How Playing Video Games Gained Sex Appeal

Once upon a time, in a time not-so-distant from now, video games were generally viewed as a "nerd" kind of thing. In the times of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, generally a hip party was not advertised as being somewhere to bring some some controllers, get smashed, and play some video games. Fast-forward to 2009. It's very common and socially acceptable to hear an invitation to a party advertised with more than just a simple mention of what kind of alcohol is going to be present there.

Nowadays, it's commonplace to see a girl sit down because she wants to play some Guitar Hero or Halo. While the idea of a girl playing a video game used to be a rare and mysterious thing to imagine, or even rarer, to actually witness it, nowadays girls are down for playing video games just as much as their male counterparts. It's no longer thought of as socially unacceptable to be playing video games in the midst of a social gathering. No one bats an eye if someone wants to sit down to play some Halo in the middle of a crowd of intoxicated teenagers.

With the advent of Halo came an increased interest in playing first person shooters on consoles. Anyone, even someone who wasn't familiar with first person shooters, or even video games for that matter, could sit down and quickly get into a multiplayer game with their friends and swiftly pick up the basics of playing. It brought video games into a whole new light; a more socially acceptable form of entertainment.

With the release of Guitar Hero, everyone and their grandma seemed to suddenly be getting into video games. I mean, you're holding a guitar-shaped controller. What could possibly be nerdy about that? The public perception of video games has definitely been changed, for the better or worse. Some "hardcore gamers" have a problem with this, complaining that now developers are catering to the "mainstream" audience that has recently presented itself to be viable consumers to market products towards. Another complaint from the "hardcore" audience is that they were made fun of for playing video games for so long, and now they have to share an interest from those who previously had made of them for it.

Whatever the case is, no one can deny that video games are definitely not seen in the same light as in days past. For better or worse, there is a new breed of gamers who will continue to create a market for "alternative" kinds of games.