Can't We All Just Get Along?

Being 30 years old has a lot of things going against it. First of all, you're 30. That's pretty much enough said on that topic. However, being 30 also has a lot of things going for it. Like for instance the fact that I'm a professional with a nice career and a very nice paycheck each month. That paycheck allows for me to splurge on some of the things in the world that I've always wanted. I can take trips to Las Vegas, get box seats to the Red Sox, or buy the 30 Year Old Gamer's ridiculously large TV.

It also allows me to be one of the lucky few to have more than one gaming console. I'm lucky enough to own both a Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. This is very nice for me since it allows me to play a whole wide range of games depending on whatever I feel like at the time. One night I might be playing Gears of War and chainsawing people's heads in half and the next I could be playing Zelda and fishing in a pond for food for a hungry cat. However I find myself asking the question:


Am I a "Casual Gamer" or a "Hard-Core Gamer"?





Well since I really like playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and playing in huge multiplayer Halo 3 battles, I guess I must be a "Hard-Core Gamer". But on the other hand, I've been having a great time playing Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports, so I must be a "Casual Gamer". Man I'm so confused. Who's side should I be on? What sort of "Gamer" am I? I must know!!! If I don't figure this out, how can I possible have any opinion on video games?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Who the hell came up with these terms anyway? My guess is it was some stupid fat kid who had been outcast his entire life and the only friends he had was his video games. And now he doesn't like that video games have become mainstream popular. So he comes up with a term that sort of puts him into some sort of stupid elite class of video game players called "Hard-core Gamers". Oh, and he's not alone. All of these social rejects have now rallied behind the "Hard-core" banner, and they can be seen everywhere.

Have you read or listened to any of the reviews for some of these new games that are out on the market? It reads more of a resume of the reviewer than an actual review of the game that is being reviewed. Take Mario Kart Wii for example. It seems the only person qualified to review such a game must have played every single iteration of the game dating all the way back to the original Super Nintendo.

"Though the fundamental Mario Kart experience has remained generally the same, there are several changes that can greatly impact gameplay. Drifting mechanics in particular have changed dramatically, both to make it easier to perform for beginners and as a countermeasure against the controversial technique known as snaking." - GameSpot

Nicely done guys, but is the game fun? You will have to read two and half pages of text before the reviewer finally relents and lets you know that indeed Mario Kart Wii is fun if you can get past the driving mechanics, graphical faults, and every other nit pick he can think of.

Look, video games are meant to be fun. They are meant to be enjoyed. Some people prefer to enjoy them with others, while other people prefer to play with themselves. Either way, I think that we should just eliminate the banners of "Casual" and "Hard-core". Why segregate a niche market that has finally become mainstream? We should all be playing as one nation, under one banner called "Gamers". Whether you are new to video games or have been playing games since the 80's, we are all in this together. And the more we are united, the better the industry and, most importantly, the games are going to be.
Here's to hoping for a new brighter future of video games led by the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and (I guess) the PS3. Welcome to the United Nation of Gamers. Now lets bring on the games!

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer