Grown Ups Don't Play Video Games.

During a conversation about how the average Joe chooses to spend his free time, an unfortunate incident occurred. Items were being listed off, watch television, read books, watch movies, etc., when I offered playing video games. This was met with the title of this piece; "Grown ups don't play video games".

Internally, a sound went off in my head like someone violently removing the needle from a phonograph record. Grown ups don't play video games? Whaaa? Ignoring the fact that the party speaking these words knew perfectly well that I choose to spend a large part of my almost non-existent free time in exactly that fashion, the facts don't line up with the statement.

I admit, my perspective on this is skewed. I read comics (written for adults) about video games. I watch television programs (written for adults) about playing video games. Naturally, I assumed that the good people producing this media were not doing so just for my benefit, so naturally I have the preconceived notion that this is inaccurate.

The only thing I could do then was look it up. According to a poll back in 2006, 4 in 10 adults played video games either on a PC or a console. Okay, so 40% or so of adults were playing video games a couple of years ago anyway. So at least as of 2006, grown ups were playing video games.

A more recent study released late 2007 came up with 63% of the US population playing video games, with the majority of them being male, ages 18 to 34. Even accepting that I'm pushing the edge of this majority group, I'm still in there, and they are still "grown ups".

More important than these facts though are a couple of ideas that stem from them, the first being that this is a genuinely dangerous misconception. It's this idea, the idea that video games are meant for kids, that's leading disengaged, irresponsible parents to not bother checking the very accurate and purposeful ratings on the games their children are asking for and playing. All the time the media is playing on the idea that the evil video game industry is marketing adult-themed games to warp their children's fragile little minds, and it just isn't so. The games are written for the target audience, the above mentioned 18-34 year-old male. Trust me, I watch a lot of children's programming. Their not advertising this stuff on Nickelodeon.

Maybe a more important point, for me anyway, is that I am, in fact, a grown up now, and to paraphrase XKCD, it's my turn to decide what that means. If playing video games allows me to relieve stress or gives me a moment of joy, why should it matter to anyone else. Want to spend your time reading comics, climbing trees, or maybe playing with Legos? More power to you. If it makes us happy, and it's not hurting anyone else, then why should we have to concern ourselves with which activities are for adults and which are for kids? Maybe if more grown ups did the stuff that brought them joy as children instead of wondering if society at large would be judging them for it, they would be happier.

I don't know. Maybe I'm being a little sensitive over this one. Still, I consider myself a reasonably intelligent adult who is mature when the situation demands it (and immature whenever he can be). I don't see where my choices for entertainment are any better or worse than anyone else's.

Except furries. Those people are still *$&%ing freaks.