Adult Gaming (1 Viewer)

[Ray Warner]

And no, not that kind of adult gaming.

According to some people who do this kind of survey, the average gamer is 28 years old.

So, someone wanna tell me where all the games geared at the supposed majority agegroup are? We get tripe like BMX XXX catering specifically to the 18+ crowd, when I can't think of anyone out of 7th grade who would actually think it was "mature".

The only ones I can think of off the top of my head (GTA does not count) are the Fallout games, The Longest Journey, Deus Ex, and, barely, The Getaway.

I'm not talking about games that need a load of swearing and nudity, just something that appeals to the older crowd without having to toss in Jr. High sensibilities to make a buck. Violence doesn't make a game mature, and it's interesting to note that it's a very simple matter to find a game where you can blow someone's head off, but it's rare to find a game that uses the word "fuck" without making it a marketing point.

I dunno, am I totally missing the boat on this one? We can have mature movies, TV shows, books, comics, plays, radio programs, but video games are a rare find.

 

[Romier S]

So, someone wanna tell me where all the games geared at the supposed majority agegroup are?

How about just games that are fun in general? Why does there have to be a "demographic" that needs catering too? In reality the only game that I would consider truly "Mature" in its sensibilities is Silent Hill 2. Which deals with very mature themes. That however is my personal definition of what a mature game should be. Your will no doubt differ.

That does beg the question, what is it that you consider mature? What exactly is mature about The Getaway? I found the game to be infinitely unfun and laborsome to play so I could really care less how much cursing or Guy Ritchie-isms they could fit in the game.

Though Bloodrayne spouted the word "Fuck" for no other reason than to just throw it in there at the very least it happened to provide a very fun experience below the so called "Mature" setting and really thats all I can ask for.

Rez is fun, Panzer Dragoon Orta is fun, Dark Cloud 2 is fun, Devil May Cry is fun, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker is fun, Amplitude is fun, Metroid Prime is fun etc.. etc.. etc... All of these are games from different genre's yet IMO dont fall into a demographic, if they do they fall happen to appeal to a particular group I'd say its the group called "Quality titles" that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Just my not so humble opinion

 

[BryanK]

I just want too know one thing when Im trying a new game.


Am I going to have fun with this game. I dont care about what rating or maturity level it has.

Have fun

 

[Dave F]

This is a completely loaded question, that just cannot be answered without a clearer definition of the types of games that you are looking for.

If any genre is underrepresented though, I'd say it's the little kid market. Most games are just too tough for little anklebiters, and the content isn't applicable either.

As an aside, I loved The Getaway.

-Dave

 

[Ray Warner]

I know, a lot of people loved The Getaway. It's not a bad game, I just didn't care for it.

And to diffuse this a bit, I'm not ragging on games that aren't geared towards a specific age group. Think of it like movies.

Finding Nemo is a fantastic movie, yes? You bet. I love it. It's a "kid's" movie in the loosest sense of the term, more like an "everyone" movie. But, there are times when I want to watch something like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or Casino, or Mulholland Drive, or a few episodes of The Sopranos. These certaintly come from an adult standpoint in their subject matter. It's not to say that only adults can watch them (I can think of a lot of adults who can't) but it's more indicative of the point of view you have to come from.

I was going to mention Silent Hill 2, actually. In fact, my Amazon.com review of the game said something to the effect of the "M" rating being more for an indication of the attention span required as opposed to the subject matter.

So, I'm not panning games because they lack this aspect, just lamenting the fact that there's not a whole lot of games where intellect and maturity bear the same gravity as twitch reflexes and the ability to decipher Final Fantasy's menu screen.

The Longest Journey is probably the best example. For starters, it's an adventure game, of the point-and-click variety. It also boasts fantastic voice acting, natural sounding dialouge, a well-written story, tons of small social commentary jokes, and that somewhat ethereal game-as-an-art-form aspect. You don't get even the slightest impression that the game was made to make money.

Maybe saying "Adult" game was the wrong choice of words. I meant it like when people say they want to watch a "grown up" movie.

And it's cool that this sparks debate. Hell, if everyone disagrees with me, fire away. I could be wrong...

 

[Romier S]

As an aside, I loved The Getaway

I knew there had to be one person out there! Go Dave.

 

[Dave F]

I just gotta be me.

-Dave

 

[Graeme Clark]

Sims in general are geared towards a slightly older demographic than your normal shoot em up. Most of the people I talk to on a daily basis who play Flight Sims, Race Sims, Wargames, or games of that nature tend to be a bit older, and sometimes quite a bit older than you'd expect.

But for the most part, all of these have become extremely niche markets (to the point were most wargames are sold exclusively online) and don't appeal to the larger demos that other games that appeal to older markets do.

But there are some games that break through at least a little bit. Adventure gaming has become a market that appeals to an older age more than younger. The Longest Journey is a perfect example, along with Syberia, Riddle of the Syhnx, the Myst series and to a lesser extent CSI and Law and Order.

The only thing that I hear from many of these gamers is that they just want something they can sit, play, and not have to worry about how good their reflexes are. I can completely understand where they're coming from. I'm not terribly old, but I also like to play a game once in awhile where I can sit and stare at the screen as I'm trying to figure things out.

 

[JayV]

The only thing that I hear from many of these gamers is that they just want something they can sit, play, and not have to worry about how good their reflexes are.

This is one of the things I like about turn-based strategy games.

-j

 

[John Berggren]

For a great mature game that isn't just "MA" because of cursing, nudity, or violence, try Eternal Darkness : Sanity's Requiem. You can find it most places for $10-20. Along with Metroid Prime, one of the best games I've played this generation.

 

[Max Leung]

Don't forget the Gabriel Knight series.

Then there is LucasArts games like The Dig, the Indian Jones adventure game series, and Grim Fandango (I hated it, but I still consider it requiring some mature sensibilities to play).

Of course, you have to include Grand Theft Auto 3 and the followup, GTA3: Vice City. To say they are for kids is like saying Goodfellas is a kids movie...

Instead of asking if there are any "Mature" games, you should be asking if there are any immature games to avoid.

 

[AaronMg]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Mafia yet!

 

[Romier S]

Mafia

Excellent choice! Now if only they would release a score for the game. Some of the best music I've heard in a game. The opening theme alone.

 

[Ray Warner]

Ahaaa...Here we go. Much more what I was getting at.

I love Eternal Darkness. I also just noticed that I insticively put game names in bold. Stupid tech writing courses. Anyway, ED is a great example. My fiancee still can't play it because it's too "action-y" as she puts it, but she would actually pester me to play it so she could watch. Still, she's in the same way that many older gamers are. She can't deal with real-time action of any sort because she's had so little experience with stepping into the shoes of a game's protagonist.

For younger kids reared on action games, and the older crew who stays in shape, so to speak, by playing 2D shooters ("Ikarugaaaa!") and fighters, it's a pretty simple thing to adapt to the modern world's control scheme.

My fiancee, on the other hand, had never touched a videogame prior to meeting me. Out of the blue, she decided she wanted to play Halo one day. I was under the assumption that she'd be able to get the hang of it reasonably quick, so I set the difficulty to standard and hopped into a co-op mode to ease her though it.

I've never seen her more horrified in my life.

She could't move and look around at the same time; it had to be one or the other, or she'd wind up facing the sky or the ground and running into a wall. This is all well before we were even getting shot at by anything. When the plasma finally did start flying, she flipped out a bit.
Her: "Aaaagh! They're shooting at me!"
Me: "Well, that's the point of the game."
Her: "But what if you get hit?"
Me: "...Um, are you sure you want to play this?"
Her: "Not if they're going to be shooting at me all the time! What a stupid game."
Me: "Well, let's stop then."
Her "No!"

(I've never understood why women will keep doing something they hate, but they all seem to do it.)

She was deeply scared of losing even a digital life, and, well, me laughing at her probably didn't help her morale any. When she finally did die ("C'mon, hon, you're not even playing, you're just hiding in a corner.") it was because I'd goaded her into using some air ducts to loop around behind some enemies while I went through the front. By the time she'd managed to get her flashlight on and find the spot where I'd been, I was engaged in a firefight down the hall, so she snuck into a side room to stay out of the way, and wound up coming face to face with a few Elites. Getting shot a few times totally panicked her, and she just put the controller down right there and refused to play anymore.

It was remarkably similar to the time my Dad wanted to try out "That new Nintendo" for no particular reason (Mario 64) and just couldn't wrap his head around the idea of moving in 3D using the joystick. He kept falling into the water outside the castle, and it took him a good 20 mintes to finally reach a painting he could jump into. Once he arrived in a level actually populated with enemies, it was all over.

I guess I'm in the enviable position of being able to do both. I love those games that require adult facilities to appreciate (is a 12 year old going to get the Lovecraft-soaked story behind Eternal Darkness?) but I've been doing this for years, so the idea of having to fight tooth and nail is appealing to me, sometimes to the point of superceeding the plot itself (Panzer Dragoon Orta is a software version of heaven, at least for me.) My finacee sees it as pointless frustration and just wants to be able to advance the plot at her own pace without fear of being killed.

 

[Romier S]

(Panzer Dragoon Orta is a software version of heaven, at least for me.)

A man after my own heart.

You should check out this thread:

Panzer Dragoon fanclub

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Amplitude is fun

I think that should be all that needs to be said. Thank you for saying it.

 

[Ray Warner]

Man, I haven't even gotten into the gift from God himself that is Ikaruga played on a sideways monitor.

 

[Damien]

just putting in my two cents: (i'll try to make this make sense)
i don't get why sega would present something like super monkey ball 2 so cute but the things it expects a kid to do is far too ahead of there comprehension level. I think that might of put a dent in the games sales since every review bitched about the difficulty.

 

[JamesHl]

"is a 12 year old going to get the Lovecraft-soaked story behind Eternal Darkness?"

Sure, his writing is at about that level of sophistication. I quite enjoyed reading Lovecraft in middle school.

I think good games aren't exclusively appealing to 'mature' people. I'm sure a lot of people could appreciate playing Deus Ex or what have you, but it's up to your tastes and what appeals to you as to how you play it and what aspects you enjoy.

 

[Ray Warner]

Sure, his writing is at about that level of sophistication. I quite enjoyed reading Lovecraft in middle school.

Jesus, what middle school did you go to? And here's what I base my assumption on:

COUNTERSTRIKE:

Ray: "Aw, crap. They're trying to climb up the vents onto the roof. Someone get him, I'm pinned down near the back door but I can hear him."
L337d00d3: "dud u r so GAAAAAAAAAAAAAY"
ph47m4n: "hehe ya youre so gay get of ur team L4M3Rz0R!!1!"

I don't think they're reading Lovecraft. Or, for that matter, anything else.