On Gaming and Cultural Literacy

If you are a parent or you plan to be one, you’re gonna need a gaming console unless you absolutely can’t afford it. Sooner than you think.

Gaming has been a pervasive part of the culture for so long, it’s not unheard-of to meet a 50-something gamer. Half of hardcore gamers or former gamers are women. So there’s a good chance that once your kid starts school, he or she will have at least one friend who’s not only REALLY into gaming, but has a parent or grandparent who actively encourages the interest and is willing to share tricks.

The old stereotype of the gamer as a disaffected white teenage boy using the games as an escape from society hasn’t held for at least 15 years, if there was ever any truth to it at all.

An old, old line by internet standards. The “serious intellectuals” were calling bloggers basement-dwelling cheeto-eaters when the blogosphere first became a thing.

Lots of successful, well-adjusted people of all backgrounds are gamers. It’s a legitimate, mainstream social activity.

Catching Up – Video Games We’ve Been Playing Since We Got Our PS3

I feel like we’ve played a lot of video games lately – I think we moved into a video-game phase when we bought a new (for us) console, the PS3. And I don’t feel like we’ve written much about the games we’ve played lately, because we’ve almost moved too quickly through them. We’ve mentioned them in passing, as we’ve started them. Or as we finished.

And maybe that’s okay, as many of these games have been out a while. Maybe the point where talking about them is interesting has passed. However, I’m sure there are many games you, faithful reader, are also considering and haven’t played yet. So maybe we’ll spark a thought for you.

Lightning Returns arrived today (finally!) and I have a feeling it is going to consume our time, and pull us away from other games. Which is too bad, but it also means I kind of want to get these games out of my system before we move completely on! So here’s a lightning round (pun intended?) of the games we’ve been playing lately, my quick thoughts and recommendations on them. Onward!