Sometimes I feel like there is an over arching disconnect between gamers and the average population. Sometimes I feel like gamers are completely mis-understood. Forgive me for using that cliché’ but that is the only phrase that I can equate with my current state-of-mind. For the past 2 weeks I have taken a step back from the hardcore gaming norm of playing the most recent release in an attempt to stay current for weekly fodder. Mass Effect has been my choice retro game, although it came out last year. If you mention Mass Effect to someone who pays attention to news, then they might refer to it as the game with the infamous “sex scene,” or “porno game.” Just in case you forgot, here’s the Faux News Video with Cooper Lawrence leading the charge with lit torch. People make assumptions about Video games that are wrong, that’s forgivable, but substituting lack-of-knowledge with outspoken defiance is absurd.

While playing Mass Effect yesterday, my wife was intrigued by the conversation system. It was unique, so it caught her interest. It felt like she was beginning to understand why I enjoy experiences like this. She had a look on her face as if it were saying “Oh, I now understand why you like games so much.” My wife was beginning to understand. The depth of this system and the articulation of the dialogue rival many movies that are released. Often gaming dialogue is judged by the actors playing the roles, but the conversation system in Mass Effect is nearly unmatched by any other game. Each character’s voice adds depth to their roles. The emotion translates extremely well. If the character is hesitant about a subject, their voice has trepidation. This is also due to the excellent writing. Your character can respond in any number of ways also allowing the player to parallel reality in more ways than ever seen in another game. This provided a sense of excitement that I have never experienced. I wasn’t following a set story arch for once. (At least that’s how it felt). It also allowed for an extremely coherent story. She was beginning to see the light, until the dialogue steered to more of an adult theme. She then got up in a somewhat disgusted manor and left the room. The Borg had called her back to the non-gamer side! This unsettled me. After investing nearly 30 hours into this game and controlling my character’s destiny, Commander Shepherd was more of an extension of my personality. When I became romantically involved with one of my shipmates, I felt the same hesitation as if it were really me. Leading up to the romance, I said dialogue that I would have spoken. Alfred Shepherd was somewhat timid until the woman expressed her interest in me. Similar to the way I and my wife fell in love. I was almost offended that she was upset due to the romance in the game.

My wife’s perception and rebuking of Mass is a microcosm of Americans as a whole. While many devoted gamers see Mass Effect as a triumph in story presentation, the US populous is completely unaware of the engrossing narrative of this game, and similar ones. My wife’s definition of a game that parallels reality, like many other people is…The Sims. I don’t blame her for not understanding the depth of this game. Mass Effect is an adult game. Even saying the word “adult” is synonymous with “sex.” But, this version of adult means; it deals with situations that a younger audience would struggle to grasp, or appreciate. There are many mediums in which people digest good narratives; Books, Soap Opera’s, TV – Series(Heroes!), etc. This is just another medium that we choose for mental stimulation, and it has evolved since Pong. As I was browsing N4G one of the articles was about a boy that killed his parents because they didn’t let him play Halo 3. This is the only article that caught my wife’s attention. Sadly, tales such as this, and the not-so-sex-scene, sex scene in Mass Effect are the only times the mainstream pays attention to the game industry. With the lack of responsibility in conveying accurate information to the public, many people will fail to have a definitive understanding on triumphs of the gaming medium.