The whole concept that men playing video games is worse than building train sets in their basement is laughable. Obviously, Muir has no friends and doesn't understand the concept of "multiplayer". Train sets have less room for multiple involvement than a video game does. A man can invite his friends over for a 4-player game of FIFA 08 and a few beers. It wouldn't sound the same if he asked his friends to come over and "help him glue the tunnel to the train track".
And you don't need to be a geek to play video games. But I'm curious to know what Muir's definition of geek is anyway. I play video games for a living, yet I go out almost every night to socialize with friends, I have a girlfriend, I've traveled multiple times, I love to shop for clothes and I enjoy drinking a glass of red wine while watching a movie late at night. My friends are all the same. Yet at least four times a week we all meet up in my basement and duel it out over a game of Mario Kart. Perhaps next time we should head out to the bar, get drunk, walk the streets, abuse an elderly citizen and then throw up in an alleyway. That would be more manly and less geeky, wouldn't it Muir?
Muir's article only gets deeper and more intuitive in reference to how the non-gaming public refers to games. She just doesn't seem to be able to grasp the concept of "evolution". She says, "Who knew that the generation who first became addicted to Pac-Man and Super Mario would turn out to be boys who never grew up? Man-teens sitting before their kiddy consoles like huge manatees".
It would be wise for Muir to head to a game store and check out the games that are available nowadays. She obviously can't understand that video game consoles are no longer (just) for children, and that they have evolved over time. Cartoons were once only aimed at children. Now, shows like South Park and Family Guy are toons aimed specifically at adults. Does this mean that any adult who watches these shows is a "Man-teen" because he watches cartoons? It's the same logic Muir is trying to get across and she has no idea what she is talking about. Games are more often than not aimed at adults. They are made for adults. Of the 35 Xbox 360 games I own, 32 of them have a rating of M15+ or higher. That means they are recommended for people 15 and above, not children. Like the rest of the non-gaming public, Muir is stuck in a time-loop where she constantly believes that games are made for children and only children. They have evolved, like cartoons, like film, like comics. Not everything is as it was 30 years ago. Things start out small and evolve.
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Article comments
1 - DJ
Dude I loved your article and loved your point.. Proof read first because a couple grammer mistakes make you seem silly being so picky on muir.
Also.. she said Manatee, as in the big animal... not "Man-teen"
Keep it up bro, and don't stop thinking.
2 - Gaetano
She said Man-teen a few times ;) I quoted directly
3 - Brendan
Seriously, kudos on the article my good sir. You get your point across fine.
There is no right or wrong way to live ones life. Simply the way one would -like- to live.
4 - Lisa McKay
Perhaps she's making an ass of her editor for allowing her to include the word "Xboxes" in her article instead of "Xbox's".
I'm curious as to why you think it's proper to pluralize a noun by using an apostrophe. In this case, Muir and her editor are right. The plural form of Xbox is Xboxes.
5 - Gaetano
I'm curious as to why you think it's proper to pluralize a noun by using an apostrophe. In this case, Muir and her editor are right. The plural form of Xbox is Xboxes.
It's not proper, but in the case of the word "XBOX", which is nor an abbreviation or word, XBOX's is a more stylistic choice than "XBOXES". Same situation with "CEO's". You wouldn't put "CEOES" or "cameraes". The apostrophe is purely a stylistic choice. Surely you can admit "XBOXES" just doesn't look right. When I wrote for the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia XBOX was always pluralized using "XBOX's"
6 - Lisa McKay
Perhaps they do things differently down under. I never learned that proper grammar was a matter of "stylistic choice."
Of course we wouldn't pluralize CEO by writing CEOES. We would, however, do so by writing CEOs. CEO is an acronym, and you would pluralize it by adding an "s", not by forcing it to look like a possessive noun when it's not. Xbox is in fact a word, in this case a proper noun.
In fact, if you peruse Microsoft's website, you'll see that they pluralize it "Xboxes" as well.
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
"Same situation with "CEO's". You wouldn't put "CEOES" or "cameraes""
CEOs; cameras
8 - Gaetano
Lisa, perhaps you're trying to point out errors in my own grammar because you're unable to understand and/or agree with my point, which seems to have taken a back seat to my stance on how to write XBOX in a plural sense. Maybe my next article should be about how video-game writers are far too often criticized for the way they write instead of what they write.
9 - Christopher Rose
Actually, I think your next article ought to be about the importance of correct grammar and spelling in aiding comprehension but am not sure you could actually write it!
Luckily I am an editor too, so I'm going to go in and fix the errors that have slipped through in this one.
10 - El Bicho
Why would you criticize Muir's mechanics, but then expect your own to be ignored?
11 - Gaetano
Don't expect anything.
12 - Ken Edwards
Wow I missed this entire lively conversation. While I have seen the term "Xboxes" used before, generally not in an article written for a web site/magazine. "The Xbox is a toy" would have been the way for her to write it.
13 - Tam Hoang
Well I won't get into the debate about spelling and grammar, but I do want to say that I thought this is a very interesting article and you do a good job of taking the counter point. Two points I had:
"But the games addiction is only a symptom of the extended childhood of the 21st-century hominid. Marriage, families and children are being delayed for as long as possible, replaced by conspiratorial flat mates and microwave gastropub ready meals. Italian men stay at home with their mother; the British and Americans want to lead a life like an endless episode of Friends."
Maybe this coming from a purely Westernized perspective, but to me the idea of families and marriage being delayed in today's society reflects more of a desire to pursue different educational, vocational and purely personal endeavors before being 'tied down' to a family responsibility. I think it's a bit of a crass generalization to say people are trying to lead a life as if it is an endless episode of Friends. And maybe she mentioned this in her article, but the delay of families and marriage, I would argue, has as much to do with the increasing empowerment of today's women to pursue their own intellectual interests as they continually push the boundaries previously set in the decades before.
The second point I had is that I do think the explosion of video gaming into mainstream acceptance and really into adult circles really stems from the kids that played the original Nintendo and Atari are simply growing up and bringing their old past times with them. I think on that point she is correct, but I think it remains to be seen how that plays a role in this generation's development.
Well done.
14 - Dean Edwards
First of all I am no relation to Ken.
Secondly your article is first rate. They way your arguement is brought across is excellent I fully agree with your points and your arguement as a whole. Congratulations a journalist that has the intelligence to look past the predetermined etiquette of society and basically say ' just because we're nerds doesnt mean that we're over weight spotty teenagers who watch pronography' And for that I thank you.
On a negative point, call it constructive criticism but you basically spend half your arguement ridiculing Muir, more of your argument should have been spend on expanding your views and opinions.
Nice work.
Who cares about your grammar, as you can tell mine isn't perfect its about what you write not how you write!