PS3 Not For Me

This film of the purchase and subsequent destruction of a PS3 has garnered 1.9m views on YouTube, and been favourited over 3,700 times. There's no doubt the launch of the new console is a very important event in the lives of a large number of people.

Which people? Well, judging from those in the queue to buy one... males aged 16-26. Sadly, I'm way older than that. And though I had a PSOne and PS2, I've decided I'm just 'too old' for a PS3.

But why? Why is it predominantly younger guys who are gamers?

Here's my five stabs at an answer. Feel free to add your own.

1. Time. Younger guys (especially those bloody students!) just have more time to play.

2. Open-Mindedness. When each new piece of technology comes along, a person has to decide - am I going to adopt this, or not? The 60somethings of today were enthusiastic adopters of the new-fangled 'television' when they were younger. And yet most (but not all) have 'decided' that they won't be adopting PlayStations. I suppose technology is like music. You get to a certain age, and you just 'decide' not to keep up.

3. Control. The true appeal of games is control. You are the manager of the football team, the leader of an elite squad of special forces, the builder and controller of an entire city. Younger men have less control in their lives. They've got parents telling them what to do, and bosses. As you get older, you become the boss, and you have your own kids to order around, so you don't need a substitute control fix.

4. Medication. Gaming is a form of self-medication, like drugs or alcohol. Men aren't generally as good at dealing with their emotions as women. Again, they get better as they get older. But for a young guy, dealing with gales of difficult emotions thrown up by relationship and work conflicts, the games console is a handy blockout.

5. Rebellion. Hey, where else can you steal a car and shoot cops, but in a game?