The Player

The newest games releases show how diverse gaming has become, says Ciara O'Brien

IT'S BEEN a big week for video games, for different reasons. The first is the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, one of the most anticipated games of the year. The second is the release of Kinect, Microsoft's effort to ditch the controller and open up its console to new players. Both releases appeal to different ends of the gaming spectrum.

Black Opsis a hardcore game that, as you'd guess from the name, isn't exactly warm and fluffy. Kinect, on the other hand, is being pushed as a family-friendly entertainment device, where you can have dance-offs, play sports together and adopt virtual pets .

Call of Dutyhas a loyal following. The queues to buy Black Opswhen it went on sale at midnight provide evidence of that. There were similar scenes when its predecessor ( Modern Warfare) was released.

Kinect has attracted plenty of anticipation as well, despite complaints of a slight lag, an inability to recognise some players properly, and the amount of space needed to play properly. I was in New York when Kinect launched in the US. People were lining up outside Toys R Us more than a day before it went on sale.

The two releases come at the same time that a case is before the US Supreme Court over a California law that bans the sale of "violent" videogames to anyone under 18.

The issue of videogame violence is one that has made it into the media on many occasions. This time around, the argument centres on free speech, and whether California's ban restricts that right.

Under the wording, the games can be restricted for a variety of reasons, and all of which seems like they could be equally applied to everything from the most violent games to cartoon- style violence in combat games.

The industry is arguing that the current rating system is adequate to alert parents to the content of a game and how suitable it is for their children without adding in this new legislation. In its submission, the Entertainment Software Association also claimed that such a law would usurp parental authority.

There is also the argument that banning the games from sale to minors would make them more attractive, especially as they are so easy to obtain things online. All that is before you look at the implications for other forms of media.

One thing is for sure: as new motion-sensitive controllers are developed, games are becoming more immersive.

theplayer@irishtimes.com

Top 10 Games:

1 (-) Football Manager 2011 (PCR) (Sega)
2 (2) Professor Layton and the Lost (NDS) (Nintendo)
3 (1) Fable III (Xbox) (Microsoft)
4 (4)FIFA 2011 (PS3) (EA)
5 (5) FIFA 2011 (Xbox) (EA)
6 (-) Just Dance 2 (Wii) (Nintendo)
7 (10 ) Wii Party (Wii) (Nintendo)
8 (6) Medal of Honor (PS3) (EA)
9 (3) Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox) (Namco)
10(7) Fallout: New Vegas (PS3) (Bethesda)

Chart courtesy of GameStop