23rd February 2006, 10:01 PM
So there you go.
If I was talking with someone who isn't a gamer and they didn't know what Final Fantasy was, I wouldn't wonder where they had been for the past 20 years. Final Fantasy is a VERY well known series, TO GAMERS, but outside of that, people don't even know it exists. They know "video games" exist, and Mario has enough of an influence everyone knows about him, and also something about how violent video games are corrupting the youth, and a split opinion on that in relation to whatever their views on free speech vs CORRUPTING INFLUENCE are.
I'm pretty sure "people" are still slowly realizing that people are playing games online, and even slower to pick up that not ALL online games are first person shooters, and slowest of all to figure out that people who play games are normal people like them.
My point is just that something may be well known and have BEEN well known in certain circles, but if someone is completely outside of that circle, they can't really be expected to know about it until it hits the pop culture region.
I'd be surprised if someone had never heard of Lord of the Rings, for example. Though, even there, you have to be a movie watcher (or tune into the various mediums that report on something like that) to know about it. The Amish don't even know reality shows exist.
If I was talking with someone who isn't a gamer and they didn't know what Final Fantasy was, I wouldn't wonder where they had been for the past 20 years. Final Fantasy is a VERY well known series, TO GAMERS, but outside of that, people don't even know it exists. They know "video games" exist, and Mario has enough of an influence everyone knows about him, and also something about how violent video games are corrupting the youth, and a split opinion on that in relation to whatever their views on free speech vs CORRUPTING INFLUENCE are.
I'm pretty sure "people" are still slowly realizing that people are playing games online, and even slower to pick up that not ALL online games are first person shooters, and slowest of all to figure out that people who play games are normal people like them.
My point is just that something may be well known and have BEEN well known in certain circles, but if someone is completely outside of that circle, they can't really be expected to know about it until it hits the pop culture region.
I'd be surprised if someone had never heard of Lord of the Rings, for example. Though, even there, you have to be a movie watcher (or tune into the various mediums that report on something like that) to know about it. The Amish don't even know reality shows exist.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)