Grow up, Child-Men: Editorial Blasts Adult Gamers
It’s a commonly known fact that gamers are getting older, and just about every week another new M-rated game hits the store shelves for those with plenty of disposable income, free time, and a love of sex and violence. So why does Dallas Morning News editorial contributor Kay Hymowitz feel the need to bash this growing demographic?
Lumping together entertainment geared towards males 30 years old and younger, like Maxim, Xbox 360, and Judd Apatow films, Ms. Hymowitz dredges up the worst stereotypes about adult gamers as immature, irresponsible, and ridiculous. Longing for a time when the average 26-year-old male was married with a factory job, Hymowitz has nothing but disdain for today’s tech-savvy consumers of electronic media and popular culture.
Granted, there is a media message out there that says: Don’t grow up. Don’t take responsibility. Enjoy these sophomoric pursuits, instead of attaining a loftier goal. This message can be found everywhere from Comedy Central to the Superbowl. But the marketers and advertisers that rely on that critical male demographic will never stop selling youth and freedom to adults. That message is far too compelling for the marketers to ignore.
Ultimately, the choice of when to adopt personal responsibility can only be made by the individual. Perhaps Ms. Hymowitz would like to see more cultural programming, like Leave it to Beaver or Father Knows Best, which indoctrinated their audience into accepting a fantasy family life. Perhaps games like Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3, with their jingoistic, pro-war messages, are more damaging in other ways besides encouraging emotional stagnation.
Many of us are privileged enough to have the luxury of electronic gaming available to us. We shouldn’t feel guilty about this, however, because cultural pursuits like watching a movie or reading a book (although Hymowitz insists that us young males don’t like to read) are just as evanescent.
These fleeting pursuits of culture are richly rewarding, and speak to our shared humanity. She would never ask adults to put down their books, films, and music, because they threaten the perceived values of family and hard work… or would she? As an argument against excessive advertising, I would agree with aspects of Hymowitz’s editorial. However, for speaking completely in terms of stereotypes and straw men, Hymowitz’s article is a screed against our open-market culture in a free society.
Source: Dallas Morning News
