Earlier this year figures came out that said the number of Mature rated games being published was down significantly from past years. Gamers haven’t lost their love of visceral action, foul language and splashes of gore; I’d like to think we just enjoy it when it’s done well. The increase in sales that seems to contradict the logic of decreased numbers probably has something to do with a matter of taste. Gone are the days when bland narratives with a handful of boring characters could entertain us if they simply packed in enough shooting/punching/slashing. Games like Mass Effect, the Splinter Cell series, Bioshock and KOTOR have whetted our appetites for quality entertainment that not only thrills the senses and the thumbs but can engage the mind as well. Though it’s possible to zip through Bioshock and treat the game as a slightly complex FPS, the time spent poring over each morsel of backstory invested in the audio diaries and scribbles on the walls brings the game to a higher storytelling plateau. Although some people shed their love of gaming along with other vestiges of youth when they hit adulthood, many of us still read reviews, strategy guides and website forums along with our newspapers, professional journals and magazines. Many of us have far more discerning tastes and are less likely to be swayed by a little pretty packaging. The vast majority of the ‘shovelware’ companies cobbling together quick, dirty products to profit from the unwitting are aimed at children and the ‘casual gaming’ crowd. It’s far easier to put together a ‘restaurant simulation’ game that’ll sell enough copies on the DS to make a profit than it is to create a crowd-pleasing Xbox 360 or PS3 title, which leaves we savvy consumers to spend our money on the products of companies that give us quality products, thus in turn giving them more profits and enabling them to create more quality games. We also have longevity on our side: children probably hit a certain age and grow tired of their brightly colored racing games and simple platformers. They begin to crave more complex, challenging experiences and continue to do so for years. The ranks of gamers grow, and over time we get more adults playing adult games.