Holiday Rush
21/12/08 18:33 Filed in: They Just Don't Get It
What was my favourite xmas present of all time? Well my new puppy ranks right up there. But honestly I would probably have to go with the SEGA Master System my brother and I got when I was roughly 8 or 9. That xmas gift changed my life. Before that fateful xmas morning I had little interest in videogaming. We hadn’t owned any consoles before the Master System(unless you include the TRS 80). But after hours of Space Harrier, Ghostbusters, and Quartet, I became a crack gamer. Or well gaming became my crack...depends on your perspective. But good or bad, it’s undeniable that my interest in gaming lead to my current vocation. And my interest was initially sparked by that amazing gift.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve looked at the videogame industry as being directly linked to xmas. Getting the best gift for kids is so tricky. Most people want to give gifts with staying power. Something that a child will play with or use for a long time. A child may ask for a doll or action figure that they’ve been coveting. An excited parent may quickly snatch up the toy thinking “Good, I’ve got that one sorted. My child is going to love this one”. Only to find their child’s interest in the toy wane after only a couple days(if that).
That’s what has made videogames the “safe” pick for as long as I can remember. Or at least in the case of videogame consoles. Consoles are really the vessel for the entertainment. They facilitate the fun, but aren’t the fun by themselves. The reason why consoles are so popular as gifts is simple. They can be refreshed from time to time with the gift of a new game. Thus giving the original gift(the console), staying power. Future gift buying can also become much simpler. Just get him/her a new game, and you’ll be getting days, if not weeks, if not months of fun. But unfortunately, this can turn into “Just get him/her a new game to shut him/her up”.
I used to work in an EB Games in Calgary. While I was there I saw it time and time again. Parents would walk in, not even glance at any of the shelves and ask “What should I get for my child for his/her GameCube/PS2/Xbox?” Every time I would counter with “Well what other games does your child play?”. And 8 times out of 10 I would get a response that clearly showed that they had absolutely no idea. Although I never showed it, I would usually get pretty angry at this point. You see, at least my mom was pretty good at policing what games my brother and I could play. Although we were still able to sneak a few in there that were less than innocent.
The problem is A LOT of parents are far too comfortable with handing over hours of their child’s developing years to the staff of local videogame retailers. Most of which couldn’t care less about what your child is playing. I was working at EB when GTA: Vice City was released. Big lineups, with an awful lot of minors in them. Beforehand, we had received a memo telling us to card everyone who looked younger than 18. If they were younger than 18, they would need a parent or guardian to come in and give the Ok. I wasn’t a manager, but after the manager, I was the most senior staff member during this event. And he was not around that much because...well, managers are busy. They have to run around and do shit. Occasionally, I would see someone who was NOT 18 walking away happily with a copy of GTA. Every time I would ask the employee at the tills about the customer in question, I would usually be told something like “Oh, their parent came in earlier”, or “yeah I carded him, and he was over 18”. It’s not that those employees were bad, or that they thought the crap you did in Vice City was fine entertainment for minors. It’s just the cowardly people manning the tills were young too. And didn’t want to deal with confrontation. And believe me there was confrontation that day in spades. I can’t count how many people would come in, get carded, and walk away angry and screaming.
One person stuck with me. A kid in line asked for a copy of Vice City that he was able to pre-order and paid for in full already. He was not 18. Not even close. We’re talking like 14, maybe. I told him he needed a parent or guardian. He left the store....by about 5 metres. He started talking to everyone walking into the shop, obviously asking them to get his copy of Vice City for him. Yup, he had been reduced to that kid standing outside a liquor store asking someone to buy him some beer “for his parents”. Eventually some random college guy agreed, skipped the line, and walked right up with the kid to my till. The kid grinning all the way. The college guy said “I’m here to get my copy of Vice City, and my cousin’s copy”. A few of the people in line, who had been watching this all transpire, chuckled. I told random college guy that I was sorry, but the kid needed a parent or guardian to give the ok. Without hesitation, he turned to the kid and said “Sorry kid, you’re on your own”, then went to the back of the line. The kid left angrily, but not defeated...not yet.
Later in the day, the kid returned...with his mom. His mom, who was visibly confused as to the whole situation, asked me why I wouldn’t give her son a videogame that he had already paid for. I told her I wasn’t refusing to give the game to him. I was refusing to give the game to him without permission from his parents. If he at any point wanted his money back, I would have handed it over without hesitation. But he wasn’t interested in the money. He just wanted “his” game. Which I would now gladly give to him if she gave the thumbs up. And she, like many a perplexed parent before her, asked “What’s so controversial about this game that you need me to give the ok?” I referred her to the ESRB description on the back that reads “Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence”. Let’s just say she was less than thrilled with her son, forcing him to get a refund. And that was followed by an amazing temper tantrum from him that ended with him backing out of the store screaming “I HATE YOU” at me. But the mom was really nice, and thanked me for not selling him that game. As were all the parents that came in getting a lesson in the ESRB system.
My experiences at EB have lead me to one conclusion. Most parents of the baby boom generation have a different image of videogames. Their memories of videogames usually involve “Pong”, “Asteroids”, and “Pac-Man”. Part of the reason why games weren’t bloody and gory was because the fidelity of games dictated the content much more than the current generation. Simulating a decapitation in Pac-Man would likely prove rather fruitless(however simulating fruits proved rather fruitful). And the other thing was...violent games just weren’t popular back when dinosaurs(and baby boomers)walked the earth.
Parents who come at videogame purchasing thinking that they are all still about chasing dots will usually at some point come to a startling reality check. Normally this happens when they walk in on their child while their offspring are picking up simulated hookers, doing simulated drugs, or stabbing/shooting/fragging/gibbing/beating up simulated people/monsters/aliens/trees. Some parents, when presented with this image will go on to curse the videogame industry or the videogame retailers. And sometimes they are right to do so. But most times, the real person at fault is the parent. Not every game is meant for every person. Just the same as how not every movie is for every person. Parents can’t count on the digital babysitter. Games are a fun escape at times, but they need to be kept in check.
If there’s one thing I could push on parents, it’s for them to understand the ESRB system. Sure some games can slip through the cracks from time to time. But all in all, it’s a good way for parents to determine what games are ok for their kids, and what games aren’t. Hell, most consoles even have the ability to lock out games meant for older audiences.
So parents, it’s fine to give the gift of gaming to your spawn. But please, take an interest in it with them. Don’t just turn the nintendo on and walk away. Do some research into gaming and try to get a good idea of what is ok, and what isn’t. Play some games with your kids. And please, don’t walk into a games retailer and expect the pimply faced teen behind the counter to decide what your kid should be playing.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve looked at the videogame industry as being directly linked to xmas. Getting the best gift for kids is so tricky. Most people want to give gifts with staying power. Something that a child will play with or use for a long time. A child may ask for a doll or action figure that they’ve been coveting. An excited parent may quickly snatch up the toy thinking “Good, I’ve got that one sorted. My child is going to love this one”. Only to find their child’s interest in the toy wane after only a couple days(if that).
That’s what has made videogames the “safe” pick for as long as I can remember. Or at least in the case of videogame consoles. Consoles are really the vessel for the entertainment. They facilitate the fun, but aren’t the fun by themselves. The reason why consoles are so popular as gifts is simple. They can be refreshed from time to time with the gift of a new game. Thus giving the original gift(the console), staying power. Future gift buying can also become much simpler. Just get him/her a new game, and you’ll be getting days, if not weeks, if not months of fun. But unfortunately, this can turn into “Just get him/her a new game to shut him/her up”.
I used to work in an EB Games in Calgary. While I was there I saw it time and time again. Parents would walk in, not even glance at any of the shelves and ask “What should I get for my child for his/her GameCube/PS2/Xbox?” Every time I would counter with “Well what other games does your child play?”. And 8 times out of 10 I would get a response that clearly showed that they had absolutely no idea. Although I never showed it, I would usually get pretty angry at this point. You see, at least my mom was pretty good at policing what games my brother and I could play. Although we were still able to sneak a few in there that were less than innocent.
The problem is A LOT of parents are far too comfortable with handing over hours of their child’s developing years to the staff of local videogame retailers. Most of which couldn’t care less about what your child is playing. I was working at EB when GTA: Vice City was released. Big lineups, with an awful lot of minors in them. Beforehand, we had received a memo telling us to card everyone who looked younger than 18. If they were younger than 18, they would need a parent or guardian to come in and give the Ok. I wasn’t a manager, but after the manager, I was the most senior staff member during this event. And he was not around that much because...well, managers are busy. They have to run around and do shit. Occasionally, I would see someone who was NOT 18 walking away happily with a copy of GTA. Every time I would ask the employee at the tills about the customer in question, I would usually be told something like “Oh, their parent came in earlier”, or “yeah I carded him, and he was over 18”. It’s not that those employees were bad, or that they thought the crap you did in Vice City was fine entertainment for minors. It’s just the cowardly people manning the tills were young too. And didn’t want to deal with confrontation. And believe me there was confrontation that day in spades. I can’t count how many people would come in, get carded, and walk away angry and screaming.
One person stuck with me. A kid in line asked for a copy of Vice City that he was able to pre-order and paid for in full already. He was not 18. Not even close. We’re talking like 14, maybe. I told him he needed a parent or guardian. He left the store....by about 5 metres. He started talking to everyone walking into the shop, obviously asking them to get his copy of Vice City for him. Yup, he had been reduced to that kid standing outside a liquor store asking someone to buy him some beer “for his parents”. Eventually some random college guy agreed, skipped the line, and walked right up with the kid to my till. The kid grinning all the way. The college guy said “I’m here to get my copy of Vice City, and my cousin’s copy”. A few of the people in line, who had been watching this all transpire, chuckled. I told random college guy that I was sorry, but the kid needed a parent or guardian to give the ok. Without hesitation, he turned to the kid and said “Sorry kid, you’re on your own”, then went to the back of the line. The kid left angrily, but not defeated...not yet.
Later in the day, the kid returned...with his mom. His mom, who was visibly confused as to the whole situation, asked me why I wouldn’t give her son a videogame that he had already paid for. I told her I wasn’t refusing to give the game to him. I was refusing to give the game to him without permission from his parents. If he at any point wanted his money back, I would have handed it over without hesitation. But he wasn’t interested in the money. He just wanted “his” game. Which I would now gladly give to him if she gave the thumbs up. And she, like many a perplexed parent before her, asked “What’s so controversial about this game that you need me to give the ok?” I referred her to the ESRB description on the back that reads “Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence”. Let’s just say she was less than thrilled with her son, forcing him to get a refund. And that was followed by an amazing temper tantrum from him that ended with him backing out of the store screaming “I HATE YOU” at me. But the mom was really nice, and thanked me for not selling him that game. As were all the parents that came in getting a lesson in the ESRB system.
My experiences at EB have lead me to one conclusion. Most parents of the baby boom generation have a different image of videogames. Their memories of videogames usually involve “Pong”, “Asteroids”, and “Pac-Man”. Part of the reason why games weren’t bloody and gory was because the fidelity of games dictated the content much more than the current generation. Simulating a decapitation in Pac-Man would likely prove rather fruitless(however simulating fruits proved rather fruitful). And the other thing was...violent games just weren’t popular back when dinosaurs(and baby boomers)walked the earth.
Parents who come at videogame purchasing thinking that they are all still about chasing dots will usually at some point come to a startling reality check. Normally this happens when they walk in on their child while their offspring are picking up simulated hookers, doing simulated drugs, or stabbing/shooting/fragging/gibbing/beating up simulated people/monsters/aliens/trees. Some parents, when presented with this image will go on to curse the videogame industry or the videogame retailers. And sometimes they are right to do so. But most times, the real person at fault is the parent. Not every game is meant for every person. Just the same as how not every movie is for every person. Parents can’t count on the digital babysitter. Games are a fun escape at times, but they need to be kept in check.
If there’s one thing I could push on parents, it’s for them to understand the ESRB system. Sure some games can slip through the cracks from time to time. But all in all, it’s a good way for parents to determine what games are ok for their kids, and what games aren’t. Hell, most consoles even have the ability to lock out games meant for older audiences.
So parents, it’s fine to give the gift of gaming to your spawn. But please, take an interest in it with them. Don’t just turn the nintendo on and walk away. Do some research into gaming and try to get a good idea of what is ok, and what isn’t. Play some games with your kids. And please, don’t walk into a games retailer and expect the pimply faced teen behind the counter to decide what your kid should be playing.