I went to talk to Magnus Z this morning (nothing unusual there, happens a few hundred times a day) and read something about BioShock 2 on his screen. Got into a conversation about the game, and System Shock 2 and atmosphere, graphics, aesthetics… I played BioShock for like 30 minutes and I completely love the context, the entire background story, the feeling of it all.

But. I don’t like games that are too hard, that takes too long. Or at least I want the option to “jump ahead” if I get bored or don’t have the time. Give me a Fast Forward button please!

If I read a book, it’s given to me to do what I like with it. I might read the last chapter first. I might read some pages less careful than others. Maybe I want to know who the murderer is before I’m supposed to. It’s all up to me. I like that freedom.

Why are games still so linear? Why are we forcing the players to have the exact experience we want them to have, in that particular order? Can’t we just give them a universe and say “go play now”?

I discovered a game yesterday that I really like, it’s called Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet. Haven’t tried the full version yet, just the 60 minute free trial. But I could definetely see myself paying for spending more time with that game. It’s like picking up a good book, it’s a world you lose yourself in, no rush, take your time, you won’t get punished/killed/game over-ized for not reacting quick enough.

Agatha Christie: Peril at End House —->

Ok so maybe “Death in Scarlet” isn’t all that fun every day. I’ll probably be in the mood for something slightly more energetic at times. But isn’t that the thing with all kinds of media? You’re not always in the mood for a comedy or Dostojevskij or Prince or CNN. It varies. And so far there hasn’t been enough games of this slow yet intriguing kind. Or maybe I just haven’t looked close enough.

<—- large upset non-human, Resident Evil style

There must be other ways of challenging the user than trying to avoid being torn to pieces by yet another flesh eating alien. And surely it’s possible to design a game that lets it’s users act individually, making completely different kinds of decisions, wanting different things, being irrational?

The high speed adrenaline boosting gaming experiences that I like is of the fighting kind, not so much the more strategic war kind. I just don’t have the patience. I know there’s no way for me to get ahead without taking the long road. There are no short cuts. That annoys me to the point that I don’t even try it out - I already know that I won’t find the time to finish it anyway.

The one game I’ve ever put more than 10 hours into. Ico.

(and that was only because the kids were away for two weeks…)

Is it a gender thing? An age thing? A personality thing? Or a combination of all three. I work all day, the kids apparently want to eat and have clean clothes (cheeky!) and I need a few hours sleep. This leaves virtually no time for gaming. Meaning that the games I do play have to be forgiving, easy to access, and generally low maintance.

But don’t mistake “easy” for shallow. I want depth. I want a challenge. I want to be immersed. And I want the freedom to play the game any way I want (sort of).

Is that too much to ask for?

Lewis just phoned me, to complain about having to go on the bus for half an hour to get home from school… about how much it sucks having to walk a kilometer from the bus to our house…and about the fact that he missed the last bus today and has to go home with me. In the car. After I’ve finished working. Poor poor industrialized country children of today. The horrors. The dreadful circumstances they have to put up with! (major irony taking place here)

While on the phone he asked if he could borrow my laptop once he gets here. “No, cause I’m working”. Oh, but the other one? (spoiled! - there’s always another computer lurking around the corner) “Yes fine, you can use that” Have you released that racing game yet? “No, it’s not out yet” But you could play it on the internet? “Yes, but it’s not OUT yet. It’s just for us, it’s not for everyone. It’s still being developed” Right, you need like a code or something. “Sort of, yeah”. It was fun, I want to play it…

And that’s when I get a sort of warm fuzzy feeling inside… My gaming child likes our game. He wants to play it. He’s not into sports of any kind - he doesn’t play PS at all - he just really likes games. And he really liked PR… That’s a good sign. And right now, looking out, I definetely need a good warm fuzzy feeling.

Imagine “Great Britain Grey” as if there was such a colour. Then add drizzling rain. Then through in a bit of snow, nicely blending with the rain. And ta-taaa! That’s Linköping today. (update: now it’s actually snowing, like Santa is coming to town…what happened to spring and birds singing and those daffodils finding their way through the frozen ground?)

Looking forward to that lit fire that will be burning in our living room later this evening…

So, a couple of days ago a 15 year old boy collapsed after playing WOW for 24 hours. (you can read about it, in Swedish, on some Swedish news sites, like this for example)

During that 24 hour gaming session he had less than two hours sleep and very little to eat. So he collapsed, had some sort of seizure and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

Now his parents have set a time limit on his gaming, and they’ve also talked to his friends and their parents to make sure they also get some sort of limit for how much time they spend in front of the computer.

Really? Time limit? No s*** Sherlock!?

Well pardon my French - but isn’t that pretty obvious? What parents let their kids decide for themselves what to do and what not, what to eat and where to go, how much sleep is needed etc etc? Isn’t that what being a parent is all about? Being the killjoy, setting boundaries, drawing the lines, saying no..?

I don’t expect my kids to like me all the time. If they did, I’d consider it a failure on my part. If your kids agree with you too much, trust me, something’s very wrong.

And an article like this, kids collapsing, talking about how they need to play for days in a row to level up, to get ahead in the game, emergency room visits with epileptic-like seizures… well, it’s like pushing the “Let Hell Loose”-button.

Articals, blog posts and experts commenting on the dangers of computer games, expecially the whole addiction issue. What are the symptoms to look for and, if we’re lucky, what potential cures and antidotes are there?

Well how about a nice big cup of common sense!?

All you worried parents, stubborn kids and researchers hungry for five minutes of fame - Give. Us. A. Break. Think for a second. Act your age.

Kids are kids and we don’t let them ride rollercoasters every day, have ice cream for breakfast or wear high heels when they’re 10. Why? It’s not good for them. We shouldn’t let them read books 24/7, eat only vegetables or PLAY GAMES FOR TOO LONG either! For the same reason.

We have a Swedish word called “lagom”. It’s a bit tricky to translate properly, but the meaning of it is  someting similar to “just enough” or “the right amount of something”. Not too much, not too little. That pretty much sums this whole problem up.

I’m sick and tired of so called grown ups running around in the media, like hedless chicken, screaming about the dangers of an innocent medium, when the problem itself is parents dodging the parental bullet. Avoiding getting in the middle of the whole messy rules-and-regulations-thingie.

If you can’t communicate or control your children - don’t blame the game, or the friends they hang out with, or the music they listen to. Be a parent, be responsible and have the guts to wreck the party by saying “no”.

This is not the kind of no where you forbid something out of ignorance or spite. It’s not a no to games, or parties or music. it’s a no to doing anything - anything - in excess. It’s a no to too much sleep, not enough vitamins, too much sun, not enough fresh air, shoes that don’t fit, coats that aren’t warm enough, too much caffeine, studying too hard… Stuff that’s bad for you, in one way or another.

People are different. Some are more sensitive than others, physically and emotionally, to go without sleep or food just generally being affected by games or movies or ideas. As parents we do our best to guide our kids through those trying years of growing up. We want our children to like us, and we want them to be healthy - as healthy and happy ususally go well together. To keep them healthy, and happy, we have to disappoint them sometimes. The eternal paradox.

Being a parent isn’t about being the best friend (unless your name is Lorelai Gilmore). It’s about giving your kids a fair, easy-to-follow, loving environment to grow up in. Love them. Say no. Trust them. Say no again. (try to have some fun while doing it) Love them some more. And that sickening feeling of guilt when tears start running down their little faces because they hate because you suck because you made them leave Azeroth already..? Get used to it, it’s an occupational hazard. It tells you you’re probably doing something right.