Why is it that gamers can play games like Kirby without being considered childish?

[Erana]

Kirby, Little Big Planet, Mario...

All lighthearted, happy games, filled with rainbows and brightly-colored collectables.
If in any other form of media, they would be considered childish. (TV shows, 'n such not withstanding. They got changed far from the original source) And yet, I see people as excited about them as they are games with grizzled space marines and ancient Greek threesomes.
On rare occasion, people are called childish for liking happy games, so I ask this:
Are adults allowed to like these games because society has come to a general consensus that they are legitimate, mature media?
Or is it because the individuals who play them are secure with themselves?
(Read the sentences above. I am not dissing these games, I am asking why the stigma of immaturity isn't applied to them in Western culture)

 

[Draygen]

Dunno. Don't care much about society. I play kirby right alongside Left 4 Dead and my 4 year old kids (twins) cheer me on for both. If I'm childish, I'm childish. But like I say to everyone who tries to give me a hard time about it. I don't smoke. I don't drink much anymore. I'm not out at all hours of the night. I go to work, go to college, and play video games in my spare time. Give me my addiction and leave me the heck alone, you nefarious society!!!

 

[WilliamWhite1]

I think that, as much as the games creators attempt to make them cute, light-hearted, and certifiably for the years twelve and under, they can be incredibly challenging at times. I don't think that they would hold a child's attention. Besides, there are other times where unspecific people find some sort of solace in things that are untainted. Some people are not secure enough to admit they're also childish, or enjoy childish things, while others would view them as 'legitimate, mature media.'

I can't really put a coin into either of those slots, because groups of individuals would claim they are legitimate media, while others would claim they're simply secure in their masculinity, or what have you. Secure in their sanity.

I wouldn't call these games legitimate MATURE media, but I would venture as far as to say that these people are very secure in themselves -- that is, they would argue that the game is challenging, addicting, and cute. Harmless. Perhaps one of the few things, nowadays, that remains untainted by society, unless one alludes to how euphoric the environments are (and, by connection, alluding to drug use). But that's a very slim chance. Bottom line: I think that, before considering it mature media, people are secure enough in themselves and believe it to be legitimate media, or media alone.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I admit to playing kirby, mario, pokemon, little big planet. I guess that means I'm secure, but the main reason I play these games is actually to get away from the "mature" games. If I play alot of mature games in a row, I start feeling depressed. Fun, cute games lighten the mood. I guess you can say they are a gamers comic relief, at least for me anyway.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Kirby is a badass.

 

[Sacman]

Cause Kirby is freakin awesome!!!

 

[shockandawe95]

because kirby is a manly man

 

[Erana]

Or is it because the individuals who play them are secure with themselves?

Pretty much that.
Also, Kirby is a badass.

Kirby is a badass.

because kirby is a manly man

Somehow, I wouldn't go that far...

 

[henrebotha]

I think the OP's premise is incorrect. I think games are considered universally childish. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether you are playing Super Chibi Photo Safari or Ultra Death Murder Apocalypse because you're still being childish.

 

[PuckFuppet]

Because, Kirby is awesome.

 

[MaxFan]

Or is it because the individuals who play them are secure with themselves?

Pretty much that.
Also, Kirby is a badass.

Somehow, I wouldn't go that far...

He defeats his enemies by swallowing them, or spitting them at the other bad guys! And it takes a real man to wear pink. I guess that's just the color he is, but whatever.

 

[Abedeus]

Or is it because the individuals who play them are secure with themselves?

Pretty much that.
Also, Kirby is a badass.

Somehow, I wouldn't go that far...

He defeats his enemies by swallowing them! And it takes a real man to wear pink. I guess that's just the color he is, but whatever.

True. You have to be really brave to wear pink.


Someone wise told me, "Playing games or watching films isn't childish, no matter what. But laughing at people doing that is childish".

 

[Erana]

I think the OP's premise is incorrect. I think games are considered universally childish. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether you are playing Super Chibi Photo Safari or Ultra Death Murder Apocalypse because you're still being childish.

Yes, but I assumed that fellow gamers would put aside the misconception that games were childish.
However, I must contend your own premise. While video games in general are considered childish, they are, at the same time, considered inappropriate for children, as shown by the uproar over many popular recent games. The general Western public is filled with misconceptions about video gaming.
And also, never, ever say that a view on video games is universal. The Korean and Chinese professional Starcraft teams will come after you... Well, Asia just accepts games as a form of media better than the West, and hearing a spectator of this, "Sport" rant is more boring than the rant of a football fan, in my personal experience. Which I don't have much of in terms of sports fans.

 

[Grampy_bone]

Your premise is basically flawed. Every "kiddie" thing has ardent adult followers. Everyone has their thing, and there's no accounting for taste.

 

[Erana]

Or is it because the individuals who play them are secure with themselves?

Pretty much that.
Also, Kirby is a badass.

Somehow, I wouldn't go that far...

He defeats his enemies by swallowing them, or spitting them at the other bad guys! And it takes a real man to wear pink. I guess that's just the color he is, but whatever.

Lots of things swallow other things. Does that make Whales badass, since they swallow millions of plankton?
Wait a sec...

 

[henrebotha]

I think the OP's premise is incorrect. I think games are considered universally childish. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether you are playing Super Chibi Photo Safari or Ultra Death Murder Apocalypse because you're still being childish.

Yes, but I assumed that fellow gamers would put aside the misconception that games were childish.
However, I must contend your own premise. While video games in general are considered childish, they are, at the same time, considered inappropriate for children, as shown by the uproar over many popular recent games. The general Western public is filled with misconceptions about video gaming.
And also, never, ever say that a view on video games is universal. The Korean and Chinese professional Starcraft teams will come after you... Well, Asia just accepts games as a form of media better than the West, and hearing a spectator of this, "Sport" rant is more boring than the rant of a football fan, in my personal experience. Which I don't have much of in terms of sports fans.

I really worded that poorly - blame a lack of caffeine until now.

I don't consider games childish. I meant to say that non-gamers do. As a gamer, I don't consider any game (well, almost any game) childish as I realise that while the setting may be made of things pink and fluffy, there is still an underlying game, a challenge system with given rules, and if sitting through a pink fluffy thing hugging other pink fluffy things is necessary in order to attempt to master these challenges, then so be it. (Although one could argue that the pink fluffy-ness itself is one of the challenges. )

I believe that the reason there is such an uproar about the more "mature"-type games being inappropriate for children is because people think children are the ones that are going to play it. I posit that a great part of the reason that control over who plays what is so badly enforced is because non-gamer parents do not understand that, just like with films or books, some games are for teenagers and some are for adults. Instead, they go "games are for children." Then they see a game where a Nazi super-soldier rapes women and children, and they go "this is meant for children but is obviously not appropriate." If they do not start with the "games are for children" assumption, the problem disappears. (You don't see parents protesting like this about films, do you? [Not a rhetorical question, btw.])

"Universal" was a really, really bad choice of word, and I apologise - my Worlds of Music lecturer would have my head for that.

 

[Jandau]

The thing is, many people consider gamers and gaming childish by default. Those people are in turn summarily ignored by default.

The rest of the population accepts gaming for what it is and doesn't make a fuss about it.

Very few individuals actually bother to try and determine a division between "childish" and "non-childish" games, and an even fewer number of them aren't slobbering idiots (who are also summarily ignored).

So in the end, the number of non-ignored individuals who split games into "childish" and "non-childish" is almost imperceptably small...