Kotaku Posts 'A Reminder That Video Games Are A Force For Good' (kotaku.com.au) 42
An anonymous reader quotes Kotaku Australia:
Spurred on by the recent discussions of video games and violence, and spurred on by the emotional and often downbeat tone of that discussion, a user on Twitter posted a simple thought exercise. Rather than talking about the misery and pain of the week, what if people shared all the times Nintendo games changed lives instead?
Unsurprisingly, the tweet went viral with over 22,000 retweets and 31,200 likes, prompting a trending discussion where people began sharing tales of how Nintendo games have served as a force for good.... Users began retelling stories of the first times they shared a Nintendo game with their parents. Others spoke about times how Nintendo games helped them while they were being bullied at school, difficult situations at home, or just being able to connect with people over a shared interest.
The responses included game players with autism or depression, with other gamers sharing stories about bonding with a parent, getting inspired to pursue a career, or meeting friends or future spouses in online games.
Any Slashdot readers want to share their own thoughts on whether videogames are "a force for good"?
Unsurprisingly, the tweet went viral with over 22,000 retweets and 31,200 likes, prompting a trending discussion where people began sharing tales of how Nintendo games have served as a force for good.... Users began retelling stories of the first times they shared a Nintendo game with their parents. Others spoke about times how Nintendo games helped them while they were being bullied at school, difficult situations at home, or just being able to connect with people over a shared interest.
The responses included game players with autism or depression, with other gamers sharing stories about bonding with a parent, getting inspired to pursue a career, or meeting friends or future spouses in online games.
Any Slashdot readers want to share their own thoughts on whether videogames are "a force for good"?
Glad They Finally Agree (Score:4, Insightful)
I sure gamers will forget how Kotaku et al. have tried to smear them over the years (especially when covering up their own ethical misdeeds).
Polygon.com is not Kotaku.com (Score:2)
So you're mixing up the two
Re: (Score:3)
Not to mention you'll find different opinions from different writers, you're bound to find things on both sides on gaming sites. Look at all the Jack Thompson coverage.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Its weird how so many on the right spent years freaking the fuck out that academics and journalists where daring to apply the same sorts of literary criticism academics have examined art with for 200 years, but when conservatives straight up threaten to ban games , its all quiet....
That so many gamers seem to think people treating games as valid art is more of a threat to their hobby than right wingers wanting to ban it. Because a random woman may or may not have slept with a jounalist who didnt actually re
Also they are protected (Score:2)
Video games are protected by one of the first 2 Amendments in the Bill of Rights. So any effort to ban them would require a constitutional amendment.
Re: (Score:3)
Never underestimate the power of stupidity and a wannabe dictator in power that can rile his base just by tweeting about it.
Get a judge to declare video games are not art and therefore not Constitutionally protected. Get a quack to show video games target audience is kids for ALL games, ignoring the rating system. Universally ban all video games. If that sounds far fetched, read about Jack Thompson [wikipedia.org], who took exactly that tack to try and ban video games.
Video games are a media (Score:5, Insightful)
They can convey good, convey bad, just like movies or books.
But as with books and movies, they can't brainwash people into murderers or anything else.
This kind of idea comes from the "cultivation theory" that was debunked several times, but seems to come back every time its politically convenient, even if its on the tier of flat earth and fake moon landing theories.
Re: (Score:2)
But as with books and movies, they can't brainwash people into murderers or anything else.
And it's a good thing too, because I read most of those Dune universe books by Frank Herbert's son, and they were really violent.
And Shakespeare is chock full of immorality, it would really suck if reading it turned me into one of those characters.
Imagine what would happen to historians!
Re: (Score:3)
Yes, they can. Propaganda uses media to... propagandize, so to speak :)
Books, movies, games, they are all data entering our brains. Just like news, TV broadcasts and uncle Moke getting drunk and talking shit again. If that data resonates with you for whatever reason, you will listen to it more intently, take it to heart and start strongly believing in it. Soon enough, a personal religion is born.
However, this all is valid for weak-minded people more than strong-minded people.
I have been blessed by nature wi
Re: (Score:2)
Information do actually work.
If you can convince someone you're saying the truth thru whatever media, you will influence the person.
But the Cultivation theory says that you can brainwash people with fiction.
"Present enough violence/sex/whatever" in a fiction scenario, and you will eventually turn the person, but that just don't happen.
Re: (Score:2)
Considering all the lunatics upholding alien movies as propaganda preparing us to fight aliens, I'm not so sure :)
Re: (Score:2)
But as with books and movies, they can't brainwash people into murderers or anything else.
Please if you actually love free speech, stop being one of its unwitting detractors.
Speech shouldn't be free because it's inconsequential. It should be free precisely because it is not inconsequential. The reason dictators ban free speech is because they fear the consequences: that speech can ultimately overthrow their regime.
By painting free speech as inconsequential you are actively damaging it: if it doesn't matter
Videogames are neither good nor bad... (Score:5, Insightful)
... they are a scapegoat for a society that doesn't want to look in the mirror at it's own deranged, socipathic and predatory behavior. A society that places profits over people, and competition and strife over adult stewardship and genuine concern for one another. George Carlin had it right that we're a dumb immature species.
https://youtu.be/acLW1vFO-2Q?t... [youtu.be]
As an older slashdot member, as one reads and experiences the world. One comes to understand just how stupid, idiotic and predatory human beings really are. Human beings are basically predator apes with serious delusions of being smarter then they really are given all the problems on their planet, most of which are unnecessary and are largely a reflection of how poorly we are made as evolved apes with serious biological defects in both bodily and mental function at every layer of society .
Whether videogames are used for good or ill reflect the qualities of the people and environment around them. Like anything else in the world it's the people who make an activity good or bad not the thing itself.
The Jimquisition show had a god point (Score:1)
So by that yardstick it's impossible for ESPN to air the footage.
In actuality, they're just providing cover for the politicians going around saying video games are to blame.
If anyone's wondering why, with 97% of American
Re: (Score:1)
What is an 'Apex Legends tournament'? Maybe they pulled coverage because nobody knew what it was and nobody would watch it.
Unnecessary For Most Games (Score:2)
Video games are too ubiquitous now for there to be popular support for a general ban on them, so it's redundant to try to justify their existence. Pokemon Go, DDR, & Beat Saber are good for exercise, for some low-hanging fruit. Certain violent games (that upcoming CoD I could see getting delayed a year), perhaps might need some justification, though. Probably the best justification for violent video games is to demonstrate the fact that acting out one's desires for aggression and retribution is rewardin
Re: (Score:2)
Video games are too ubiquitous now for there to be popular support for a general ban on them
There will be no blanket ban. Instead the censors will claim to only want to ban "bad" games. Once the precedent has been set, the screws will tighten.
Certain violent games (that upcoming CoD I could see getting delayed a year), perhaps might need some justification, though.
No they don't. The burden of proof is squarely on the censors to demonstrate harm, not on game publishers to prove no harm.
So far, the preponderance of the evidence is that video games reduce violence. Violent crime has fallen dramatically in line with the grown popularity of video games, and this is likely, at least in-part, to be because video games kee
Re: (Score:2)
Good point -- it's been noted that in most cases if you can get young men to age 26 without becoming criminals, they'll never become criminals. And what's the sweet span for video games? Yeah.
And give violent people an outlet that's easier than violence, and they'll use it. Killing pixels is easier than shooting up a Walmart, and you can kill unlimited pixels at no risk of a sudden and violent end of your own.
I remember some interesting stats with regard to violent sex crimes -- there was a significant drop
Re: (Score:2)
Which goes onto the most important point. Yes, a lot of people vent their real life frustration when playing violent videos games. Rather than those psychological stresses building up and exploding, they are released in the gaming environment. Also technically speaking monitoring gaming practices demonstrated by players allows you to analyse those players to gain an understanding of their nature.
There is one thing about violent video games, that really does reflect the psychology of the people involved, th
Certainly not evil, but... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, same could be said about watching TV, beer and fast food.
NO! (Score:1)
Video Games are a force for entertainment, neither being good or bad. Just like all other sports and entertainment activities we engage in. Movies, Theater, Ballet, Music, Dancing, Pageantry, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Boxing, MMA, Wrestling, and Golf etc... all have bad actors and fans inside and surrounding them.
Trying to ban anything that is a leisurely activity only results in a black-market, people want entertainment and they will risk death and kill to get it as evidenced by the drug wars.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
They tuk yer jerbs! Get back in the pile!
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
society that talks out of both sides of it's mouth.
The reason why this happens is simple, explained best by old english proverb "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar" https://english.stackexchange.... [stackexchange.com]
Attention Whores (Score:3, Insightful)
As for this link to violence - the media at large seem to be bent on blaming just about anything EXCEPT the real cause, which is that the NRA have stopped any progress on gun control. Oh, let's blame 8chan! Wait, what's that? 8chan is accessible and used by people all around the world yet only in America do its users mow people down with machine guns? OK.
Re: (Score:1)
Have we forgotten about how the video gaming media went after gamers not so long ago?
They didn't go after gamers in general, only the one seanding death and rape threats to Anita Sarkeesian etc.
Re: (Score:1)
Have we forgotten about how the video gaming media went after gamers not so long ago?
That never happened. They went after incels. That many of them are gamers are irrelevant, since that's not why they went after them.
They're simple attention whores who would sell out their own Grandmothers if it got them more viewership.
That is generally true of media, and I'm beginning to suspect it's true of people in general.
As for this link to violence - the media at large seem to be bent on blaming just about anything EXCEPT the real cause, which is that the NRA have stopped any progress on gun control.
Snerk. We have more killings per capita than the other highly developed nations with lots of guns. And the other developed nations with lots of guns are generally easily explained, for example Mexico. The extent of gun violence in Mexico is due to a combination of US drug policy, and a
Re: Attention Whores (Score:2)
It's a diverting strategy (Score:4, Insightful)
The people who are accusing video games of inciting Americans (and only Americans) to go out & commit hate crimes with guns don't care whether it's true or not. They don't care what effect video games have on anyone. All they care about is diverting the public's attention from real solutions to the problems of gun violence & hate crimes in the USA.
This strategy has been very effective for several decades now.
Re: (Score:1)
I've thought about... (Score:2)
I've certainly thought about the impact of videogames on society on occasion, because I develop videogames professionally. I guess there's always a certain degree of navel gazing regarding one's own profession. I've come to the conclusion that, while not among the most noble of professions, I think as a whole we provide an overall positive impact on society, despite many industry failings, even if there's obvious no way to measure this. Still, consider how many people have fond memories of or experiences
Yes on all accounts (Score:2)
Yeah, I'd say that most people who didn't become programmers by default (just because no one else wanted the job) o r because it pays well were likely inspired to make their own video games or applications.
My desire to figure out how video games worked got me to bug mom to buy us a PC, then hacking together my own games.
It was only after college that I realized that the video game industry is incredibly demanding, and I decided I wanted my sleep. But I just changed to another software field.
Video games ar
Re: (Score:2)
In 6th grade I made a stick figure fencing game, but it wasn't long before I moved on to writing office apps. Or at least, an AD&D2 character generator.
Re: (Score:2)
I am horrible socially, I used to get panic attacks even thinking of something so simple as introducing myself. But I found it wasn't so stressful in online games (starting with Diablo II and Starcraft battle.net) From there I found my way into chat rooms, and eventually started to actually get better at communicating with others. I'm still awkward and prefer not dealing with people, but I have a solid network of friends online and off now, some of whom I met through old school battle.net all those yea
Re: (Score:2)
I've heard good things about Leisure Suit Larry Online.
Can we stop blaming Doom for Columbine now? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Usually it ends up by simply marking perpetrators as 'wack jobs' and case closed. Because ignorance always solves the real issues, yes? If you don't like what you hear just censor it.
Not so good or bad (Score:2)
Mostly just a waste of time
Alright, here's how Nintendo changed my life... (Score:2)
I use to hate pizzas with mushrooms in them. But after playing Super Mario Bros., I stopped hating those kinds of pizzas and just jumped on them instead.
The World Is Saved (Gamer Anthem) (Score:1)
This excellent music video captures the melancholic escapism uniquely provided by gaming.
Years later and it still brings the feels...
Enjoy.