Think of the Children!!!

I like the idea of growing old with the heroes of my youth, but I'm not in control over how they age. I too have noticed not only gritty reboots, but just the grit that is everywhere on game shelves. Perhaps I'm just being nostalgic, but when I played games they weren't so gosh darn dark. I feel bad for the kids of this generation as the games that are being made today are being made by people who want the the heroes of their youths to age with them. There is no love for the younger generation as far as original games goes. Instead, they are left with cash-ins and money grabbers that suck parents wallets dry. Games of my youth were fun, challenging, and most importantly: original. I may not have played all of the games of my generation, especially since I managed to skip out on the SNES somehow. Even still, there was a lot to offer for a kid back in the day.

Every time that I look at store shelves in the game section, I can't find anything that I would deem playable for a child. Nothing seems challenging, or engaging, and not in the least original. Originality is important because it breeds imagination. Games for kids these days don't have that anymore. I don't even have to play these games to know that the poor kid who plays these games will be treated like a kid. The game will take them by the hand, and not let them take control until every single piece of the tutorial rhetoric has been given to them. Kids can be smart if you let them prove themselves. Though, this is coming from someone who is not a parent.

When I do become a parent, eventually, I will hand down my old video game systems to my children. They will play the games that I did when I was their age. They might not understand a cartridge or why the graphics don't look as good, but I will teach them to see past those things. Games are important, not only to children but to society as a whole. They are a new art form, and there should be some kind of responsibility for them. I most definitely look forward to the day when I can race my kids in Mario Kart 64, or play them in a game of Mario Party. I will be their sensei and teach them the ways of the blade with Soulcalibur, or show them the awesomeness of Jet Grind Radio. Games are still the coolest thing ever, it's just... Nobody seems to care about the kids anymore.