14 DAY TRIAL // In an editorial in the Washington Post, columnist George F. Will writes, as part of a rant against the Denim Generation, as he calls it, that “Seventy-five percent of American 'gamers' - people who play video games - are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote.” You can read the rest of his editorial on the website of the Washington Post.
The obvious implication of the above quote is that those who are still playing videogames, even though they are older than 18, should not be allowed to vote, because their choice of entertainment proves, beyond any doubt, that they lack the necessary level of maturity.
What does Mister Will think about those who are over 18 and play board games? Probably the same. What does he think about those who play with their children? About those who play sports in the park at the weekend? About those who play social games in bars at night? About those who play political games in Washington and elsewhere?
Just the fact that about 75% of American adults play videogames, in one form or another, on one console or another, should prove that this is an activity just as acceptable and mature as reading or watching TV. If we plan on looking down on all those who play videogames, then we should also look down on all those who watch TV. The problem here is that people let their opinions be driven by preconceptions and not by informed knowledge of reality.
Mister Will has four children who grew up just as videogaming became more mainstream and important in the lives of Americans. We wonder whether he is ready to deny them the right to political decision for the simple fact that they might enjoy videogaming.