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Getting Started / Linda Knapp
Video-game guides help buyers make right moves

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I don't play video games.

So why would I write a column on those obsessive, mind-bending, time-gobblers?

Because most people do play, and that probably means most of you, dear readers.

Yes, it turns out that more than half of all Americans 6 and older play video games, according to the Entertainment Software Association. While we may imagine kids at the controls, in fact, the average age of a game player is 29 and rising, and so is the number of female players. Last year, computer and console-game sales reached almost two games for every household in America.

In our family, there's only one video-game player — my 24-year-old son. As a single father, he's often home nights and plays after putting the baby to bed. His favorite games involve role-playing in a sport or adventure game.

Last year, his top choice was Activision's "Call of Duty," in which he took the role of a World War II American (British or Russian) soldier and participated in missions that actually had occurred. Ultimately, the Allies won the war and he won the game, and plans to play the sequels sometime.

This year, his favorite is "Ultimate Baseball Online" (www.ultimatebaseballonline.com) because it gets him actively involved in playing baseball, or at least virtual baseball. When logged in, he becomes a baseball player who joins a team of other players online at the same time and they play short, 3- to 6-inning games with other teams. The virtual player bats, pitches or fields in the games and becomes better (or not) depending on how well he does.

Generally, my son's been lucky choosing games, in that he usually likes what he picks. However, selection can be risky, since good-quality games for computers and consoles can cost $40 and more.

One way to reduce the risk is to use a selection aide such as Microsoft Windows Game Advisor (www.windowsgaming.com). For Windows PC gamers, this online shopping guide provides game choices for specific age groups and game categories.
 
When I tried it, I entered the 17+ age group (there's no category for over 40 or 50) and the game type labeled "role-playing." Other types include action/adventure, family, kids, simulation, strategy, sports, multiplayer online, and more. There's no selection category for gender.

The list of suggested games for my age group and game type had 12 titles, including "Gothic II"; "Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos"; "Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided"; "Temple of Elemental Evil"; and other belligerent-seeming games.

Beside each title, the list indicates whether the game adviser provides demos, screenshots, trailers and update information for the game, as well as its rating and a link to a downloadable program that can scan your PC to determine whether the game will run on it. There's also a link labeled "Buy Now!"

Press another button to print the list of titles that also includes the publishers and Internet addresses. I noticed only one of the 12 games is published by Microsoft.

I tried the adviser again, this time changing the game type to "strategy." The resulting list had 23 titles, only three published by Microsoft. That helps alleviate my initial concern that the game adviser might be an advertising tool to point players to Microsoft games. It appears to be more useful than that.

Another thing I noticed is that the game adviser doesn't provide links to outside reviews. Reading reviews would be the logical next step once you have a list of suggested games in hand.

For outside reviews of computer and console games, try www.gamespot.com/reviews.html?tag=gs_lnav_reviews and www.videogamereview.com/reviewscrx.aspx, or search the Internet for review sites using the keywords video game reviews. If you just want reviews for games that play on a Game Boy or a Mac, for instance, add the device to your keywords.

There are also other Web sites besides the Microsoft Windows Game Advisor that can help you choose games for yourself and others. For example, try: www.robsgaming.com/features/advisor.php. For advice about video games and children, check out the Media Awareness Network at www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/video_games/choosing_videogames.cfm.

If you, too, are among the minority who don't play video games, and you're still reading this, you might be interested to know that video games are increasingly being designed and used for other purposes besides entertainment.

For example, they're now being used in education at all levels — from learning basic arithmetic to advanced surgical techniques. Other specially designed games are used as recruitment tools for occupations such as the military.

My apologies to avid game players for the initial rejection of video games in general. I know there are benefits, especially when families play together and when winning requires more than fast reflexes and a lot of dead bodies.

Write Linda Knapp at lknapp@seattletimes.com; to read other Getting Started columns, go to: www.seattletimes.com/gettingstarted.