"Games for the Rest of Us"

"Games for the Rest of Us": A few years back that was the how ZAPiT Games and the then un-named Game Wave was pitched to me during my interview for the Project Manager/Game editor job that I still hold.

It held real resonance for me because I was considering joining a Gaming industry that, on the whole, I thought pretty much sucked.

Watching guys my age - or any age for that matter - play single-shooter games, complete with blood splatter and flying body parts was more than a waste of time to me. It was simply weird.

Besides the "what is the frikin' point?" thing, I wondered did I really want to join an industry that was thriving by mimicking mass murder?

Ya – because ZAPiT Games had a different message. They were going to build games for guys like me. No violence. No gore. Just smart, clean old-fashioned fun updated for a home theatre age.

Boring for those who like to see people blown up real good, sure, but I figured there had to be a market for those who, like me, had been left out in the gaming cold.

Overall the Gaming Industry hasn't changed. The best selling games are still packed with uber-violence. The trade mags are filled with articles on such topics like "rag-doll physics" - how to make a dead body fly through the air more realistically.

As for us, we're working hard on getting the message out, trying to fill that "rest of us" niche.