Realism May Be Taking the Fun Out of Games. Though the thesis of the article is neither original nor compelling, its ultimate undoing is in this one sentence: “Lives there an 8 to 18-year-old — or an adult guiltily aspiring to that state of mind — who has not yet heard about the technological accomplishments [of the current generation of consoles].” I am so tired of this blanket dismissal of all, even casual, gamers as mental or literal adolescents. Just because the ‘leading lights’ of the community fit that mold, does not mean all do — just as not all conservative homosexuals are self-hating hypocrites. Okay, bad example, non sequitur, and cheap shot, but you know what I mean.