Dialogue: you discuss why consoles’ days aren’t numbered

May 8th, 2013, 00:03 Posted By: wraggster

This month’s Dialogue sees Edge readers discuss why games shouldn’t be afraid of their lighter side, why consoles’ days aren’t numbered and the importance of audio design. Not only that, but you discuss how the next-gen could be meaningfully bigger than ever.Remember, send your views to edge@futurenet.com, using ‘Dialogue’ as the subject, and the letter of the month wins a PS Vita.Descent into darkness
The general trend towards debating the smallest detail of a videogame in light of recent news articles, be they gun crimes or random violence, disturbs me. The last few issues of Edge featured articles that called into question the very reason I began my own dark descent into gaming, namely that a game is now seen as an adult art form and any game that does not fit this billing is sidelined as a novelty.Even the letters pages show some sign of this ‘truth’ being universal, but I’m taking a stand for the candy-coloured worlds of fun that are still out there, shouting to be heard among the demons, guns and noir palettes that currently dominate the gaming landscape.There are still those who believe in my cause; the recent resurgence of Rayman, Nintendo’s staunch stance in providing joy-filled worlds and many mobile developers who are, perhaps, trying to relive their youth proves this. However, how often are these given the label of ‘casual’ or brushed off as inconsequential?Yes, gamers have grown up and a lot of those franchises and development teams have grown with them, but shouldn’t the basis of gaming be about fun? Are people who get into gaming through the so-called casual markets now expected to ‘graduate’ to FPSes? Is that the true path to happiness or just an expectation? Should a 30-something (or 40, in my case) gamer be embarrassed when playing the latest Mario title? Our hobby should be about the escape from reality and its disillusioned, cynical society. Instead, I fear that it’s being drawn into it.
Paul ByronWe perhaps wouldn’t agree that games need to be fun, whatever that word really means. But we do propose a new gaming charter: no one should ever feel embarrassed to play Mario. Who’s with us?

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