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If Everyone Was a Gamer

Posted by Hsing Wei on 07-07-08

The Guardian references Asi Burak (creator of Peacemaker and Play the News) in a recent, thoughtful piece about the challenges of making games about intellectual issues mainstream. 

The article notes you would not call someone a “radio listener” or “tv watcher”, but there is a label for gamers.  Games arguably have several higher barriers to entry, namely the hardware to run them and the skills necessary to enjoyably play them.  The Catch 22: will no one take games seriously if only “gamers” are playing them?  Will games suffer from being judged and pigeon-holed by people who have never played them?

The piece highlights the historical mass acceptance of intuitive and simple games like Pong.  More recently, the natural movement-based Nintendo Wii has made game hardware a more mainstream “lifestyle device.” The mantra encouraged is to design with accessibility in mind, so that everyone will be not just movie goers, but also game players able to appreciate games, including those about important social issues.

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