The More Things Change.....

Do you ever think that people back in the day got made fun of, or ridiculed for reading books? I'm sure they must have. After all, books were just made up stories. They were probably widely considered to be frivolous wastes of time. Yet, today, we seem to hold a person who frequently reads up high because of their literacy. We look back on old books that were published about a hundred years ago and hail them as classics. Do you think that we will get to the same point with video games?

It may seem difficult to imagine with countless calls to duty and constant reiterations of the seemingly same battlefield, but there are some gems that are still being released. There are note worthy games. Some of them are made by major studios, others by smaller independent teams. Just as not every single book that was ever written was remembered; not every game will be either. When we look back on those "classics" we sort of get a highlight reel of books and other art that was created during that age. Jules Verne was not the only author of the 1800s, and Mozart was not the only composer of the late 1700s. There was probably some schlock that was produced during both of their times. People remember their great works because they liked them. They praised the art that was made by great artists and they did everything they could to preserve that masterpiece.

What are we doing today with video games to preserve great titles? What are we doing as gamers? What are you doing as non-gamers? How are we talking about games? How are we remembering games? Are HD remakes enough to keep the classics in tact and in the public eye? Is a number score in a review of a game enough to signify its greatness? How are we preserving games, and who is doing something so that truly great titles be remembered?

We, as gamers, need to appreciate games both old and new for their merits and accomplishments within the medium. We need to change the conversation about games so that non-gamers can appreciate and understand what makes a game great. Gamers need to stop being so exclusionary with who can play what kind of game. Games are for everyone.

Non-gamers, what is your view on video games? How do you view gamers? How do you talk about video games? How do you talk to gamers? It starts with conversation. Communication. Open yourselves up to video games. Be more open minded about video games. Do not damn video games because of one that contains violence. Do not generalize that all games are the same because they have a first person perspective. Research games, explore games, find out more about games.

Maybe we can reach a point in history where we can look upon gamers with respect. It definitely won't be anytime soon, or it might not happen at all, though, nothing is impossible. If we can preserve great games of the past, truly great games that show what games are capable of, then we can be able to move forward on a foundation of strength and innovation.