Evil games article in today's Indo

Deadwing

Jesus christ, while were at it why dont we just ban TV, books, the internet, radio, magazines, music, and anything else that can possibly contain any sort of violent message or imagery.
Life would be so much better with people to make decisions for us about what we can and cant watch/read/play/listen to!!
Wait a minute..isnt that also called fascism??

BlitzKrieg

anyone got a email address for the indo. cant find it on their bloody webpage

Dr. Loon

BlitzKrieg wrote:

anyone got a email address for the indo. cant find it on their bloody webpage

Here;

http://www.unison.ie/unison/info/contact_unison.shtml

BlitzKrieg

cheers

Stormfox1020

I thought it was communism, not facisim.

Mr E

Great letter, Dr. Loon. Well said.

ixoy

Woot! We got a response. I'll have to check the Indo. tomorrow then to see if they publish any of this. I'd have written yesterday but I never got around to it although, given it's my job to write, I should've...
Anyone else written to them?

Lemming

Well said Dr.Loon

Might I also add, some superb sarcasm

BlitzKrieg

I'm writing them now...seeing dr loon has taken the responsibility section of the topic i'll take the 'games are not all about violence' section.

Dr. Loon

Lemming wrote:

Might I also add, some superb sarcasm

Ha ha. That's why I thought they wouldn't respond. Seems they're going to quote my comment about Microsoft Word inadvertently training me in the use of firearms. Will see how they twist my words tomorrow.

BlitzKrieg

draft of the letter i am writing (harder then i thought not to sound offensive)


To whom it may concern



I found the article on computer games in Thursday's Irish independent on the whole quite unfair to the medium, the article presented games such as Doom 3 as a glorification to violence with little else appeal then to satisfy a inhuman thirst for violence. This cant be any further from the truth. Games are not simply a 'fix' of violence but instead a diverse media challenging and entertaining players on many levels.
Firstly I would like to make clear that this is not a letter about should games be sold to children or not, I assume you have had many letters expressing an opinion similar to mine that the responsibility lies with the parents and not the government, businesses or media. This letter is about how games are not simple child toys anymore but a new form of entertainment for a wide audience.
There is a diverse selection of computer games ranging from military and civilian strategy to the ‘shoot em ups’ which the media seems to focus on as the excuse to censor and ban computer games (more about them later). These games offer many challenges and benefits to the players of them. Take strategy games for example, these games require a level of thinking and planning higher then playing a game of chess, an excellent example would be the ‘Total War’ series which requires the player to not only lead his army to victory but to keep his people happy and to keep his allies happy. To successfully win this game requires more intelligence and strategic and diplomatic thinking then what the current U.S president has shown. Apart from strategy games there are a multitude of adventure games, simulations (of what’s real and what is science fiction), stealth games and role-playing. All of which provide players with either compelling storylines or challenges impossible in the real world. Believing computer games to be simple is ignorant, these games encourage the players to use their brains which is a lot more then the average television show that today’s youth watch.
Now, these ‘shoot em ups’ which supposable encourage violence. A brief look into the most successful computer games will show that the violence in these games is never the main appeal but that other features such as the players freedom, the depth of the story and the challenge presented are considered more important. The most successful ‘shoot em up’ ever Half Life was praised because it encouraged the player to approach its challenges without relying on just shooting everything. Added to this a great storyline and atmosphere and you have closest we have come to an interactive movie. Doom 3 the focus of your article takes many of the ideas set by half-life and improves on them, with great atmosphere and a compelling storyline. Other shoot em ups offer either tactical teamwork such as the rainbow six series and Hidden and Dangerous. Or the freedom to explore the game world and develop the character your playing as in numerous different ways such as in Deus Ex and System Shock 2.
Interesting enough there are games that are simply pure violence, but these games never seem to have a complaint raised against them. I have yet to see an article complaining about ‘Serious Sam’, which was simply pure violence. Yet we have articles on Doom 3, which offers so much more then violence. Games which do rely on pure violence tend to slip away and are never popular, only games which are creative and diverse raise to the top of the charts (though some games rise to the top for the same reasons as films, franchise or advertising. Not violence). In fact the media has only itself to blame for the success of Manhunt, before the tabloids blamed manhunt for the murder in England and the stores started pulling it off the shelves, the game was mediocre at best. But now since the murder the game because of its infamy has sold a lot more copies because of the media. If the media hadn’t gone into a frenzy the game would have slipped away into cult status like Serious Sam. Games, which rely on violence, are like those zombie B movie flicks where the main audiences are bored college students and their mainstream credibility is limited.
In conclusion computer games are a lot more complex then your article is letting on, then what the general media is letting on and should no longer be approached as simple child toys. They are more creative and constructive then a large part of general television viewing and appeal to a much more broad audience. When people start accepting this they can start being more responsible to what they allow their child to purchase.

KdjaCL

Blitzkried i suggest you use microsoft word but not for learning you in the use of firearms but for its grammar and spellchecking use



Nice email Loon, nicely to the point.

kdjac

Kold

KdjaC wrote:

All on the parents tbh , my brother lets his kid play all games (i mean all, hes 7) i wont let them play or watch a movie unless they at the req age. #


Although wonder if either of those doctors could help me stop my 2 year old girl from grabbing dogs and cats by the ears and biting their noses , she seen it on the Tweenies but it was a kiss. She doesnt understand has been bitten twice. Should i sue the BBC??? or my son built a large tower of blocks which fell on my head (bloody hurt) should i sue Bob the Builder?


Games with ratings are meant for that age group its up to the parents to adhere to that. BUT most parents use PS2s/Game machine and TV as a babysitter as they are to lazy to encourage their child to be creartive and the kid is quieter when playing /watching, and the parent is happier.

Also about the 8pm thing , NAM Tour of Duty is on TV at 11am (good tv show ) but fairly nasty as it shows Vietnam quite brutally and is on way before the watershed there are a lot of other tv shows like it on at the same time.

BUT with most societies its easier to blame someone else for yourchilds misgivings then accept the blame yourself as a bad parent who allowed their child to see/play, renact what they seen. I have the same problems but with kids doing things they not supposed to but i dont blame someone else ,its my fault noone elses.



kdjac

Desensitise them. By any chance they'll be sick to the teeth with sex and violent crime by the time they're 30.

BlitzKrieg

KdjaC wrote:

Blitzkried i suggest you use microsoft word but not for learning you in the use of firearms but for its grammar and spellchecking use



Nice email Loon, nicely to the point.

kdjac

funnily enuf i did use it...