As I've gotten older, gaming has truly become a cherished break from the everyday grind. They say kids wreak havoc on your gaming habits, and that's certainly true for a while. But life shifts, and eventually, gaming isn't a chore to squeeze in - it's celebratory fun time. And kids, as they do, grow up and find their own interests.
On that note, I believe the over-40 video gaming demographic is massive. We're out here hacking and slashing, widening the tiny trail blazed by the original developers of the '80s and '90s. Those pioneers are now in their 60s and beyond, likely waving us forward, assuring us the water's warm.
There's a noticeable disconnect, though, when you look at the under-40 crowd and the current state of video game reviews.
The "Friendly System" and Corporate Influence
It's clear that a "friendly system" is in place, designed to give games overwhelmingly positive early reviews. While elements of this might have always existed, I genuinely believe it's been overcooked and has strayed significantly from what it was in the not-so-distant past.
Mega-sized publishing companies, armed with vast investments and guided by corporate preferences, effectively employ countless smaller sites (think Gamerant or PC Gamer) to do their bidding. Reviewers aren't so much independent critics as they are selected voices meant to guide the overall direction of video games. They've become amplifiers for a specific type of game the industry wants to promote.
A "Smash and Grab" for a Wider Audience
The intent behind this is twofold. First, it aims to loosen the grip the current player base has over the industry. Second, it seeks to widen the consumer base for games. In simple terms, it feels like a "smash and grab."
Expanding the tent for more players makes perfect business sense - more sales, right? Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, nefarious elements often accompany such expansion. Outsiders want control, and with significant power and money behind them, they've begun to get it. This drive to cast a wider net has, in effect, turned into cutting out what they perceive as "cancer" to the world and casting it aside.
The playbook is disturbingly familiar, mirroring tactics used in education, media, museums, and even government agencies. This ideology is currently facing resistance from areas like law enforcement, the military, and, indeed, the video game community.
Gaming's Lost Leisure: From Living Room to Labor?
This shift in reviews and industry direction brings me to another concern: how games are now consumed. For many of us, video games were pure, unadulterated entertainment. It was about gathering around the living room TV with friends, or losing yourself in a digital world from the comfort of your bedroom floor as a kid. Gaming was a joyful escape, a spontaneous immersion.
Today, however, the very act of playing often feels less like leisure and more like an extension of work. We're increasingly relegated to sitting at a desk, hunched over a monitor, often chasing competitive metrics, optimizing builds, or grinding through battle passes. The casual, living room experience seems to have diminished, replaced by a more intense, sometimes even demanding, form of engagement. When gaming feels like another job, it fundamentally changes its appeal as a form of entertainment.
The Console Conundrum: Missing the Point of "Play"
The direction Microsoft is taking Xbox perfectly exemplifies this disconnect. Those in charge appear to misunderstand the vital experience of the console environment and its importance. Sony may be losing this understanding too, despite their console's name including the word "play." Both companies should be moving towards the Nintendo experience, not away from it.
Gaming is, and should be, more than sitting hunched over a desk like you're working a data entry job, yet it seems the entire industry wants that to be the ultimate goal.
To the new corporate decision-makers who believe they truly understand the industry they've so rapidly taken over, I offer this simple suggestion: after a long day, plop onto your couch, grab a controller and a beverage, and just fire up your device. You might just, you know, have fun.