This entire conversation feels like a group of angry children grabbing onto a subject that's large enough to hold all of their undirected angst but inconsequential enough to draw the ire of people actually trying to change the world.

It doesn't feel that way - it is that way.

Gaming as a medium has not grown up the same way film and literature has. It's too young. But this fact, combined with the fact that the internet gives everyone a voice (even if they don't deserve to speak, lol) has created a massive shitstorm about things that don't matter, from people that don't matter.

There's room for discussion about games as an artform, but it's been shoved down by man-babies that get defensive whenever the artform is so much as criticized. They want to be taken seriously, with none of the steps of being taken seriously.

I get where Francopoli's coming from, especially because he's a part of the old guard. He was there when games were actually vilified. But I think there isn't much need for that "guard" anymore. EVERYONE plays videogames now, my sister, my parents, my cousins, black people, white people, hispanic people, old people, young people. Straight up, everyone. The only criticism about gaming isn't actually the playing of games, it's "gaming culture" - the one that exists on twitter and tries to ruin the fun for everyone.

That said francopoli, I think with time, things are going to settle down. The people that make gaming terrible will either give up or join in on the inclusivness. And then I can finally tell people I like videogames again, haha.