State of the Gaming Union February 13th, 2013

My fellow gamers This is a great time of year for our people. Though, some of us may be distraught that we do not have a significant other with which so spend this so called holiday with, we have our systems. Gamers, I am talking about the new titles that this new year has brought us. First, there was DMC, a reimagining of a classic franchise. Some of you were upset. Others weren't. Few didn't care. But, it was a symbol. That we can all look to, for the coming year. DMC was a reboot. A changing of the guard. A passing of the torch. to a new steward. This, my fellow gamers, is happening all around us. Tomb Raider, is being reborn under a new team. Bioshock, while being developed by the same good people, now waves a different banner. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is nothing to be upset about. These developers, these gamers, love these franchises that both you and them have grown up with. They too have played the originals. They too have overcome the same challenges that you have. They too, have felt the same heartache, that you have. My fellow gamers,do not look upon these upcoming games with fear, or with hesitation. Instead, look upon them as something new. As something to be accepted. As something to be embraced. The "gamer" stereotype is not one that paints us in a pleasant light. They say that, "We are too close minded". That, we don't accept the others from the outside. Gamers, this is true. They are right. But we can make them wrong. We need to be open to other games, to other developers, to other systems, to other genres. Gamers, it is not the controller that we use, or the power of our processors that make us great. It is our games. By our games, we have come together. By our games, have we discovered. By our games, have we adventured. By our games, have we grown together. By our games, have we grown. Gamers, we must be accepting of what is new. Yet, we must also be discerning. We mustn't let games like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Halo, define us as a nation. We must grow more. We must be mature. My fellow gamers, I am of the opinion that this is a new art. And as these artists' audience, we must tell them, what we want. We must show the rest of the world of this wonderful new medium, that this is the way to play. That video games, are the best medium, and that they are just as good as any other art. No! They are the best! Let us rise above the box office, and tear down the Top 40! Let us break the stereotype, and buy games that challenge us, that make us think, and feel. Let us not consume, but partake of the game industry. Let's show the world what it means to be a gamer!