Entertainment | Gaming
Old boys
Since the average age of gamers is 35, older heroes such as Indiana Jones and Solid Snake have become common.
- By Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
- Published: 00:07 August 7, 2008
- Image Credit:
Since the average age of gamers is 35, older heroes such as Indiana Jones and Solid Snake have become common.
What do Indiana Jones, John Rambo and Solid Snake have in common? They all qualify for AARP (American Association for Retired Persons) membership.
Indiana Jones, played by the 65-year-old Harrison Ford, nurses his joints as he swings through South American jungles in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Earlier this year, Rambo was roused from his weary retirement in the Burmese bush at the ripe age of 61. The tagline: "Heroes never die ... They just reload.
The latest ageing video game icon is Solid Snake, the stealthy operative at the centre of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, a game that shimmered onto store shelves recently. The game, exclusive to the Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, is one of the electronic giant's best hopes for catching up in the video-game console race.
Rapid ageing disorder
Technically, he is only 43 years old in the game, and the qualifying age for AARP is 50. But in the final episode of this decade-old franchise, he suffers from a rapid ageing disorder that wreaks havoc on his complexion and adds years to his rugged features. There's a conspiracy behind this ageing business, and Solid Snake races against time — and a bad back — to thwart the evildoers.
"It just seems funny to see Solid Snake running around a battlefield with his gray hairs and wrinkles," said Geoff Keighley, editor of Gameslice, a Web site with video-game news and reviews. "But he seems to be as agile as ever."
In good company
Solid Snake is in good company. Mario, Nintendo's plucky mascot plumber, made his debut in 1981 in the original arcade version of Donkey Kong. Assuming he was an adult then, Mario is at least in the late 40s today.
"There's just something wonderful about looking at Mario and saying, 'I knew him when he was just 8 pixels!' " said Julian Dibbell, 45, author of Play Money and other books about games, culture and technology. "Video games as a medium has managed to be ours in a way that rock-and-roll was to a slightly older generation."
The average age of gamers is 35, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That's why audiences – many of them ageing video-game enthusiasts and baby boomers – are tolerant of the geriatric trend in pop culture. They reward the creators with blockbuster sales – so long as those heroes can still crack the whip, gut terrorists and take on rogue paramilitary armies.
Solid Snake is the creation of Japanese developer Hideo Kojima, 44. Unlike Grand Theft Auto and other top game franchises that rode the PlayStation train to riches, Metal Gear Solid hasn't messed around with the other next-generation consoles. Having sold more than 22 million copies for various versions of the PlayStation over the past decade, it is available only for the PS3, not Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 or Nintendo Co.'s Wii.
"If you look at the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the PlayStation is where it has its roots," said Anthony Crouts, vice president of marketing of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc., the game's Japanese publisher. "Sony has always been a good strategic partner for us."
Sony is hoping the title can energise sales of the console, which is running third in the multibillion-dollar race. Consumers worldwide have bought 24 million Wiis and 19 million Xbox 360s but only 13 million PS3s.
Wall.E
Watched the movie? Now play the game. Wall.E The Videogame is the official game of the blockbuster animated movie which features a lonely robot, who takes off on a journey to find the reason for his existence. The game is available on XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) consoles in both English and Arabic.
It will also be made available for PlayStation2, PC, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, but only in English.
Using Disney Pixar's advanced AI, players take control of Wall.E and Eve in a fast-paced adventure. The game allows fans to relive some of the movie's most thrilling moments as they explore ten worlds filled with non-stop action and adventure, along with head-to-head multiplayer challenges. In addition, the game contains new stories and environments that movie-goers are yet to see.
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