An Article I wrote for my application in Summit Media's magazine, GamesMaster. I haven't submitted it yet as I think it can still be revised/improved. I feel like I've been losing my touch since I worked at Starbucks... Let’s face it, the gaming industry is growing as fast, if not faster, as technology is advancing. For someone like me who has played computer games ever since I could use a keyboard, it’s like watching a movie at variable speed – time seems to move at an incredible pace. I started with simple games like Pong and Frogger, then moved on to Cat and Mouse, Prince of Persia, etc. Soon games like Doom, Quake and Descent began to show us the potential of games to be incredibly realistic – with Descent even going so far as to create a 3D environment that can be fully explored -the game being played in the POV of a spaceship within space mines. Of course, the consoles didn’t get left behind as they produced memorable titles such as Super Mario, Megaman and Final Fantasy. All of which (and more) have undergone many incarnations and sequels in subsequent consoles that have been produced. Today, games continually blur the line between fantasy and reality by pushing the envelope in developing better graphics and realistic gameplay. The Video Games Industry has come to a point where there are already specific niches in the market for specific genres of games. Being a gamer means you actually have to choose carefully what games you spend your money on. The amount of variety actually makes selecting and buying games akin to choosing which clothes to buy (except that for games, you can’t try it out in a “fitting room”).
It’s not really easy being a gamer. There are lots of challenges and difficulties for someone who really loves gaming. One of these difficulties, coming from personal experience, definitely involves the people around us. The harsh reality is that in this world, gaming is rarely considered as “cool.” A lot of nongamers consider games to be stupid and childish. In our country where the industry still hasn’t been as well accepted as, say, the USA or Japan, this is actually quite a common school of thought especially amongst the elderly. We, the gamers, of course know this is not the case – nothing spells “Mature” quite as well as Doom 3 or GTA San Andreas and there is absolutely nothing stupid about the Tycoon games, The Sims and even a few puzzle/action games like Prince of Persia or Soul Reaver. On the other side of the spectrum are people who claim that videogames help decay the morals of the youth and influence violent behavior. We all probably know about the Columbine Massacre – how two stupid doom-addicts took it upon themselves to turn fantasy into reality by shooting up a school in true FPS fashion. Victims and concerned parents blame id and videogames in general for this tragedy while they don’t realize that as with any crime, these atrocities are more of an exception than the rule. You don’t really see Counterstrike champions going to gun stores, buying pistols and rifles, and shooting up their schools or workplaces just for kicks.
Despite these setbacks, the gaming industry has continued to grow into multimillion dollar industries (EA games actually earn billions). It has begun to be taken seriously by the world around us – and those who still believe in the notions above are now considered as outdated or uninformed. Games are being tapped for ideas for movies, and no longer only the other way around. Games are being used to help train the military and even doctors (studies show their benefits in developing hand-eye coordination which is critical in surgery). Games are being used as a tool for education. And since the advent of Online Multiplayer Games, the gaming industry has boomed almost exponentially – with more firms opening up and developing more games everyday. The Philippines, even being a third-world country, has thankfully not been left behind. We have pioneer developers like Anino Entertainment to thank for bringing the industry into the country and hopefully developing it here to match the giants like EA abroad. This specific era in gaming presents many possibilities to those who wish to be more active in the gaming scene. For the students, there are competitions, bazaars and exhibits (with the ever present cosplay competitions). For professionals, gaming companies here are always on the lookout for talented programmers, writers, and in some cases – gamers, to help develop, test and review games. Since the early part of the century up to now, the gaming industry has taken the world by storm – gradually building up to coincide with advances in information technology. The way things are going, we can expect there to be countless more surprises for gamers to dig into in the near future. Gamers rule!