Play Meter

THE LAST WORD It's just a game ''C hris , line two is for you-and it's not one of your cronies ," said Renee Pierson over the intercom. ''Who is it?'' I barked, wanting not to be disturbed . ''Some newspaper reporter from California . He wants to talk about video games and the Persian Gulf war." Another reporter? We have lately been besieged by media types, who want evidence supporting their linkage theories (don't ever believe this bunk about reporters being "neutral and objective") . In a nutshell , they are convinced that Americans don't fully grasp how horrible war is. Why don't we dummies understand? Because we live in ''the age of Nintendo." (I single them out because they ' re the company most associated with video games to the average American .) With so many video game themes involving missiles , boll)bs, machine gun fire , and the like, we've become immune to what the resultant destruction would look like if we stepped away from the monitor and saw it happen in real lifeor so say the theorists. ABC-TV reporter Cokie Roberts put this question to allied commander Gen . Norman Schwartzkopf, and he promptly blew a gasket. Anyway, getting back to my reporter on line two , I reluctantly agreed to speak with him. (I couldn ' t slough him off on one of the women . I buzzed their offices and said it was Ed McMahon calling about some kind of lucky number , but they had already left for the day.) 206 PLAY METER/ April 1991 "Hello, this is Chris. What can I do for you?" I asked in my most professional tone. ''I'm doing a story on how the war is affecting your industry,'' he said. ''Affecting it? You mean in terms of whether fewer customers are playing the games?" ''No. I'm wondering ifthere has been a sudden influx of new video games with Persian Gulf themes ." Oh. Our industry not only causes the populace to be out of touch with reality . We're also money-grubbing profiteers who jump at the chance to exploit the war for a buck. I was tempted to give him a good story by citing such hot new games as Run From The Scuds or The Hunt For Slimy Saddam. "You can check with the American Amusement Machine Association, but I haven't heard of any such games being rushed to market," I said. "Manufacturers test their games before committing to a production run, especially in today ' s soft video climate. Plus they would run the risk of having the conflict over before the game hits the streets." He asked me a few more questions, one of them naturally concerning the linkage theory. I wouldn 't give him the answers he sought, which thankfully hastened the interview's conclusion . We're not the only ones in the industry who have been put on the defensive . MicroProse Games has experienced renewed interest in F-15 Strike Eagle because it involves bombing missions in the Persian Gulf. Company president Bill Stealey says he's gotten some criticism from people who think, like my reporter friend, that MicroProse rushed the game out to profit from the Gulf war. They ignore the fact that the game was out long before anyone knew who Saddam Hussein was. In an appearance on the Today show, Stealey says, a woman tried to give MicroProse hell for F-15 Strike Eagle. Bryant Gumbel reportedly gave her a quizzical look and said, ' ' Hey, this is a fun game!" Amen. So to all of you theorists (who no doubt think seven gunmen helped Lee Harvey Oswald), I say this: video games have always been and will always be a form of entertainment and escapism. Those who play war-related games don't think the Gulf war is nothing more than rapid-fire screen blips. Give them credit for having a little intelligence, will ya? Go bother the egg industry about cholesterol and leave us alone. 0 Christopher Caire News Editor