Posts Tagged: violence

Virtual games are taking over!  In 2002, music was at the top of the money-making list followed by movies.  Games were at the bottom.  As of 2008, games moved to the top as the most profitable market with music and movies following respectively.  It’s also interesting to point out that 67% of all Americans play video games.

The world is a complex place and we have created games to help our species make sense of it.  In the early years of computers when they were only beginning to attract attention from ordinary citizens, one of the first things people did was create games.  We like to take our tools and make something we can play with.  But I wonder … have games helped shape society to what it is today?  Or has society played a part on our games?

Although most people think of violent scenarios when it comes to gaming, not all involve malicious combat and senseless character interactions.  PeaceMaker, for example, is a game that places players directly into the Palestine/Israeli conflict with the goal to create peace between the regions.  During the process, the game discusses actual events and facts about the situation and encourages players to seek a peaceful resolution.

Newer video game consoles are promoting health and family interactions.  The Nintendo Wii requires players to use their bodies in conjunction with the remote.  Physical activity can be fun again for younger generations that are used to sitting in front of a screen for hours on end moving only their fingers on a control pad.  Wii television commercials depict family members of all ages enjoying the games and socializing.  This brings about the notion of “family game night”, but adapted to a new digital era.

Although many people make the argument that video games are destroying minds and promoting terrible values, it seems that newer advanced technologies are now able to create more meaningful video games.  No more are we restricted to tiny stationary screens.  Games are evolving to incorporate the use of more senses and body movement.  Family game nights have now advanced to a whole new level.

Old school games from the 1980’s had an innocence. Dig Dug. Centipede. Joust. The Mario Games. They all had a simplicity to them that seems novel and maybe even boring compared to today’s games. Current video game culture still retains a place for ‘cutesy’ games, but as video games become more mainstream, the best selling games seem to be more violent, more over the top and more aggressive.

1.) Does this change indicate a change in popular culture that is reflected in video games? If video games are more violent, does that mean Americans feel more violent?

2.) Does this change reflect the increased developing capacity brought on by cheaper and cheaper computing power? Were these violent tendencies always there and just remained unexpressed in video games because we did not have the capacity to realistically render it?

3.) Is there a link between economic well being and the kind of video games we enjoy? The 80’s were a time of recession and uncertainty (relative to the 90’s) In those times, games were more innocent and ‘family oriented.’ The 90’s saw economic boom times – our games became more violent and aggressive and stayed that way through the early part of the 21st century. Now, however, as times again become rough, there seems to be a return to family oriented, ‘fun’ games. Do we crave ‘fun’ games more during hard times? Is their a psychological need these games fulfill that are linked to our feeling of existential well being?

Payne reading

1.  So many of today’s video games create realistic war scenarios in family living rooms through a gaming console.  Would video games be as popular as they are if they encouraged less violent conduct?

2.  Should the military keep it’s advanced technology to themselves?  Does society need to experience realistic war combat in the same form that the military trains with?

3.  The more realistic the video game, the more believable and entertaining the experience for younger generations of gamers.  Are warfare video games “unhealthy” and destroying our future leaders if wars are portrayed as “realistic fun”?

4. The gaming industry is now more prosperous than the film industry.  What is it about gaming that has more people hooked?  Is a video game version of “Netflix” (Gameflix??) a possibility for the future?