Dear Future Gamer,

I have just read Jason Brookes' piece on the state of videogaming and I would have to say that he is totally right. I have been playing games for about 24 years, from Pong to Half-Life, if you like. I now find myself yearning for an adult game - a game that is not just another "walk down corridor, shoot things" (Half-Life, Unreal, Quake 1 & 2) game. Or, a "lets build things and blow up other people with them" title (C&C, Warzone 2100 et al).

I know that I am being very simplistic and people will write in and say that I am a prat and that I haven't played these games. I have played them and enjoyed them but I have not really been emotionally involved with them. I could write a thesis on why most flagship titles are boring when you boil them down. The videogames industry is often compared to the movie industry - why? How? All they both do is provide a form of entertainment. Other than that, zip, nil, nothing. The best movies are the ones that are 'experiences', that make you laugh or cry. Videogames just don't do that, they don't connect like that. If they do connect it's usually because you're scared.

Every year I go and refurbish my PC, new processor, graphics & sound, more memory etc. I can play games at frightening frame rates and scary resolutions, with surround sound and all I end up doing is shooting things, blowing stuff up and driving very fast. Please don't think that I don't like doing these things; I do - very much. I would just like to do something else and be involved. I just hope that Driver and Max Payne are worth the effort.

The most adult game so far? Blade Runner. The most emotionally involving game so far? FIFA '99. Oh, and as for Lara Croft, she may have big tits, but the game(s) are very good. Gamers cannot live on big tits alone (well, if you're over 18 you can't).

Gary Darbyshire

FG: I know what you're saying Gary but you're being a little harsh. Some games do become involving - I'm thinking RPGs especially, when you can become very attached to a character. Not in the same way that you might empathise with someone in a film, sure, but it's a start. I fully agree with your choice of the most emotionally involving game - the Actua Soccer contests in the office here provoke genuine emotion. On the subject of 'adult' games though, I recently played Kingpin and actually found the swearing jarring. I'm sure the developers were looking to bring the game a sort of 'real world' quality but for me it just didn't work because it seemed so false. We'll be running a full review of that game in an up-coming FG.