The Gaming Generation

How do adults still find time for their favorite games?

The atari 2600 was released in 1977. Pac-Mania swept the U.S. in 1980. The Nintendo Entertainment System took the American homeconsole market by storm in 1986. And now, the first generation to grow up with video games is all grown up.
Gamers who stared down the challenges of reaching “just one more level” or beating an old high score are now facing a more signifi cant challenge: blending the gaming lifestyle with marriages, mortgages, and raising children. How are some members of the “video-game generation” coping? And where do sociologists see this generation taking family relationships and gaming itself in the future?
With gaming stepping out of the shadows of geekdom and into the spotlight of the mainstream, gamer parents aren’t alone—in fact, they have some pretty noteworthy company. Mike Krahulik, better known to his legions of fans as Gabe, one half of the team behind the gaming Webcomic “Penny Arcade,” says that time is the biggest challenge in blending gaming and parenthood. “You just don’t have as much time for gaming when you’re up every 30 minutes to change diapers and get thrown up on.”
Another parent who juggles time constraints with his gaming is John Scalzi, best-selling author of Old Man’s War and editorial contributor for Official PlayStation Magazine. The demands on his time can lead to a confl ict between the way games were designed to be played and the way he wants to enjoy them. “I tend not to play games that don’t allow me to save at any time and any place,” he says. Whether or not game makers intend it, Scalzi feels arbitrary save points imply that “what the game has got going on is more important than anything else I’ve got going on in my life. That’s incorrect; games have to fi t my life, not the other way around.”
For Scalzi, Krahulik, and others, an important part of integrating gaming into their lives is sharing it with their children. Andrew Bub, a veteran gaming journalist, plays Barbie games with his young daughter Maggie; she’s also an avid Mario Bros. and Ms. Pac-Man player. Scalzi plays not only classic arcade games with his daughter but “some of the more bloodless fighting games,” such as the Soul Calibur series, and rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution.
Meanwhile, Dr. Michael G. Zey, noted sociologist and author of the forthcoming book The Ageless Society, predicts that with advances in medical technology and people living longer than ever, American society will see a reemergence of what he calls the “multigenerational family”—several generations living under one roof.
Video games have offered millions an opportunity to bond over a shared culture, and the gaming generation is taking the opportunity to share the experience with loved ones and pass a passion for gaming on to the next generation. Video games, once dismissed as a fl ash in the pan, have become a permanent part of the landscape. And for the generation that grew up with them, those virtual worlds have become a part of their everyday world.