video-games posts

Never mind the perpetual alerts as you traverse airport corridors, or the consistently dismal news broadcasts depicting maiming, rape and poverty -- video games are the real enemy, according to a recent article found on Christian Post.

Fortunately, this isn't entirely a typical 'video games are the enemy!' post, but rather examines homes filled with "Video games, computers, cell phones, teen magazines, music, TV, & movies: all of which fall under the umbrella of entertainment," which Christian Post guest writer Ron Luce collectively refers to as "terrorists." Luce says that inviting these forms of entertainment into your home can subject your children to values you might not want them to experience until they're old enough to understand them.

Though Luce seems to take the all too familiar stance of blaming the world's woes on electronic entertainment, an underlying subtext of his message should be clear to anyone with common sense: of course you shouldn't let your children play video games like Grand Theft Auto IV, or watch movies like Saw, or emulate Britney Spears' lifestyle. Good parents discuss these topics with their children rather than let the Xbox 360 or PC babysit and teach culture.

Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 blog guest writer is also the Lead Writer of our sister site, WoW Insider. Mike Schramm has posted a tongue-in-cheek editorial suggesting methods guaranteed to encourage gamers to vote this November.

"Videogames are a big deal nowadays," wrote Mike Schramm, "and their formerly young players are quickly becoming captains of industry and progress. People who once played hours of Dr. Mario and Tetris are getting jobs as pharmacists and bricklayers. Gamers come from all walks of life, trailing their Fritos wrappers and Bawls energy drink bottles behind them, and any candidate who wants in the White House will have to do a little pandering to the Pac Man vote."

One suggestion: join in the console wars, but be sure not to upset one of the three delicate sides. Mike Schramm feels the best response is to don a grave expression and growl, "It's a shame the Dreamcast never got the chance it deserved."

Another sure-fire method of winning a gamer's vote is to make prolific use of scantily-clad women wielding big guns in all campaign materials. "It's a strange attraction that is almost certainly specific to the gamer population," wrote Mike Schramm. "Oh, and if you arm them with large futuristic weapons and/or have them hug or otherwise interact with more barely-dressed women, people seem to enjoy that, too."

For more insight into Mike Schramm's expert opinion, visit indecision2008.com to view the article in its entirety.

According to data extracted from numerous reports, DFC Intelligence forecasts an estimated $57 billion dollar revenue for the games industry in 2009.

"Consumer spending on software is at record levels and the game business seems to actually benefit from a recession because games are a relatively cheap form of home entertainment," said DFC analyst David Cole.

Cole goes on to state that the reports summarize sales predictions for each platform, and that the Nintendo Wii "does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time." Software sales for Sony's PlayStation 3 are estimated to match those of the Wii by 2012, and the Xbox 360 "remains a leading player in some of the top markets, most notably the U.S. and U.K."

Not surprisingly, the PC was the top gaming platform in 2007, with $7 billion in sales not including retail. "Total PC game revenue is expected to reach $19 billion by 2013," according to the DFC.