by Jimmy Marks
Gaming, at one point, was the term that referred to actively playing a video game. Getting Mario down the pipe to get more coins? Gaming. You good at Duck Hunt? You're a true gamer.
But now, gaming is different. As I wrote about a while ago (click here to read), more and more people are coming into gaming. And gaming itself is reaching new heights.
Remember having to beg your older brother/sister to play 2-player games with you? Now your console hooks up to the internet to create a multiplayer experience. I got an XBOX 360 for Christmas (click here) and a game I recently purchased is made for multiplayer - you can only play the game offline to some degree before there's no more game to play.
I also learned, via commercial, that I can stream movies to my XBOX from Netflix. The XBOX also came with an update to new online interfaces that come complete with goofy little avatars. I can also send emails, access the web and download content.
The line between gaming and surfing the web is blurring. The news is good, if a little overwhelming, for long-time gamers like me. But for kids? I think the increased involvement from parents is going to end up being more important than the concept of "quality time". It's going to involve being more technologically savvy than the generation they've sired and aware of the pitfalls of wired gaming.
For more information, PC magazine has tacked together a list of do's and dont's about console gaming safety. Click here to give it a read.
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