Here are some more reports from individuals committing crimes; of course, video games are at the focal point of these capers, and it is only a matter of time before they become the elephant in the room once again.
The first report can be read here; it talks about a young man who pulls a knife on a teacher and demands money to buy Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It is a sad story and one that will surely provide ammunition for anti-game critics. Personally, I think that we should look more into the question of ‘What would possess a kid to do such a thing?’ Of course, my concerns will probably fall on deaf ears.
Curiously, when I looked for the source of the story on Gamepolitics, it took me to Fox News, and based on my previous postings on them, they have not shown themselves to be gamer-friendly.
Another report can be found here concerning a man’s criminal rampage. The man in question was 25 years of age and blamed his problems on Grand Theft Auto. Though it begs the question; considering the man’s troubled history, chronicled here by Gamepolitics, wouldn’t video games be the last item on one’s mind?
Sadly, the answer to that question for some people, is no.
Daniel Floyd, whom I mentioned earlier had a great video about video games and sexuality, has another one below about video games and the stories that they tell. It is very interesting and serves to highlight their continuing influence in society. It can be seen below:
Some interesting health-related posts to mention today, first with 1up.com reporting that grants will be given to individuals who study health effects in video games. The full article can be read here; personally, I think that if they find anything useful, to make it public soon. After all, I look forward to the day where playing DDR can be considered exercise alongside the usual routines.
Also, Kotaku.com describes an event targeted towards gamers who wish to see their craft used for positive means. More about it can be read here. Personally, I would love to go, but I lack the funds to go to New York (sighs).
A rather interesting news piece here about Minnesota optometrists warning against not staring at games all day. For me, that is obvious, that is why after I am finished playing for about 3 hours, I take a 10 minute nap to ‘recharge my batteries.’ Seriously, my mom always told me not to sit too close to the television when I play; I think this is the reason why.
Kotaku.com has a nice lecture from Daniel Floyd of the Savannah College of Art and Design that discusses the role of sexuality in video games. It can be seen below:
On that note, Gamepolitics has a report saying that video games are a ‘guy’ thing. Something that I grossly disagree with, as I have met many girls who enjoy video games as much as I do. In fact, I wish I could meet them more often that I do. Anyway, the report is here. The Daily Mail’s complete analysis is here.
Nintendo, despite dancing to a beat that vastly differs from the competition, continues to dominate the video game business. The New York Times spotlights Shigeru Miyamoto’s effect on the industry here.
Their latest title, Wii Fit, is causing gamers everywhere to focus more on exercising and losing weight. One person’s humorous attempt to do just that can be seen below:
Kotaku.com has some great videos of popular female celebrities promoting the Nintendo DS portable system. The individuals featured are Carrie Underwood, America Ferrera and Liv Tyler.
Here they are below:
Carrie Underwood’s videos
America Ferrera’s video
Liv Tyler’s video
Ads like these can only be good for Nintendo, and for gaming as a whole. It certainly does its part when balanced against negative press like what is written here. Personally, I think that you can achieve in video games, while it may pale in comparison to several real world achievements, games make me happy; that is a victory in itself.
Games are also profitable too; though I have commented on that in previous posts, this report is noteworthy as well.
Also, I have mentioned in a previous post about the efforts of the ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) to promote gamer activism. They are now supporting the creation of chapters throughout the U.S. More can be found here. If you are interested, go to their site to find out more.
On that note, I would like to end this post with some humor; this article points out some of the silliest lawsuits involving video games that exist.
Video game consoles are capable of achieving spectacular visual effects and technological wizardy, but have you ever wondered what items enable them to obtain those effects.
As it turns out, the guts of gaming consoles, ie, the processors, motherboards, etc. are not environmentally friendly, which is disturbing considering the push towards ‘green electronics.’ Gamespot has the report here.
A rather interesting video from Greenpeace International, who has voiced these concerns, can be seen below:
Speaking of cleaner environments, if the results of the Florida Supreme Court trial are any indication, Jack Thompson will be unable to continue his anti-gaming crusade. Destructoid has the results of his trial here, and should he be disbarred, the gaming environment will be much cleaner due to his absence.
Or maybe not so much, as there are sure to be many anti-gaming politicians who are eager to take his place; Gamecyte interviews one of them, Leland Yee, a California State Senator, in two videos below.
Part 1
Part 2
The lessons here? Simple, our environment has to be managed properly, in both ecological and entertainment situations, if not, it could lead to both our mind and planet being polluted.
Chris Baker of Wired Magazine teams up with Chris Kohler to give their opinions on Grand Theft Auto 4. The video can be seen below:
Their key observations of the game consist of them saying how the problems in this new iteration are virtually non-existent. Other than that, their comments are fairly positive.
Moving on to positive gaming news, Game Informer has an excellent article about how video games are becoming a part of our daily lives in terms of education and exercise. They describe their time at the Games for Health conference at the Baltimore Convention Center which can be read here.
Events like these show that games are slowly but surely becoming a part of our daily lives. Of course, the public’s opinion on games still needs work in order for them to be regarded as ‘acceptable’ entertainment.
Maybe NASA can give the public a hand; they believe that games are not responsible for causing violence, and that they can actually be key to learning. The Truro Daily News has the report here.
I agree with this article not only for the obvious reasons of being a gamer. Prior to being exposed to the systems that I am now familiar with, some of the first video games I played were Alge-Blaster 3, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego and SimCity. To improve my typing skills, I even played Mario Teaches Typing. The game is not that bad…if you give it a chance. Long story short, I can see what NASA is attempting to do.
Will their efforts work? I for one hope so…of course, as I stated earlier, as long as Jack Thompsons and Hillary Clintons exist, public opinion has a long way to go.
1up.com has a very interesting piece that outlines five things video games can teach you, besides the obvious aspect of eye hand coordination. The article can be read here.
Games as a method of teaching; while that idea may appear crazy to some, it is increasingly gaining credence in academia. G4 has the story here.
Speaking of elected officials, there are more reports of them tackling the video game issue, with some of them handling it better than others.
The media, on the other hand, always seems to report ill-informed stories on video games and their effect on society; while most of them can be easily dismissed, this report by Boston TV is interesting, mainly because they report the industry’s problem with self-regulation. Personally, I think that games have ratings for a reason, and it is a choice on whether or not people choose to adhere to them.
Come here to find out about how video games are playing a role in our society, and become enlightened regarding all the goings-on in the industry! Take a second to peek around and check out some of my previous posts. Comments are ALWAYS welcome!
