I'm excited by new technology more than anybody else. I was first in line for the launch of the Nintendo Wii. I own a cabinet full of peripherals you need to play only one game on a console. I'm psyched for the PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect has me all aquiver - but what about the move to 3D that everyone's so excited about?

I think it's a really, really poor idea.

I have no problem with 3D. I live in 3D everyday and think it's completely awesome. I'm checking out this computer screen with my depth perception now and all the things around it are totally in front of, behind or on the same plane as this screen. It's awesome. But for games, 3D would definitely spell disaster...three times.

Games came from humble beginnings of experiences like Pong and as the technology has progressed, games have been able to sell more experiences that have further removed folks from reality. Most of the best games, though, build on tradition of other previous successes. This summer's Super Mario Galaxy 2, for example, is from a tradition of Mario Bros. games that range back all the way to the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I worry that adding 3D to all these games will become less about the ability to tell stories and present a full gaming experience than it will be about the gimmick of 3D.

Here's an example: when the Wii launched, it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. The ability to move your controller and have it correspond to actions on the screen was nothing short of baffling for some folks. Video games made sense now! All was well! However, in the years that have followed the Wii's launch, there are fewer and fewer games that use the movement technology for an experience and more and more games that use it simply because it's a popular gimmick. You'll see games like The Price is Right that let you spin the wheel using motion control or even minigame collections that make you throw darts. Instead of getting your kid that game, why don't you just get them a dart board? Isn't that a better use of their time instead of throwing virtual darts?

My concern for this new 3D technology is that, like the Wii, it will be used for good, at first, but then every single shovelware game that releases will come out with a 3D component just to say that they have it. This is especially a concern for casual gamers. Why would you want to play Tetris in 3D and pay that much more money for a special pair of glasses that make you look like a futuristic Buddy Holly? Why would Bejeweled be that much better in 3D? How would Diner Dash be improved by seating customers that it looks like you could reach out and touch? (Which, incidentally, would probably be fodder for a lawsuit in a real restaurant.)

3D technology definitely has its place. On a large movie screen, it's pretty exciting to see larger-than-life creatures and characters look like they're shooting stuff out at your face in lush, three dimensional environments, but games are not passive experiences that you just watch. One of the most upsetting games I've seen that got the 3D treatment is Batman: Arkham Asylum - mostly because it was completely unnecessary. It might be nice to see the Dark Knight swoop down in 3D for the first time, but what about the billion other times you have to do that in the game? It's an unnecessary addition to the game which was already fine in the first place.

Also, a lot of more casual gamers haven't made the transition to HD televisions yet - and 3D doesn't look as good on the standard television screen. Why would you want to spend more money to get a 3D product that won't look as good on your SD television simply because it's 3D? It makes no sense to me.

I'm not saying that 3D technology is bad. I think that there are certain movies that benefit extremely from the technology that should continue to use it. Seeing Iron Man rocket at my face in a theater is nothing short of awesome. But using that technology, say, in the Iron Man video game, which was a critical disaster, would be a travesty. Games might begin to get more attention just because they were in 3D, which would only exacerbate the problem. Remember when motion control was new and gamers jumped at the chance to try it out in whatever its form? It's become lackluster now, dismissed as a gimmick to sell games that have no business being on the market. 3D deserves better than to be shoved into shovelware for the rest of its days. And if 3D comes to games, that's exactly what's going to happen.