I didn’t realize until quite recently how UNIVERSAL videogaming is. I still have to poke myself with numbers to reinforce the fact.
More than half of the world’s population is active gamers. Oddly, US is not the top. Even more oddly, Britain is ahead of Japan. 70% of Brits are gamers, 67% of Japs, 66% of US. Are they all young? No. The average age is 33. Only 21% of gamers are under 21. Are they all male? No. 10 years ago they were, but now it’s 55/45.
The Hollywood strikers may also be ignoring this fact when they assume that their strike is bothering the audience. Games are not affected by the strike and probably won’t be affected.
“It’s like a mutual fucking and both sides just seem to suck right now and the only loser is everyone,” says a top manager at a firm that recently asked its principals to take salary cuts to avoid laying off any assistants or staffers.
“I just don’t see any winners in any of this. Oh yeah, and the consumer? They’re just watching re-runs and getting even more hooked on video games.”
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Note for clarity: I’m not bemoaning the prevalence of gaming. Given the choice between gaming vs watching TV or living inside Xitter, gaming is MUCH better because it’s active. You’re mentally moving around and interacting in several different ways, and many gamers create their own content. Active making is always better than passive absorption, even if the making is non-physical.
Polistra's Mill 