22/01/2008, 09:43 PM
Quote:There has been quite a bit of flak going around from the main stream media about video games the past few weeks. I didn't really want to give each one of them another soap box, but I suppose I'll summarize all their ignorance right here: Mass Effect is interactive hershey kisses, video games are like crack for kids, and Bully just won't stop destroying our children.
The Mass Effect hubbub started when a conservative blogger on townhall.com made multiple incorrect assumptions about the game that include players being able to control sex acts and the game being marketed to 15 year old boys. The blogger later apologized to the "gaming universe" saying he didn't play the game (obviously) and only saw some clips of the sex online, though he still thought the game was offensive and should be kept out of young peoples hand's. I think Penny Arcade summed up this "incident" fairly well.
More recently, a writer from timesonline.co.uk wrote in an attention grabbing headline how the "Xbox is crack for kids". The ill informed "reporter" goes on through the classic anti-video game talking points about obesity (oh right, Mcdonalds figured that one out), the rotting of children's minds, and how hard video games make it for parents to raise their children. She then goes on to make the one of the most ridiculous assumption about video games I've ever heard by saying that even the "crappiest cartoon or lamest soap teaches a child about character, plot, drama, humour, life" while video games do not. She doesn't specifically say in the article whether she has played any games with her children but I highly doubt it.
The last foible of the media may sound a bit familiar. But wait, don't go away just yet, these reporters are not completely treading over the same ground as last time! They don't try to position Bully as a graphic bullying simulator as opposed to the satire of life in a boarding school that it really is. I mean, these guys point out that their are motion controls for the Wii version that make the game much more interactive and violent, and this will certainly lead to the collapse of society. Just like last time.
There really isn't much to say about all this that hasn't been said before. It's obvious that these reporters are trying to get their name in the news buy criticizing an easy target. I wouldn't be surprised if none of these people had ever even touched a game, let alone tried to understand them. But just keep hope, because every once in a while the media lets us make our case, and when wee do, wee can at least make a couple of them look totally foolish.
source: http://www.gamingsteve.com/archives/2008...oblems.php
My mother and I actually laughed when wee talked about some of these topics (Mass Effect one in particular). I think the biggest problem here is that the people with the most influence over the video game-ignorant public are just almost as ignorant, except they have pulled random fitting scenes and events from video games and formed their own (incorrect) conclusions.
As soon as Keighley started giving his thoughts, which are shared by the majority of gamers, he got cut off. I think a good argument he was about to give was that you have to pursue a relationship with the female members of the crew and you end up having the characters fall in love. In fact, it is pretty easy to completely miss it all together, unless you heard about it and decided to pursue it. The kids out there that parents want to "protect" would more than likely need help in order to get the sex scene. This means their parents would have had to get them a video game guide or let them surf the net unsupervised. Of course, the child may have found out from a friend at school how to go about doing this, and that is where parents lose their control.
However, that child had to acquire his/her knowledge from someplace, and it just keeps going from there. Regardless, if these parents are so afraid of their children being exposed to such things, they can put up an internet nanny, spend time with their children during video games, keep a tally on what games that child is playing, or even not buy games they don't want their children exposed to.
I feel so strongly about the Mass Effect incident that it hurts. My parents actually took it upon themselves to teach me what was real and what was fictional and took the time to make sure I was developing into a stable person.
Bully was exactly as the writer said, a satire on the life in a boarding school. It is not a training ground for violence. I mean, you can't possibly take that game seriously, with all the weird things that occur, but it is still a fun story you are living. It was the name of the game that brought all the attention, and thus caused people to look for evidence to support their already formed conclusions.
That brings me to one of my hugest pet peeves; people say gamers need to spend their time watching a movie or reading a book, rather than playing games. Although I can agree there are certain stories you'd never want to make into a game, and stories often allow you to actually imagine what you want characters and scenery to look like, the game lets you get more interactive with the story.
What Janice Turner doesn't admit is that movies always force you to see exactly the exact same story being told in the exact same way. With video games, there are often multiple routes the story can go, and you can often socialize with others who love video games through multiplayer. Heck, video games can even give you a learning experience on subjects including history, religious beliefs, vocabulary, and cultural traditions.
I have read plenty of books in my short life, and have seen enough movies, but some of the best experiences I've had in story telling have been in video games. This is one reason some movies don't turn out well as games; people see a movie that sold well and think they can make some money making it into a game, but realize there isn't enough content to put into the video game, e.g. Golden Compass. Of course, often people are just banking on the hope of movie lovers buying it not for gameplay, resulting in poor gameplay and graphics oftentimes.
Unfortunately, my thoughts aren't likely to be heard by the masses, but you can be sure they'll hear what the ignorant people have to say.
Anyways, that's my two cents. [/rant]