Never Too Old To Play™

I love video games.

They’re the perfect form of entertainment. They can be as easy or difficult as you want. They can include stories that are every bit as interesting and clever as the ones you find in books. They’re more interactive than watching television shows or movies. You don’t need to be tall, fast, muscular, or lithe in order to participate.

Anybody can enjoy video games despite people who still try to convince you that video games are for kids, oblivious that video games went mainstream a decade ago and that the video game industry, with 2008 revenues totaling $22 billion in the U.S. alone, is now bigger than the film and music industries combined with revenues of $9.5 and $10 billion, respectively, and trails the video disc industry, with $23 billion, by a relatively small amount.

“You’re too old to play video games” is a contention that hasn’t held water since the launch of the PlayStation 2 and the arrival of Grand Theft Auto 3.

You’re never too old to play.

I embrace this mantra as fully as I do “you’re only as old as you feel.” Life is too short and often too stressful to not enjoy yourself whenever you can with whatever forms of entertainment most appeal to you.

If fragging your best friend in an online Gears of War deathmatch, collecting one more Power Star in Super Mario Galaxy or rocking a Hyper Cube combo in Bejeweled 2 is as fun to you as watching Monday Night Football, jamming on the guitar or curling up with the latest John Grisham novel is for other people, then go for it!

I love writing about the things I love.

I’m very passionate about my entertainment, and I decided to create a website so I could share that passion with others.

Up until this point, I expressed this passion in posts to Usenet groups, message boards and other similar online forums. Unfortunately, the discussions in those outlets typically morph into flame wars between elitist fanboys arguing about whether the Xbox 360 is better than the PlayStation 3 or whether the Wii is a “real” gaming system.

Don’t me wrong – I very much enjoy debating with people, and it’s oddly gratifying to put a fanboy in their place, but that sort of environment is not the ideal breeding ground for writing that may help someone figure out what game to buy or rent for themselves or their families.

My hope for this website is that it develops into a useful resource of reviews and opinions of video games, and sometimes perspectives and commentaries on the industry developments, that is accessible to everyone instead of geared towards just one particular platform or niche demographic.

(Ever notice how most gaming websites cater only to the hardcore gamers?)

I just love entertainment in general.

I love watching movies and television shows just as much as I love playing video games. I also enjoy reading books, listening to music, going to Broadway shows, playing board games, and many other entertainment-related activities.

Because of this – and because “Never Too Old To Watch” doesn’t have the same ring to it and “Never Too Old To Listen” sounds like a website for parents to lecture to their children – I decided to expand the concept of the website beyond just the video game industry.

I am passionate about all the forms of entertainment that appeal to me, and there is in my opinion a similar dearth of down-to-earth, “everyman” perspectives on movies, television shows and other things that make people happy.

Hopefully, this website will provide you with some useful opinions, perspectives or, at the very least, an enjoyable read during your coffee break, in between classes or on your commute.

Sorry about the length of this About page, but like I said earlier, I love writing about the things I love.

Cheers!