An education in how to buy video games
Dean O'Donnell doesn't quite look the part of an academic. More comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt than khakis and tweed jacket, he might be one of the last guys you'd expect to see lecturing at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
That is, until you consider that one of O'Donnell's most popular courses has nothing to do with literature or science. He teaches Social Issues in Interactive Media and Games, a prosaic title for a course in one of the less serious topics discussed in colleges today: video games.
''We look at the issues surrounding the playing of video games instead of the games themselves," he said.
Those issues range from the graphic and increasingly realistic violence in some games, ''game addiction," intellectual property issues, and even gender roles in games (Is Tomb Raider's Lara Croft character a vixen, an empowering heroine, or both?).
Societal impact of video games aside, perhaps the most valuable lesson O'Donnell can share is how to get the best deal on a game.
It might seem like child's play, but the proliferation of gaming systems, accessories, and the types of games themselves means it's no longer as simple as strolling into Best Buy and grabbing a sports or shoot-em-up title off the shelf.
Sales of video game software reached $6.2 billion last year, up 8 percent from $5.8 billion in 2003, according to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y., research firm.
Among the top titles were crime saga Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, football series Madden NFL 2005, and children's favorite Pokemon Fire Red. Those games, all for consoles like Xbox and GameCube, don't include the most popular PC-based titles.
O'Donnell, who said he sometimes plays games five or six hours at a time, prefers multiplayer PC games like Asheron's Call 2, an epic fantasy game that involves battling mythical creatures.
''First of all, do a little research," O'Donnell said. ''If you've never bought a game before, buy a magazine or Google the game your kid wants."
That is, if it's really your kid and not you who wants the game.
And that should make a big difference in what game you choose. In fact, all video games are subject to a seven-tiered rating system ranging from EC for early childhood to AO, for adults-only games, although a spokesman for the Entertainment Software Rating Board said most mainstream retailers don't carry AO-rated games. In between are E10+, for everyone 10 and older; M for mature, E for everyone, T for teen, and RP for rating pending.
Once you've picked out a game that's appropriate, you'll want to make sure you get the best deal. If you absolutely have to have a game the day it's released (they usually hit stores on Tuesday, like CDs and DVDs), you'll probably pay full-freight, typically $49.99.
Wait a few weeks, and the same game is almost always on sale for $30 or $40, O'Donnell said. A few months later, the game is sure to be had for $19.99 in the sale bin or you can pick it up at a steeper discount at stores like GameStop, where used games get traded in and resold, typically for $20 or less.
Keith Reed can be reached at reed@globe.com.
