Lay Off the Gamers. Now.

What am I thinking about?

You and I…the gamer

Yes, you.  And you.  And even YOU who's sneaking & reading this saying "I'm no gamer but what the hell…"

Well…you are, too.

Often times, I get that queazy feeling when someone declares in a disdainful tone:  "You're into video games?!?".  The words pierce the air, as if I had just lit a cigarette & exhaled a cloud of permeating smoke in their face.  It's a moment in which I wish I could hold up my hand & execute a Darth Vader Jedi choke hold.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing"

Damn, I always wanted to do that for like, a couple of seconds just for show.

Anyway, I digress.

What I DO find disturbing is the hypocritical nature of the so-called "non-gamers" who have this oh-so more exciting, fulfilling life that puts them in a position to be entirely judgmental of the gaming community at large.  Why?  Because they…are a part of it, too.

In fact, who ISN'T these days?  The traditional perception of gamers & gaming is going by the wayside.  There are still folks (like me) who enjoy console gaming, LAN parties (long time ago) and such, but that changed long ago.  Nowadays, the next-gen consoles are trying to survive in a world of mobile, portable gaming that will, mostly likely, never go away.  Or at least, not any time soon.

From rage mobile games like Flappy Bird (R.I.P) & any other off-the-wall title you can recall, more and more people are themselves becoming gamers in a redefined, ever-evolving world.  The latest survey by The NPD Group finds 36-percent of Americans play digitally downloaded video games.  That includes a console, a PC or a mobile device.  Now the study was more about how gamers still prefer a disc in hand to buy and sell, but it sheds light on the growing digital gaming craze.

Now you're thinking about your phone or your tablet and thinking "Hmm…yeah right…I'm a gamer.  Whatever"

Want to feel even worse?

Ok, fine, let's take, for example, the demonic creation known as Candy Crush from King.

I was walking around my neighborhood in the city and spotted something that stopped me in my tracks.  It was a playing card face down that read…."UNO".  Remember that game?  Of course, people play it to this day & it's one of the most entertaining card games I can recall.

You might think that UNO isn't in any sort of contemporary gaming category, but it is.  You can put it right in there with video games, mobile and board games that millions are breaking out & playing at this very moment.  In fact, in its day, you could say it had Candy Crush stature in the card game universe.

Since the launch of Candy Crush in 2012, the free-to-play mobile game has been downloaded more than 500 million times.  Thanks to its success with microtransactions, the company made almost $2 billion in revenues last year.  That comes out to $5 million a day.

Did you hear what I just said?  500 million times.  $2 billion a year.  $5 million a day.  And it's coming from all of us.

What's more silly?  Deriding someone for being that cliche "weird gamer in the basement" playing a console gaming once in a while?  Or being the person who's paying money to move on to…Minty Meadow.

Ugh.

My point is this:  We're all gamers.  Even if you downloaded an app game & tossed it aside, there was still something inside that piqued your interest.  We all having a gamer inside us.  Typically, the person who's going on the attack against the video gamer is the one who doesn't fully understand what it's all about.  Fear drives the critic.

The next time you make a face at the sight of a "gamer" in your midst, look in the mirror.  You're one, too.

UNO!!!!!!!!!

The B Gamer is a video game reviewer at 77 WABC in NYC

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Kids & Video Games: Is It REALLY As Bad As This Guy Says?

What am I thinking about?

Video game addiction

I recently read comments made by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison about video games and kids.

At the HCM World conference this week, Ellison said he is "so disturbed by kids who spend all day playing video games".

“When I was a kid the sun rose, I was on my bike, and if my parents were lucky I was home before dark.”

Umm.  Ok.  Me too.

I gamed a lot.  I played a lot.  I turned out fine.

Any particular kids in mind?  Could you tell us where these kids are at?

I won't deny that there are many gamers who devote loads of hours to titles on a daily basis, but Ellison's statement really bothers me.  A man who's made loads of money off creating software and advancing technology that, in other ways, infiltrates our lives, is criticizing the very thing that, I would hope, he promotes:  technology development spurred by young people.

Who is he to say that, with a broad brush, that essentially all kids are inside right now playing games ALL DAY LONG??  What kind of an irresponsible statement is that?

While there are some who indulge too much in the niceties of life, no matter what it might be, there are still countless others who choose to have a balance in their lives.  On the flip side, there are others whose dedication to technology and gaming at a young age that will some day BECOME a Larry Ellison.

I think it's not wise to give a proverbial wagging of the finger in the faces of young people like that.  It's not cool at all.  Unless you have stats to back that up, don't say it.  Has he ever seen this study?  Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany found playing Super Mario 64 causes increased size in brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation and strategic planning as well as fine motor skills.

What's up Ellison!

In short, Ellison is basically calling kids idiots, relegating them to a life of solitude.  One that is more entrenched in isolation and not getting up when the sun rises like he did and…whatever.  In other words, you're pissing off gamers.

At least I'm pissed about what he said.  How about you?