Gaming...Older and Wiser

Yes I consider my self a gamer. I say this because I currently own Xbox 360 and have owned other gaming platforms in the past. Ever since I was young I’ve had an interest in video games and it just carried over into my years in college. I think I’ve been a gamer and still am because of my personal interests in games as a leisure activity along with different people you meet and friends also playing video games. It encourages you to keep up, if they are playing games that say are good. There is no better critic for a game then a good friend. If they say a certain game is good then you’re more likely to buy it if you’ve never heard anything about it.

I don’t know if I fit the mold for the platform I play most regularly because I don’t play video games as much as a did when I was younger. I think the demographic for Xbox 360 is a young gamer or a nerd type that it’s the main thing they do. I don’t put myself in that mold. College and work are the main things of concern then if I’m lucky and have a enough time I’ll play when I can. When your younger it’s school, study and playing video games. The time to play video games is much more lenient then rather then now. I used to “fit the mold” because I feel I bought every popular game that was out because I relied on that to buy games way more then I do now. Someone that “fits the mold” is possibly a geek with either not many friends or young such as the middle or high school years.

My favorite type of games is sports games, especially hockey. Any hockey game available I’d likely rent or buy. It’s my favorite type of game because hockey is my favorite sport to watch and play. If I can’t do either of those and have time on my hands that’s when I would play hockey on Xbox 360. I think even though I’m a little older then the textbook gamer I feel I’m doing it for a better reason then I used to or then textbook gamers are playing now. I feel they do it for fun and let it sometimes consume them. That’s what leads to the stories you see about violence in video games and how it can become a problem. I feel it’s safer to play when you’re older because you’re doing it for better reason. Young kids get influenced easy and that’s why you see so many issues of video game violence because they’re still learning and not sure of the difference between right and wrong.

With that said I feel the text does make too much of the issues such as a ratings system and product placement. It really is just a game, it’s not telling you to go out there and commit crimes. What sells is sex and violence which is why games such as Grand Theft Auto have become such big sellers because young children can’t something of that violence anywhere and be accepted. No I don’t think I spend too much time gaming, not anymore. I can’t afford to with having much more responsible then when I was younger. When I was younger I think sometimes I spent too much time gaming because when you didn’t have to worry about a job because you were too young etc. you would allow yourself to almost get lost in the time you devoted to playing these games.

The Future is Internet

An internet TV series that I saw a few episodes of was WWE Heat, I was drawn to World Wrestling Entertainment in the past so it definitely influenced me to choose it. When I was in middle school early high school the big thing that kids were drawn to like no other was the weekly Monday Night Raw or Nitro shows. Having not watched wrestling in years and going from watching a TV show religiously every Monday for about 2 years to going to watching it online there are without a doubt differences to notice. The length and simplicity are definitely easier to deal with. I remember with WWE shows in the past a lot of the time in the show it would be interviews with wrestlers and showing parts of the crowd but in the online version they cut down on this. Being older and watching this while being in college and having a job it’s definitely easier online. You don’t have to take time out of your normal every day schedule on certain days to base it around your show. It’s at your convenience which as you get older is definitely a major importance in everyday life. Sure when your 13 years old sitting in front of a TV with friends watching wrestlers fight, you wanted the show to go on as long as possible because it was entertainment that you could turn to every week.

When you’re older though you have more responsibilities and I think the time to invest in watching TV is minimal. This is where internet video comes in it’s almost at your convenience because you can miss as many episodes if you want and go back to them when you have free time. Back in 1998 they didn’t relay the episodes online from the previous taping so we didn’t have that option. Back then nothing compared to sitting on the couch waiting for the show to come on. But as time goes on you realize that time is money and you have to take care of what’s important first then take care of leisure activities. So as of right now I think with the internet continuing to grow bigger and bigger each year we will only see an increase in popularity with online TV because of it’s ease of use and convenience. It’s tough to be in front of the TV at age 22 every Thursday at 9pm when you have so many more responsibilities then when you did when you were younger. That’s why I think the internet TV boom will catch on to the young adults then the children because the thrill and anticipation along with the time you have when you’re younger is there, so why not take advantage of it.

I think for me in the present and in the future the TV shows I watch I will be the online versions because it’s simply easier on a day to day basis if I want to watch a show or get into a new show exclusively online. If you miss an episode of a series that is only shown one hour a week you will begin to lose interest with the series. But if it’s offered online you can not only catch up but switch exclusively to online because of the simplicity and ease of use. With the internet continuing to be the wave of the future I think so will “webisodes”.