly broad, ill-informed statement using your own personal experiences to justify said statement.

  • MancisFrorkYorgan - May 28, 2011 5:23 p.m.

    'Lol at all the teens here claiming they are mature and that Keast is generalizing. Everyone thinks they're mature at the age of 15. And everyone thinks they're capable of deep, meaninfgul thoughts at the age of 15. Then you grow up and realize how much of an idiot you were at that age.' Well, thanks for *your* opinion. I'm sure that *your opinion* applies to everyone walking the face of this planet because, obviously, your opinion is law. 'Would I EVER love to see child-free online gaming!!! The children replying to this article are a great example why. Until you have the electric bill in your own name and understand how to file your taxes and manage your mortgage.... I'd rather game with your mommy or daddy.' Right, I see. The mark of a man lies in his ability to... juggle finances.

  • Gameguy94 - May 28, 2011 5:22 p.m.

    The very first one is why I don't often use my headset. I know I sometimes sound obnoxious and don't want to soil someone else's experience.

  • Ray3eam - May 28, 2011 5:05 p.m.

    Everyone knows you don't automatically become "mature" when you turn 18, right? I'm not saying teenagers are mature, but a lot of these comments act like teenagers' opinions are totally inferior to anyone 18 and over. I'm hoping not all adult gamers immediately assume anyone under the age of 18 is a snot nosed brat, but the ones that do really need to get over themselves.

Showing 41-60 of 110 comments

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