Gamers getting older?

The Entertainment Software Association released their 2006 edition of "Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry," and it seems that the so-called typical American gamer has gotten older. Joe Average Gamer is now 33 years old, which would be considered over-the-hill in pro athlete circles. Unless they're on 'roids -- which you don't need to excel at gaming.

Now this is interesting -- the man who directed "Supercop" with Jackie Chan is apparently going to try and create a movie version of the PSOne game "Fear Effect". If you're not familiar with the game, it's about three mercs (Hana, Deke and Glass) who are trying to rescue a young girl. The stylish, "Blade Runner"-like title earned every inch of its M rating, especially when it game to the concept of death -- in one scene, a third of Glass' head gets blasted off by machine gun fire.

The game's success helped launch "Fear Effect 2: Double Helix," a prequel/sequel that brilliantly merged several gameplay elements, and also featured a female character with a lesbian love interest. There was even some buzz about the magazine ad for the game, which featured both half-naked characters lying next to each other. And no, I will not link to it.