Video Game Pioneer Speaks Out

GreyGusMan writes "Ralph Baer was playing video games before many of us were born. CNN has an interview with the man who helped invent video games back in 1966, talking about how the idea came about - and getting his thoughts on what the industry has become. He doesn't like videogame violence, but he scoffs when asked if he thinks it's tied to real world violence." When the person talking not only created the Magnavox Odyssey, but also devised the tragically addictive 'repeat the sequence' handheld Simon (no relation), you'd better listen up.

Comments

Where does it say....

[NanoGator]

... that he doesn't like GTA3? I can't find any reference to that. Either the story submitter forgot to mention other interviews with this guy, or he drew a conclusion based on a comment he did make.

Oh well. If GTA3 is any indication, people (parents in particular) take video games way too seriously. If playing a game was all it took to make a kid do something stupid, then television advertising would be a much more succesful business than it is today.

Re:Where does it say....

[pyrrho]

television advertising looks way successful to me.

two, you are write, it doesn't cause violence, it's a symptom of the violence in the real world. That is, we don't have real violence because of violent video games, we have violent video games because of all the real violence in the world. Oh, and a lack of creativity.

Why only in US?

[GuyMannDude]

He doesn't like Grand Theft Auto, but he scoffs when asked if he thinks video game violence is tied to real world violence.

One thing I've never understood is how the "videogames cause violence", "TV causes violence", "movies cause violence", etc crowd can explain that somehow all these things -- which are available to the entire world -- only seem to cause violence here in the US? Does anyone know what their answer is?

GMD