The Problem with the Video Game Media Industry

I’ve been meaning to write something about this issue for a very long time now but kept putting it off for a number of different reasons. However, after the banning of the recent video game ‘Mortal Kombat’ in Australia (a game which I was particularly looking forward to), I felt like now was the best time to speak up about my feelings on the video game media industry and how I feel like it’s directly contributing to the juvenile stigma that has for far too long been associated with this incredible medium. By only appealing to the teen, ‘hardcore’ gamer demographic, video game journalists have backed the game industry into a proverbial corner; giving the general public the impression that this form of entertainment is little more then an a silly, adolescent distraction. If video games are ever to be taken seriously in the public’s eye, the problems being created by the video game media industry must be addressed and done so sooner rather then later.

Before I go any further, we first have to make one thing clear: What exactly do we mean when we say the “video game media industry”? Simply put, the video game media industry is a journalistic entity which seeks to report, preview and review on everything video games. Popular examples include websites such as IGN, Gamespot, Kotaku and Gametrailers but also include magazines such as Hyper and Electronic Gaming Monthly as well as television shows such as G4’s X-Play. While the primary purpose of these presentations is to inform the viewer (or reader) on the comings and goings of video games, they also unintentionally paint a picture of the gaming audience as well as the industry as a whole. Put simply, these websites, magazines and TV shows put an idea into the minds of the general public of what video games are, what kind of people play them and how they should be viewed.

So what exactly is the problem then? The problem lies in the fact that the vast majority of the video game media give the impression that games are little more then juvenile pleasures; a source of entertainment meant only for kids, nerdy teenagers and immature adults with no serious merit or artistic value to them whatsoever. How do they do this you ask? The answer is not a simple one but let’s just say it has to do with how these media outlets choose to present themselves and who they try to appeal to.

To begin, let’s take a look at the use of language used by video game journalists and TV presenters. All too often have I gone to a game website (like Kotaku), clicked the link for a preview of an upcoming game only to find the article riddled with “leet speak” drivel and adolescent humour that only kids or the geekiest of geeks would understand and enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I like using terms like ‘noob’ and ‘pwn’ when I’m talking with my gamer buddies or when playing online, but when this kind of terminology is used as the primary source of communication for video game journalists it paints a somewhat unintelligent and immature picture of the video game industry (not to mention the people who supposedly play these games).

Game Magazines tend to overuse geeky phrasing (such as 'leet speak' ) making the whole industry seem like a joke.



Of course, language of the ‘epic lolz’ variety is only partially to blame; it’s the way such language is presented that is also a problem. Most video game journalists/presenters love to use an overly colloquial form of communication and while this would be fine in most instances, it’s the coupling with the ‘epic lolz’ language that makes what they’re trying to say seem like nonsensical gibberish to the average joe. For example, I love watching the Australian ‘gaming’ television show ‘Good Game’ – it’s fun, funny and I tend to agree with most of the reviews. However, whenever my Mum stumbles across me watching the show and sits down to watch the opening segment, she’ll all too often turn to me and ask “What did they just say”? You see, having been exposed to the video game media industry for many years now, I understand all of the lingo and in-jokes that so many game journalists like to employ. Problem is, the average layman has absolutely no clue what any of that stuff means. They get confused to the point where they pass off such a program (along with the entire video game medium as a whole) as little more then unintelligent rubbish that only the young, the socially inept or the stupid could ever possibly understand and enjoy.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am perfectly aware of why the video game media industry chooses to use such a form of presentation. After all, the primary demographic for these media outlets is teenagers and young adults. But there in lies the problem. I feel as though the video game media industry has shut itself off to the possibility that people outside of this narrow demographic could ever possibly want anything to do with video games. As a result, the non-teenage, non-20 something person gets alienated. Most of these people don’t even understand what these media outlets are saying yet alone attempt to enjoy the things that they’re preaching. And how can they? It appears that if you didn’t grow up in the generation that began playing video games then you have no business in trying to involve yourself in such a form of entertainment. Not that that’s the intention of the gaming media mind you, but by narrowing their field of vision to just the one particular group of people they are unintentionally giving everyone else who’s yet to experience video games the proverbial middle finger.

I love 'Good Game' but it's tagline of "A show for gamers, by gamers" ensures that no one outside of the 'core' gaming audience could ever understand yet alone enjoy what they're trying to present.



So what does all of this have to do with the banning of Mortal Kombat? Well, almost everything. The R18+ debate has been raging now in Australia for years and it seems like no matter how far video games come in terms of artistic quality, there remain a large number of people who shun them to the side as little more then juvenile filth. So much of this stems from the fact that most people (particularly of the older generation) still don’t really understand video games and why people enjoy them. And how can they when the media industry that has been tasked to report and inform on all things gaming caters only to a young, ‘geek literate’ audience? How are they meant to get into something when they’re inadvertently being told that it isn’t meant for them? The answer: they can’t. And while this may not matter to gamers who could care less about the mainstream acceptance of gaming, it damn well should. Because unfortunately for them, it is the people on the outside of gaming’s ‘inner circle’ that make the decisions in this country and if they don’t properly understand the medium in the same way that we do then the future will continue to look bleak on the possibility of an R18+ rating.

I realise of course that the video game media isn’t entirely to blame for the lack of movement on the R18+ debate. There are also issues relating to the possible correlation between playing violent games and violent behaviour amongst a plethora of other equally concerning points of contention. However, if the people in charge of running this country are ever to bring about positive change in the realm of video games, then they need to understand why people love this medium so much. The video game media can help them get there but - just like video games themselves have over the past 20+ years - the industry needs to grow up. It needs to stop catering to such a narrow audience and needs to start giving the impression that games are more then just for the young and nerdy. It needs to show the world that games are not the red-headed stepchild of the entertainment industry. Rather, it needs to show that video games are the future of entertainment and should be treated with just as much respect and maturity as anything else.