The Democratic National Convention was, by all accounts, a success in that it did its part in showcasing who Barack Obama is to the world. His historic speech on the convention’s final day did a good job (at least I think) of cementing his positions about how he plans to govern our country.
In terms of gaming though, the DNC was both a success, and Gamepolitics has reports describing both in detail.
First of all, Microsoft’s online service, Xbox Live, has decided to participate in voting efforts along with Rock the Vote at both the Democratic and Republican conventions. A video of their efforts at the Democratic National Convention can be seen below:
Sadly though, the goodwill was negatively countered with an advocacy group called ‘No Child Left Inside’ blaming the inactivity of today’s youth on video games. Personally, I can’t wait until a gamer reaches a prominent position in government, maybe then these bullshit accusations will finally pass. The report is here.
Speaking of advocacy, an important question was discussed in Gamepolitics on whether or not gamer advocates need to actually be gamers themselves. The article is here; personally, I would answer this question by emphatically saying YES! After all, you can’t fight for something if you don’t know what you are fighting for.
Ever wonder why lawyers, politicians, associations and organizations favor the ‘games are evil’ line so much?
While the actual reason is likely to elude many for a while, Gamepolitics has an interesting report here that explains the rationale behind why this line has been able to garner believeability.
After reading it, I believe more than ever that once gamers grow up to influence our society, this statement will be eradicated.
Speaking of politics, as everyone knows, a group of supporters remain bitter that Hillary Clinton failed to secure the nomination for president. While Obama has made inroads to appeasing them, he still has a long way to go in some respects.
Gamepolitics was able to delve into the mind of a game designer who shares these views here. In reading it, I have to say that I sincerely hope she recognizes Obama’s strengths and see that he and Clinton really are one in the same in various ways.
I hope this election and inauguration goes smoothly.
Academic duties and life planning have been contributing factors in my not blogging as frequently as I would like; however, I reassure you that I am still keeping abreast of gaming issues and the roles that they play in our society.
South Africa apparently thinks that this role is negative, as a watchdog group situated there is calling for a ban on not just video games with controversial content, but violent music as well. Gamepolitics has more on this report here.
In making this decision, the spokesman from the group, Errol Nadioo, cited two incidents; the first involving a United States teen who murdered his friend after listening to Slipknot, and the second being the Bangkok GTA incident.
What is disturbing about these actions is that he even admits that these actions may not achieve their desired result, but ‘thinks that they may bring peace of mind to families.’
My opinions on individuals, organizations and associations who blame video games for their society’s ills have already been voiced throughout this blog; I will simply say this instead: considering all the problems facing South Africa, should they really be focusing their energies on banning the one means of escape that these people have? There is a reason that games continue to provide a decent revenue for people despite our struggling economy.
Speaking of the economy, considering how bad it is, it should provide an easy electoral advantage for Democrats. However, Obama has run into some trouble as of late, with most of it coming from his questionable associations and the rest coming from exposed flaws in his policies. Others are not enthused about his choice of Joe Biden for VP.
Personally, I have always been skeptical of Biden; I believe that he has the tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Turns out, I am not alone in this concern, if this article is to be believed.
Kind of sad, but oh well, he is better than Hillary Clinton.
To end this post on a humorous note, here is a video that shows how McCain likes to use his war experience as an excuse for EVERYTHING!! Thanks, Jared Rea!
Now I know why cynical gamers refer to World of Warcraft as ‘World of Warcrack.’
Apparently, some players are willing to do anything to achieve success in it, even if it means sacrificing precious commodities such as sleep, as reported here by Yahoo News.
Sadly, this long journey ended up with players becoming fatigued and sick as a result of their efforts, the leaders of the guild wanted to stop the suffering before it became a big deal. Sadly, I don’t think that they succeeded in that regard.
In fact, I think that they may have given ammunition to the guy that wrote this book. Gamepolitics referenced the author’s interview with Canada.com here. Gamepolitics’s excerpt can be found here.
So as not to sound like a broken record, I have already given my thoughts on his book in this post, suffice to say it, I think that he blows a lot of hot air.
If McCain’s campaign continues to act like this, Obama will essentially have the youth vote locked up.
Apparently personnel in his campaign found reason to chastise Obama’s supporters as being part of the ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ crowd. Gamepolitics has the report here.
Between this and ‘Pork Raiders,’ McCain has convinced me that he will never be able to connect with the youth of this generation.
For those that thought ‘mature-rated’ games were only the property of Sony and Microsoft are about to be surprised by Sega’s latest project for the Wii. Titled Madworld, the game has stylized graphics and a great deal more blood than you are expected to see on Nintendo’s system. A short video of the game can be seen below:
Unusual, isn’t it? The Daily Mail thinks so, and has made clear their opposition to this product through this article.
Personally, I think that whenever you dare to go outside the box, you are always going to draw your share of critics.
One person who has had those, and more, is Sam Houser of Rockstar games. However, he makes it clear here that he enjoys the negative criticism that he receives, as it is a sign that his products carry a great deal of influence. Personally, it is an attitude that I wish I was able to maintain more often.
In terms of gaming happenings, today proved quite interesting. Prior to my trip to the library, I spent sometime with a PSN demo of the game Echochrome, a game whose goals center on players maneuvering the field to allow the player to progress. Playing this demo caused me to think about perspective, and how it is applied to the world of video games.
This ‘perspective’ is largely derived from games’ negative reputation; this can be attributed to their less than savory portrayals in the media. To most media officials, gamers are nothing more than helpless shut-ins…if you are male, of course. If you are female, you are either unattractive or lack social graces. Interestingly, for female gamers, the worst criticisms tend to come from gamers themselves, a trend that is highlighted by Morgan Webb of G4 below.
However, if articles like this one are any indication, it will lead to individuals having an improved ‘perspective’ about video games.
One person who posesses that ‘improved perspective’ is Lisa Kreutter, the Reference and Young Adult Librarian at the Delray Beach Public Library in Delray Beach, FL. Having spent my summer assisting her with coordinating the Gaming Night, I took my last day to ask her about the origins of her library’s gaming night along with the effects of having video games pepper library landscapes.
Her audio responses can be read below each of the questions that I submitted to her:
1. Could you first tell me how ‘game night’ at the Delray Beach Library started? Was it the idea of one person or a collective group?
2. Despite video games’ increased popularity and acceptance in society, the concept of their inclusion into libraries is still regarded as a foreign concept. Why do you think this is the case and what can be done to change it?
3. Do you believe that video games can aid cognitive skills and/or eye-hand coordination? If not, what skills do you think games can impart to children?
4. Do you think that libraries like yours that choose to dedicate their resources to gaming play a role in dispelling the notion that game playing is ‘counterproductive?’
5. Finally, in describing your library’s ‘game night,’ what can you recall as the most memorable moment that occurred? What about the least? Also, what do you think can be done to increase this event’s popularity?
In speaking to her, I really gained a greater insight into some of the crucial inroads that games are making on their way to achieving societal acceptance. I hope there will come a day where games will be able to stand side-by-side with books and be treated with the same amount of respect.
The First Amendment to the Constitution states, quite explicitly, that no laws should be made to prevent people from practicing their preferred religion, wherever, and however they please, with the only exceptions being unless that religion’s practices have a deleterious effect on society.
Fast forward to today, and religion has become one of the most controversial topics of discussion in our society, with individuals crying foul on a constant basis whenever they feel that ‘their religion’ is being marginalized.
This has unfortunately spilled over into the world of video games, where atheists are crying foul because Will Wright’s Spore game actually acknolwedges religion. Gamepro and Kotaku have separate takes on the incident, which can be read here and here.
For gamers unfamiliar with Will Wright, he is the creator of ‘SimCity’ along with its various offshoots (the Sims, SimAnt and Simtown among others). The main concept of ‘Spore’ invites players to create their own creatures and proceed through the evolutionary process. According to Gamepro.com, Wright expected to recieve fervor from religious activists as the game invites players to control their own universes and essentially ‘become their own gods.’
To hear Kotaku.com explain it though, atheists should be happy, after all isn’t the experience ‘one big intelligent design simulator?’
Some groups will always have their priorities mixed up.
Speaking of which, there is a rather strange report on Gamepolitics that mentions that parents fear video games more than alchol, smut and violence. An unusual finding, sure, but as reported by Gamepolitics, it definetly highlights the challenges that the industry faces in trying to become acceptable to parents and older Americans. In this respect, maybe Sony and Microsoft should take some tips from Nintendo and produce some casual ‘non-games.’
The above video comes from a report from Gamepolitics about how video games are being integrated into libraries in an attempt to draw more of an audience. The newscasters in the video ask the question of whether or not games make children smarter.
I think that games can aid in helping children understand difficult concepts, but on their own they are unable to make children smarter. However, I fully support them being used as teaching tools for the betterment of society. This report can be found here.
In keeping with my philosophy with using games as learning tools, that also includes warning parents about games that are not safe for their children, games like GTA 4, which continues to make a negative impact on the news.
Gamepolitics has reported that three teens in Milton, GA were arrested for acts of arson on cars. The teens cited the use of motolov cocktails in Grand Theft Auto 4 as the source material for their attacks. Gamepolitics’s analysis can be found here, while the actual piece is here.
This act of blaming Grand Theft Auto for everything from death to the 7 plauges of Moses has become ridiculous. Personally, I think that it has come to the point that individuals will refuse to admit responsiblity for their crimes, way to go ‘moralists.’
Ending on a positive note, maybe I can get together with the ECA and have them send Barack Obama some newer video games. If it is true that the last game he played was Pong, then he has a ways to go to catch up with gaming culture.
Kotaku.com has an excellent article about Christians observing the impact of video games on greater society. Their analysis of the article can be read here, while the source material can be read here.
The article is interesting in that it actually calls for parents to see what their children are playing, and to “get serious” about gaming as a whole.
I, for one, agree with that; games aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it would be nice if parents would see what has their kids excited.
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!