Why I Don't Play Video Games

Via Slashdot comes A Gamers' Manifesto by David Wong and Haimoimoi. It's a long list of what's wrong with game design and marketing. Most of it is easily fixable, but not profitable for one reason or another, or it's some tradition carried forward mindlessly.

I've rarely played any video games. Just don't care. Learning which finger-twitch combo I need to use and then repeating it thirty or forty times to open a door doesn't appeal to me. What few games I play tend to be PC strategy games like Civilization, Alpha Centauri, Sim City and Age of Empires. But even there the PC's AI (artificial intelligence) is so dumb it gets boring quickly.

The article is interesting, too, for what it doesn't mention. Deep immersion games like The Sims. The many small-company games designed for young girls that stress information, talk and social relationships. (I can't recall the names as I type this, but they are out there.) The review is just as male-centric and myopic as the companies and games they decry.

WARNING! The article isn't work safe. Much bad language and a couple of questionable graphics.