Matthew Kaplan of GameCritics thinks games have a lot of growing up to do, especially as the median age of gamers inevitably gets older. His essay argues that games, which often involve superhuman or at least athletic protagonists capable of amazing feats, rarely deal with the issues of aging and if so, typically as a limitation only.

But placing a game in the context of someone’s advanced age would deepen both its story, its characters, and the relationships players form with them, Kaplan argues. He goes so far as offering Prototype as a theoretical example, and it wasn’t at all as silly as it sounded at first.

This isn’t an issue of inclusion to the degree that ethnic diversity is; the elderly, right now, don’t game in huge numbers, of course. But there is a difference between growing old and evolving, and for games, including the elderly more would be the latter.

Ah, to be OId and Fragging: Roles for the Elderly in Video Games [GameCritics, Oct. 27, 2009.]

As the median age of gamers continues to rise, I wonder how this will be reflected in the character creation choices made by players. I can only speculate that concern over the seeming physical disconnect between the actions demanded of that character and those we consider typical of the elderly will cause even the oldest players to mold younger, more “able” characters.

Yet this is precisely why we need to re-examine what it means to be “able” or an active agent in an escapist fantasy. I ask that aspiring designers consider the following questions with regard to roles for the elderly:

1. Why can’t physical trials reflect the obstacles inherent to growing older while still maintaining their end result of power in addition to experience/success? For instance, why couldn’t Prototype’s Alex Mercer be an elderly man or woman who must wrestle with the newfound power brimming inside them as it conflicts with what they previously considered to be an aging body? Certainly, that is a far more interesting set of physical boundaries for the player to immerse himself/herself in than simply playing as “generic, muscular young male X.” I think the only game that did this even marginally well was Metal Gear Solid 4, but that game addressed age as a constraint more than as a natural characteristic of its protagonist (which makes sense, given that Snake’s aging between Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4 was mostly artificial).

2. Why are the objects of desire in games typically younger males and females? Isn’t an older man or woman worth fighting for? Relationships don’t simply stop after youth.

3. What sort of interesting introspection and character development can come from the dilemmas faced by older men and women? Why can’t a journey of discovery be just as compelling if the character doing the discovering is elderly? More pertinently, why is growing older considered the end of a journey rather than the beginning of one?

Of course, there is always the question of whether an idea for a video game is marketable. However, I ask that creators and storywriters not fall into the trap of stereotyping for the sake of pushing what the nebulous and questionable “market” considers “attractive.” What I have found is most often attractive to gamers is that which most pleasurably defies their expectations.

And when it comes down to it, the word “pleasure” is at the heart of this issue. For all the patronizing glories we confer upon the elderly, we often associate growing older with a descent of condition, away from pleasurable activity and towards death. Surely the process of growing old is not always a pleasurable one, but there is nothing about old age that makes growing up and having fun mutually exclusive.- Matthew Kaplan

Weekend Reader is Kotaku’s look at the critical thinking in, and of video games. It appears Saturdays at noon. Please take the time to read the full article cited before getting involved in the debate here.

I’m extremely skeptical this is in fact Hideo Kojima’s ID, let alone anyone with high-level connection to the game. Just thought I’d share because it was a little intriguing and it also gives me cover to provide you this pic of Old Snake on “The People’s Court”, submitted by reader Nick. T. last week. (on the jump).

“[Monday] on The People’s Court, a man looking extremely similar to old snake was being sued for conning a woman out of money and lying to her about being married. It took me a few minutes to stop laughing at the fact Snake was in court. He ended up winning the case cause the woman was lying through her teeth about the entire case”.

Hideo Kojima’s PSN Account?? [Gametrailers, thanks reader David P.]

Where is this Snake look-a-like from? Let’s read the post:

I have a brother and he got married recently, so I was at the wedding and there were lots of family members about, some of which I had not seen for years. One man in particular caught my attention. An uncle of mine that had aged considerably since I last saw him – maybe more than ten years prior. I looked at him and thought “I recognise that face and not just as the face of my aged uncle”. Then it dawned on me and I found myself thinking “Snake……. Solid Snake?……Snake….What happened…………. Snake………… SSNNNAAAAAKE!”

I doubt Kojima went to the effort of travelling to Australia to find the perfect look for Old Snake – I imagine elderly men with mean moustaches are a dime a dozen in Japan. If anything, this guy’s uncle is probably a closet Metal Gear Solid 4 fan.

On another note – I wonder if David Hayter can do an Aussie accent…

Real-life Solid Snake discovered [Gameplayer]

Metal Gear Solid 2 Raiden Stealth Camouflage Version

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the hit video game, this exclusive NYCC figure from Medicom is a must-have for any fan of the action-packed franchise as well as nostalgia-struck gamers from the NES-era. 7″ tall and features multiple points of articulation. Available from selected retailers on the show floor. Limited to 1400 pieces.

And yes, we want to give it away. To you. Or you. Or you. Let’s do a contest. Oh yes, let’s. We’re going to kick off a Metal Gear moustache contest. But not just any moustache contest! Contestants must create and wear moustaches made out of anything BUT hair. Got that? Entries must be of a non-hair moustache, and it must be on the contestant’s face. Finalists will be announced on June 12th. That’s soon! Send your entry to kotakutcontestATgmailDOTcom. May the best ’stache win!

Hit the jump for a look at box’s backside.