So what is with this animosity consuming me? First and most obvious is the natural unhealthiness which gaming brings to ones life. "Over the last few years, video games have been linked to everything from shooting sprees and epileptic fits... . The latest study into the effects of gaming on the brain comes from Japan... . According to Professor Akio Mori, playing games can reduce activity in part of the brain, causing players to get angry and suffer problems concentrating." It can of course be argued that video gaming can increase reaction time (but hey, if you have no activity in your brain, then what point is good reaction time?) and the one I've heard most recently is to increase social experiences. But it indisputable that there is an incredible dark side.
Somehow I think that the general negativity which the media tends to put forth and that we hear all the time is not the real root of my disgust. Part of me, and a hypocritical part no less, hates the stereotype in my mind that I have of gamers. As one article I've read has suggested, a gamer is "a computer fanatic who will do (and spend) anything to have the latest cutting-edge hardware, and is absolutely single-minded in that rabid pursuit of the "best hardware money can buy". The "gamer" will do whatever it takes to get that extra 2 fames-per-second in the latest shooter game, just to have the slightest edge over his opponents (human or virtual)..." I believe the stereotype extends much further than this though. If I was to draw a picture of a 'typical' gamer, I would make the guy slightly overweight (either that or brutally scrawny) with over-baggy black tees or colourful button-up shirts. He'll have long black straggly hair pulled pack in a ponytail and he is twenty-seven, without a job, and living in his parents unfinished basement. Now, I cringe at writing all this because none of the people I know who play video games male or female fall under this category.
This clearly makes me a hypocrite, because my next "Gaming is about as great as having to pluck out my finger nails one by one" point is how stereotypical it is. So while I rant on, ignore the previous point. Most video games are marketed to younger children and teens (remember, it is those with the most expendable income that advertisers which to speak to. The 'whine factor' is one of the most effective ways to sell a product) and are generally played by young males. Yet these video games are "among the most violent and sexist material on the market today... where a player can make his "monsters" (male) pursue and threaten scantily-clad terrified young women". To add to this 
portrayal of women being the 'weaker sex', we also have another example of how 'sex sells'. From all the video games I have been introduced to, which I will admit is fairly limited, I have noticed a trend. Almost every single female character I have acquainted has had big busts and tiny waists. This would be one thing if the women were wearing turtlenecks and baggy jeans, but instead in each instance, the video game woman is scantily dressed. The feminine is presented as the ideal feminine archetype which is visible too often in media. It is nothing short of a sex-toy portrayal.Sure, there is a stigma in our culture about gaming which those who don't game see fairly clearly. But I think for a girlfriend there is an even greater distaste for the gaming world. Due to an upcoming sociology project, I picked up November's issue of Maxim and found an interesting article entitled 100 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WOMEN. It was a good attempt on the men's side, considering magazines like Cosmo have these littered all through their mags, and I've heard from men that they're always way too in depth and that getting a guy's attention is just so much easier, but having men put an effort on the other side is kind of nice. But I digress. Point being was that even a Men's magazine concerning "Girls. Sex. Sports. Games." can still understand a key point to a girl's psyche.
76. She hates your Xbox more than she lets on. Blow her off for some gaming and she'll soon stop wasting time on a dork like you.
In the past, I've been blown off for gaming, and I think this is the main reason for the sour taste in my mouth.
I am not going to claim complete ignorance when it comes to gaming. I've played Mortal Combat a few times (and won) as well as a few of those James Bond first person shooting games when Jil and Brad and I used to hang out (I was terrible at that.) Although I could simply pass off my dislike for the games as a negative hand-eye coordination problem, but that would be denying my ultimate feelings.
Cosmo also has a bit to say about why I probably dislike gaming in their Cosmo for your Guy section in December's issue.
Your ex had a few redeeming qualities, no doubt, but that doesn't mean your current flame wants to hear about them. In fact, an innocent comment about your ex's culinary skills or love of football could give your girl a serious complex. "When you kid about something a past partner did well or go on and on about a stand out attribute she had, it plants a seed in your present girlfriend's head that she doesn't measure up to this amazing Superwoman," says Bobbie Reid, author of Clueless: Real Solutions for Men who Don't Get It - and the Women Who Love Them.
Needless to say, of course.
Despite it all, I suppose that gaming in moderation is okay, (as it works with most things), however it seems that gaming can begin a slippery slope to addiction. Yeah, I've seen a few of those.
7 comments:
I LIKE tetris!
Geeze, you know you can find a good tetris game on ebaums world. NO!!! NO LAURA - not another reason to procrastinate!
Hi Laura, I don't believe we have ever met, but I enjoy reading peoples' blogs and I am especially drawn towards ones that concern subject matter that is appealing to me. It just so happens that your post about video games piqued my interest, and I hope you don't mind having a stranger take a moment to respond to your views :)
You do indeed mention numerous points of concerns regarding the content of specific games, but what I find worrisome is your focus on what may be considered some of the dregs of the video gaming buffet, rather than games that have something genuine and intelligent to offer. More on that in a bit.
You made reference to the link between video games and violence, however that correlation does not implicate a causal relationship (video games do not 'cause' violence). If video games were in fact an indisputable cause of violence among children, adolescents, or adults, the cases of video game induced violent acts would have reached epidemic proportions more than a decade ago when the first digital, pixilated progenitors of violent video games emerged. Instead of an epidemic, what we see in today's society is nothing more than isolated incidents with mal-adjusted people who are merely imitating something they may have seen in a movie, played in video game, or read in a history book for that matter. There is certainly nothing new or novel about the type of violence portrayed in video games.
Furthermore, the bad press that video games receive with regards to violence does not tend to be based on factual documented evidence, but rather emotionally charged rhetoric by those who would seek to profit from peoples' skepticism about video games. If you are familiar with whom Jack Thompson is, I'm sure you already know what I mean. Incase you're unfamiliar with who he is, let me give you some idea.
He claims to be a proponent of moral and ethic standards in the video game industry, but his record clearly shows he is little more than the equivalent of an ambulance chasing trial lawyer who seeks out extravagantly contrived ways of holding video game publishers responsible for violent acts committed by people who claim to have been influenced by video games. Courts have time and time again ruled against him on account of the evidence being unsupportive of his claims, yet his crusade continues unabated. Last month (October 2005), Mr. Thompson issued a challenge to the video gaming community that stated that nobody would make a game that revolved around killing executives of video game companies who develop violent video games, because they would be afraid people would actually imitate what they saw in the game and go out and kill the executives and their families. He claimed that if such a game were made, he would personally donate $10,000 to Take Two Interactive's (a prominent video game publisher) charity of choice. A few weeks later, the mod community (people who make modifications for games that have already been released to enhance their replay value) released a mod using the Grand Theft Auto engine that did precisely what Mr. Thompson had challenged; they created a game where you were a disgruntled father whose child was the victim of a videogame related killing spree, where the objectives of the game was to hunt down and kill executives and their families in a most gruesome fashion.
But did Jack Thompson hold up his end of the deal and donate $10,000 to charity? Not at all. He rescinded his challenge in the face of its completion and refused to donate the money to charity, claiming he was being facetious and proving a point. In response to his failure to hold up his end of the bargain, Penny-Arcade, the most prominent video game oriented webcomic on the internet (who hosts an annual event known as "Child's Play" to raise money from their fanbase consisting entirely of gamers for hospitals that treat sick children across America) donated the $10,000 in Jack Thompson's name to a charity for sick children. These are the same 'gamers' for which you seem to hold little regard for.
As far as epilepsy is concerned, epileptics may have the misfortune succumbing to an attack over anything as small of a flash of light, a certain smell, or just plain (bad) luck of the draw. Just like most everything else, video games do contain elements that epileptics may be sensitive too, which is why ALL video games are now required to print health and safety instructions in their manuals to warn players that if they have certain medical conditions such s epilepsy, they should be cautious or avoid playing the game altogether. Some games go far as to put this warning directly in the game's opening screens themselves (as Nintendo has opted to do with numerous titles), so it would only be fair to say that the video game industry is at least conscious of this problem and has taken measures to ensure players are not put at risk by indulging in the fruits of their labour.
With regards to Mr. Mori's research on parts of the brain becoming inactive while playing video games, its important to note that parts of the brain become inactive when people participate in any activity that has become mundane to them, as that activity no longer stimulates as many parts of the brain as it did when the experience was new. This applies equally to reading, watching TV, going for a walk on the beach, playing video games, and a plethora of other activities that people incorporate into their everyday lives.
The definition you shared of a 'gamer' is completely disingenuous. People who "do whatever it takes to get that extra 2 frames-per-second in the latest shooter game", which is more commonly referred to as a FPS (standing for first person shooter), are a minute subset of gamers whom I would agree take the pursuit of gaming much too far. My personal experiences with such people have left me wondering how unfulfilling their real lives must be in order to become so completely engrossed in a game, but we all have our passions, so who am I to judge if it makes them happy, is not self-destructive, and is not aversely affecting others? As the shroud of mysticism is lifted and video games become more mainstream, the "stereotypical" impression of gamers will ideally be cast aside as it becomes apparent that many normal, well adjusted people choose to indulge in video games now and again as part of a healthy, balanced life-style.
The prime target audience for the developers of video games (as clearly stated by Sony and Microsoft, two of the largest developers/publishers of video games today), are late adolescents and young adults (typically male) in the range from 18-25 years of age. The most significant part of marketing to a specific audience is knowing what that audience likes, and as it just so happens that young males have an innate affinity for women :)
That does not justify objectifying women in video games, however, that is only looking at one side of the coin. While you have your Playboy Mansion games and girls from Leisure Suit Larry, games with the primary intent of subjecting the player to erotic sexual images and subject matter (as is stated clearly in the content advisory on the back), there are also countless examples of dominant female characters who do not fit the stereotypical role of women as being merely objects for the gratification of men. Samus Aran, an armour-cladden intergalactic bounty hunter made famous by the world reknowned and beloved Metroid series, is a 'prime' example of a prominently featured, capable, intelligent, strong woman in a video game where she is not sexualized in the slightest. The Legend of Zelda series too has evolved from the classic, yet redundant stories of saving a princess in distress, to the point where Zelda herself plays an active and important role throughout the course of the most recent installations, and is featured prominently in the most recent iterations of the Zelda franchise. She too, has never been sexualized or objectified. Metal Gear Solid 3, an intensely dramatic and thought provoking installment of the legendary Metal Gear Solid series, incorporates women on not only in equal terms, but successfully demonstrates how to create a game that doesn't shy away from subject matter such as love and attraction, more often than not with the woman being the dominant figure of the relationship.
I could spout out examples for hours, but the point I'm trying to make is that there are examples of women being both objectified and treated with respect and integrity. The only real problem is on which games you choose to focus your malcontent, and whether you're accurately and fairly assessing the situation as a whole, rather than basing it on a few bad examples.
There is also the case of men being objectified in video games as well (most leading men in video games tend to be your tall, rugged, and good looking, combined with an acute sense of moral superiority), but since you didn't mention that, I will neglect to comment any further. The bottom line is that sex does sell, so it shouldn't be surprising to see a common trend among video games (and every other type of media out there), but it is far from representative of the industry as a whole.
The comment you have displayed from Maxim does have some truth to it, but the primary concern I have with it has more to do with it's implication that you should be dedicating all of your time to your girlfriend (speaking from a male perspective). Playing Xbox does not make you a dork, nor does choosing to spend an evening indulging in some quality game-time instead of going out with your girlfriend make you unfit to be in a relationship. A healthy relationship should account for both partner's hobbies and interests, with respect shown for your partner's decisions. If a girl is playing second fiddle to video games time and time again, then perhaps it is in her best interests to start looking for a new guy, however the passage quoted makes absolutely no reference to understanding and accepting your partner, while more or less stating that you must sacrifice things you like to appease a girl. Definitely not a solid foundation for a healthy relationship...
All in all, you already addressed many of the concerns that I have with your opinions by stating that your experience with video gaming is limited. That much is apparent. If there is one thing that people arbitrarily choose to dislike more often than anything else, it is something that is unfamiliar to them. As a gamer myself, I would prefer if people with negative views about video games would actually make an effort to learn about video games and the rich, diverse culture surrounding them, while reserving judgment until having a well-rounded base of information from which to make their detrimental statements, rather than the 'intuition' that gaming is inherently evil.
Just my $0.02 :)
Hey - thanks for that! Although I'll be replying here, I hope you come back to see my responce.
You're entirely right, and I was just presenting one side of the coin. In fact, just this past weekend, I had a debate with my father about this exact same thing, whether video games are the cause of anything really negative, and I was arguing that it wasn't. We came to the conclusion that instead of video games causing anything negative (and as I take sociology in university, I understand the 'causal' relationship which I did not present), it could be argued that the real problem is our culture's loss of any moral absolutes causing how video games are turning out. Now mind you, I understand that many almost take the form of an epic, fighting evil with good, etc, (just like any good piece of literature). This argument could also be used for any piece of literature getting more vulger as it progresses - movies, television, music, and I could go on. (And also, it could be argued that there is no such thing as moral absolutes and so forth, but keep in mind that this conversation was with my father, who is a Baptist minister).
So, you are very right. And I understand all those things which you presented. To tell the truth, the post was less of a preemptive rant, and more of a somewhat humourous response to my boyfriend's argment that I don't like his gaming.
I addressed the point that my 'stereotype' I was bringing forth is completely unfounded and I didn't know anyone like this (while in high school, I had quite a few friends who gamed all the time, and although in university I don't know many except the football players who play Madden all the time, I know that my stereotype is the exception). In fact my previous boyfriend and my boyfriend now both were/are gamers (I have yet to find out who is more extreme) and in now way would I date the description I mentioned above.
The issue of the description of women in video games is nothing I will back my stance on. I feel too strongly about this (and women's portrayal in many other forms of media). Whether there are the few who are represented dominantly and not sexualized (although I am sure there are some who are dominant in their feild yet still sexualized, as in example Lara Croft), I doubt there are many who aren't sexualized with the tiny waist and giant breasts. And the comment that men are sexualized in video games I don't believe holds much ground, because not only are men more visual than women, but most videogames are marketed to men.
Anyway, I hope that I have addressed everything I was meaning to. The point is, I understand how one sided my argument was. (Trust me, I wouldn't write an essay for school like this). And, in fact, after 20 years of not being allowed to have video games in my house, I am bringing in this Christmas the first game into the house for my 10 year old sister.
So, I don't have a complete aversion to video games. My main problem is two fold. I've been blown off by friends and significant others both for video gaming (I am however a very give-take person, I would think). My second problem with it is something which gnaws at me from inside, but I don't knnow if I wish to discuss it here. It has to do with the last and seemingly pointless argument I mentioned about Cosmo magazine. Both are personal though.
So I hope next time you read my post, you can read it as more a form of black humour, then actually showing complete disregard for video games and those who play them.
Either way, its really cool that someone I don't know read my blog! Makes me feel quite special! :)
:p
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