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Feature Articles > Interviews > GamerDad Interviews Jeff Green
A mature sit-down with the ancient Editor-in-Chief of Computer Gaming World. We discuss media violence, parenting, and good nasal hygiene. Jeff Green is an industry veteran and a true GamerDad. As captain of the good ship Computer Gaming World, the industry's longest surviving game magazine, he's charted the choppy waters of the current media violence debate with a sense of maturity and humor. We took the opportunity to chat with him recently, and this is what he had to say. GamerDad: Jeff, thanks for talking to us. First off, your current job is Editor-in-Chief of Computer Gaming World, which, as I recall, is the oldest PC Game publication on the market. What did you do beforehand that makes you qualified for this exalted position? Is it because you're old? Jeff Green: I did many things, as a matter of fact, before assuming this exalted position. Longshoreman. Girl Friday. You name it, I probably did it. I was even one of the original New Kids on the Block, back before they sold out. I also was a book editor, an editor for the now defunct MacWEEK magazine, and then finally snuck my way into a position at CGW, after which I made my way up the masthead basically by outlasting everyone else - like a cockroach. And, yeah, being old helps, too. I'm 104 just today! GamerDad: Happy birthday! You barely look a day over 80. Now, this is a young industry. Does being incredibly old and decrepit make it difficult for you to keep up with the audience? Or do you feel the ESA (Electronic Software Association) is correct when they say, "Gamers are getting older and they aren't putting down the gamepad."
 Jeff Green: I'll tell you right now, if there's one more question about me being old after this one, I'm getting up--err, if someone will grab my cane over there and hobbling right out of this here interview! Darn kids! That said, I think what's happening now is that you have generations of gamers. The ESA is exactly right. We're not putting down our gamepads, except maybe to share them with our kids. And that's a very cool thing. For those as old as I am, our parents obviously had/have no clue what this whole videogame thing is about. But as the years go on here, gaming will obviously just be more and more like TV or movies or sports--a form of entertainment that we *all* grew up with and understand innately and don't have to apologize for. The notion that someone would be "too old" for videogames, at that point, will finally bite the dust forever. And not a moment too soon. GamerDad: Agreed. But it seems to be getting worse before it gets better. Meaning, not only are games getting more shocking and more offensive because of faster processors, better graphics, etc., but also because the target audience is older and more sophisticated. It seems like 25 years ago (when you were a spry 79 years young) games were more "kiddie." I'm thinking about Mario, Pac-Man, etc., This isn't necessarily true about Computer Games though, is it? It seems like console games have "grown up" while PC Games have gotten less mature (fewer Adventures, Sims, Wargames). Jeff Green:Well, this is an easy topic in which one could slip into generalizations, as you know. I mean, my favorite game on *any* platform last year was Katamari Damacy on the PS2 (I know, blasphemy as the EIC of CGW, but sue me)--and that is hardly and "adult" game, right? And while I would agree with you that we are seeing a sad decline in some of the PC genres you've mentioned, I'm not sure if that's necessarily a sign of PC gaming become less mature than it is of the PC gaming audience being....less geeky. I mean, back when many of got into PC gaming, it was strictly the domain of chess club geeks and D&D geeks (I won't admit which one, if either, I was). So games like turn-based wargames were natural for us to play, since we wasted our youth on Avalon Hill boardgames before that. But with the "mainstreaming" of gaming in general, there is a huge crowd now that does NOT come from that background and is thus either not interested or not familiar with those kind of games. It's just a different world now--not necessarily a less mature one. GamerDad: You have a daughter, right? How old is she? What games are her favorites and which one's does she use to make dad cry in shame and humiliation? Jeff Green: My daughter is now 11-years-old and in the 5th grade. I have an awesome time playing games with her, though she does go in waves interest-wise. (I'm sure if I had a boy I wouldn't be able to tear him away ever, but, as we all know, girls are smarter than us, and she knows there are better things to do with her time.....). Her favorite game by far right now is World Of WarCraft, which she plays with me whenever her mom isn't looking. The Sims 2 is another huge favorite. And Neopets is something she was lost in for months and months. On the console side, she and I have made our way through the Paper Marios, Katamari, Sly Cooper, and the like. You'll notice that there's not one game here that is strictly competitive with other players--she just can't deal with that kind of stuff, which is great for me, since I stink at anything competitive. You'll also note that there is no violence here, except for WoW (which is cartoony but still bugs her mom)---but I am assuming violence is going to come up in another question....
 GamerDad: So your wife has different views about game violence than you do? What sort of compromises does this lead to? It's an important issue for GamerDads & GamerMoms everywhere, how do Computer Magazine EICs deal with it? Jeff Green: It's not so much game violence that my wife has different views about, but more gaming in general. As in: it's all a big waste of time. She might want to remember, I'm thinking, that that "waste of time" is what bought us our house. But hey, I'll save that for couples therapy! To answer your question: We are both in a fair amount of agreement about violence, actually. I just don't let my kid play or even watch me play any violent games. WoW is right on the border because it's so cartoony. Again, it's the time that my wife objects to with games like that. Fortunately, the violence issue is somewhat mellow at our house anyway as my daughter has no interest whatsoever in anything remotely shooter-related. I think I dodged that bullet (get it?!) having a daughter, in this case. GamerDad: What are your personal views regarding media violence? Is it harmful? Are games "addictive"? What's the best way for the industry to deal with these issues? Jeff Green: I have written about this a lot actually. And of course it comes up all the time for me. My primary view on this issue is that media violence is and always has been a scapegoat, going WAY back: jazz, rock music, comic books, rap--you name it, and people will find a way to blame any problems that kids have on it. It couldn't possibly be, say, bad parenting. Or neglectful or lazy parenting. Or a disgracefully underfunded public education system. It's so tiring to even have to talk about this stuff, because those who believe that "games cause violence" are just so blinded to both the narrowness of their viewpoint and to the realities of what *most* gaming is all about that they just can't or won't listen. As far as the addictiveness of gaming goes: well, sure. Who of us hasn't wasted WAY too much time, neglecting resonsibilities, staying up too late, ignoring family members, etc for the sake of a game now and then. Again, the key is responsible parenting when you are talking about kids, and a sense of personal responsibility amongst adults. You can't blame the games, obviously, any more than you can blame McDonald's for making you fat, if you eat there every dang day. Everything in moderation. One glass of wine a night not only won't kill you or make you an alcoholic (and it just might actually be good for you!). An hour of TV here and there. Videogames for an hour or two after you've done your homework and washed the dishes and hung out with your spouse awhile. Life is hard. Games are just one of the many ways we can help chill ourselves out and reward ourselves for making it through another day. But it's not the game industry's job to set limits: that's your job as a person and as a parent. Because of my job, my daughter is *surrounded* by games at our house (not to mention DVDs and other pop media stuff), but here main source of personal entertainment? The thing she defaults to automatically if she gets some spare time? Reading. Books. I'm not bragging. Well, maybe a little I am. The point is: if your kid is lost in games, addicted to games, can't stop playing games--well, instead of blaming the games, you might want to look in the mirror and remind yourself who's in charge of actually raising that kid. GamerDad: Well said. Before you became EIC of CGW, you had your GreenSpeak column. What did your daughter think of that photograph of you with your finger up your nose? Jeff Green: Ya know, no matter what I ever do in my career, that photo will haunt me forever. Kind of like Paris Hilton's video, only hotter. My family, of course, was completely horrified. Especially my mom. But, hey, when you live on the edge like I do, you get used to being misunderstood that way. Hundreds of years from now, after we're all dead and buried, that photo will be recognized for the genius it is. GamerDad: Embrace your destiny Jeff . . . CGW has been doing a relatively good job covering parenting issues between it's pages. A recent article detailing a pre-teen buying Doom 3 without being carded springs to mind. Do you have plans to introduce more of this kind of coverage in the future? See I know this guy, right? He runs a website about this kind of thing and ... Jeff Green: Oh yeah, sure, here it comes. I should have known. I do actually think it's possible that we will see more "parental" type coverage in the mag, though who ends up doing this might be contingent on the size and nature of the bribe I receive (editor's note: Check your mailbox). I do know that Robert Coffey's recent column on playing World of WarCraft with his kids generated a lot of positive mail, as it has done every time we have done articles like that. In addition, our most recent subscriber survey showed that more women than ever read our magazine (up to a whopping 15 %--but don't knock it, it used to be 1%), and more are married, as well--which is a further sign that gaming/parental issues might not be too off course for us. GamerDad: Glad to hear it. We get a lot of women and parents here too. Go figure! Say, let's close this stong. What, in your expert gamer opinion, are the best games available right now for kids to play with their parents, PC and/or console? Jeff Green: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the first one that comes to mind. Followed by SWAT 4 and Bikini Karate Babes. Okay, not really. I just thought it might be fun to derail this entire interview right at the end with some really awful advice. Um, so let's see. Lumines on the PSP is great. As is Wipeout Pure. Monkey Ball Deluxe on the Xbox is a can't-miss family game. Still a big thumbs up for World of Warcraft, of course, for, say, the over-10 crowd (but I'd make the kids play with their parents only). The Sims 2, as long as you don't mind possibly having to explain what "woo hoo" is. And one more plug, though it may be old news for most, for Katamari Damacy, last year's best game on any platform. And it's GamerDad's Family Game of the Year GamerDad: Thanks Jeff, read more of Jeff's absurd and self-depracting sense of humor in the pages of Computer Gaming World each month.
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