October 12, 2009

Video games show that you're never too old to play

What do Indiana Jones, John Rambo and Solid Snake have in common?--LOS ANGELES, LA Times
洛杉磯,洛杉磯時報印第安納瓊斯,藍波和索立德史涅克有什麼共通之處?




They all qualify for AARP membership.

那就是他們都有資格參加美國退休人員協會。

 

The latest aging entertainment icon is Solid Snake, the stealthy operative at the center of "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots," a video game that shimmered onto store shelves recently.

史涅克是最新一個老娛樂「偶像」,這名「來無影、去無蹤」的間諜是剛上市的電動遊戲「潛龍諜影四:愛國者之槍」裡的主角。
 

Technically, Solid Snake is only 43 years old in the game, and the qualifying age for AARP is 50. But in the final episode of this decade-old franchise, he suffers from a rapid aging disorder that wreaks havoc on his complexion and adds years to his rugged features. There's a conspiracy behind this aging business, and Solid Snake races against time and a bad back to thwart the evildoers.

技術上來說,史涅克在遊戲裡只有四十三歲,而參加美國退休人員協會的資格年齡是五十歲。但在這已有十年歷史電動系列的最後一代中,史涅克身受快速老化失調症影響,讓他外貌大變,原本就粗壯的他看起來更是老了幾歲。而這老化事件中隱憂陰謀,史涅克則要挺著老腰骨,與時間競賽,阻止壞人成功。

 

Solid Snake is in good company. Mario, Nintendo's plucky mascot plumber, made his debut in 1981 in the original arcade version of Donkey Kong. Assuming he was an adult then, Mario is at least in the late 40s today.

史涅克不用怕老來沒伴。任天堂的吉祥物,勇敢的水管工馬力歐是在一九八一年的大型機台遊戲大金剛中首度現身。假設他當時就已經是成年人的話,馬力歐現在至少也四十多接近五十歲了。


The average age of gamers is 35, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That's why audiences
many of them aging video-game enthusiasts and baby boomers are tolerant of the geriatric trend in pop culture.

據美國娛樂軟體協會表示,電動遊戲玩家的平均年齡為卅五歲。這也是為什麼電影觀眾可以接受流行文化中的老年化趨勢,那是因為他們很多也是年長的電動遊戲愛好者以及美國嬰兒潮一代的人

 

"There's just something wonderful about looking at Mario and saying, 'I knew him when he was just 8 pixels!'" said Julian Dibbell, 45, author of "Play Money" and other books about games, culture and technology. "Video games as a medium has managed to be ours in a way that rock-and-roll was to a slightly older generation."

電動文化與科技作家、也是「玩錢計畫」的作者迪波表示:「能夠看著馬力歐說:『我從他還是八像素遊戲的時候就知道他了』是一件美妙的事情。電動遊戲是屬於我們這一代的媒介,就如搖滾音樂是屬於我們上一代的人一樣。」




After reading: As a matter of fact, I myself have been a big TV gamer since

Nintendo came out their very first TV game. According to a new study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University that playing video games helps foster the development of visual-spatial skills among middle school students. Cultivating the ability to think visually is crucial to excelling in fields like engineering and surgery, and the hand-eye coordination attained through gaming is increasingly important in our digital world. But the total lack of games tailored to girls could be providing boys with an academic advantage over their female counterparts. "Girls are at a disadvantage by not having that three-dimensional experience," according to a statement by professor Linda Jackson, who led the three-year long study. "So when they get to medical school and they're doing surgery in the virtual world, they're not used to it."  Well, it’s probably hard to argue with Jackson ’s point. But if you run out to buy a 12-year-old girl a game like Halo 3, she could argue with you that games like Halo 3 are not gender-specific and they clearly attract a predominantly male audience, and are marketed accordingly.

 

I hope that in the future developers will focus on creating games that provide context to build these beneficial visual-spatial skills, while attracting more female players. Whether game developers heed this call or not, games won't draw in girls until they facilitate socializing rather than distract from it. Just listen in on any conversation between girls and it will be 95% about PEOPLE with other subjects coming up only as necessary. Developers are still making games about THINGS that, while they may be popular hobbies, are still non-central to girls' interest. Games will need to be as social as texting or Facebook before girls tune in.

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