IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Opinion: We Are All Gamers

Posted October 30, 2009 by Hal Halpin

As part of my role as president of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), I work with the media to answer questions about gamers and gaming, provide feedback and expertise in consumer-related issues and promote the goals and interests of the organization. That generally means that I’m being interviewed or providing commentary anywhere from one to a dozen times a day – and for a variety of outlets. Some are more stressful than others. Working with endemic/games press is often a pleasure, as I get the opportunity to chat with counterparts who are (usually) brilliant at what they do and enthusiastic about sharing related information. Non-endemic media too can be really rewarding, especially when I see the opportunity to reverse a negative stereotype or change the interviewer’s perception or perspective. But the most gut-wrenching interviews – for me, anyway – are on-camera. You have to watch each and every word that comes out of your mouth, consider the way(s) in which they might be interpreted, answer the question – while still getting your point across – and make it all appear effortless. Naturals, like Geoff Keighley and Adam Sessler, who are on camera for a living, pull it off day after day and with a confidence that only years of experience can bring. Me? I internalize. Take all of the outward stress that you’d expect to see (i.e. shaking, sweating, stuttering) and bottle it up inside. Good for the ulcers? No. Better on camera? Yes.
 
I recently had a small team of documentarians over from the U.K. stop by our office. They’re putting together a film that will examine the role that gaming and games-related technologies have on our culture – from the impact of military simulators to the rise of professional gaming. They were/are working on a tight budget and even tighter timeline, but like most people in their field, they obviously care very deeply about what they do and the nature of the film’s subject. I later came to find out that they believe that their documentary will help shape legislators' (and their respective staffers’) opinions when considering games-related laws, as an educational tool. It was probably a good thing that they didn’t lead with that little nugget, as the weight of future gaming legislation for Great Britain is too much potential guilt for this Irish-Catholic to bear.
 
Because the questions were very mass market in nature, assuming that someone in the Parliament or a government agency would be watching it, it allowed me a very distanced perspective from which to answer. Some of my responses were the standard fare that you’ve likely read or heard me say ad nauseum. But others… became uniquely-compelling because of that adjusted perception. One such line of questioning went something like: are some games more platform-specific in genre and type than others, and why? The pat response is that each of the consoles offer a different value proposition and experience and therefore attract publishers and brands that suit. But beyond that is: who is a gamer now that wasn’t before as a result? The answer is that we’re all gamers… OK, nearly all.
 
As Generations X and Y mature and continue to consume interactive entertainment, while also having children who themselves ingest games (similarly to any other media), we begin to win the war of attrition that has been discussed by Government Affairs executives the country over. But the impact that it is having and will have is subtle, yet sublime: gaming changes us, our tastes and preferences, our mood and attitude and how we interact with the world. Like music and movies, compelling gameplay can be motivational, inspirational and depressing and disgusting. We are affected.
 
Stipulating that, let’s look at anecdotal evidence: I’ll ask our tax attorney if he’s a gamer and he’ll respond without missing a beat that he is not. But if I ask what he did last weekend, he’ll tell me about the party he attended where he played Rock Band/Guitar Hero/Wii Sports and had a blast. I then ask him if he’s stumbled across any cool new mobile games during his long train commutes to and from the office and he’ll explode into a soliloquy about the diversity of apps. So while the vast majority of us wouldn’t necessarily self-identify as “gamers,” the reality is that we all are. The trick for marketers is matching up the target demographic with the right IP and delivered via the right platform or device. When those channels align and the content is compelling, the result is AAA success.

Hal Halpin is the president of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), the non-profit membership organization which represents game consumers.