Slashdot Mirror
Playing Games Seen as Brainless Hobby?
Richard Goodness writes "Recently I watched Simon Bysshe's film Modern Day Gamer. The film is a natural springboard for some talk of the shared experience of videogames and the legitimization of gaming as a form of entertainment. Therefore, in '2 Legit 2 Save and Quit,' I come to some conclusions." A good article, with some excellent points. I took this to heart, but I see a weekly D&D session with friends as being akin to a weekly poker game but with less financial repercussions, unless one counts all the books needed.
Should be used in moderation. Is eating chocolate bad? No. Is eating a pound of chocolate a day bad? Yes. What I'm trying to say is that there is nothing wrong with video games, or tv, for that matter, if used in moderation. But if you watch, or play, videogames/tv for 3 hours straight, I can't necessarily say that's good for you. I do think, though, that online games have more "interaction" then any other form of digitalized entertainment. And they are a great way to unwind at the end of the day.
If we are talking about brainless hobby, watching TV is much more brainless than playing games. How many people have fallen asleep playing a computer game (we are not talking about extreme circumstances where gamers have stayed up 72 consecutive hours playing an RPG). I have countless times falling asleep casually in front of the TV -- I must have not used the brain very much to achieve that. Afterall, slightly more intellectual games (adventure games, puzzle games, and even flight simulators) requires sound judgment and quick thinking.
The fact that people who 1)grew up before video games went mainstream 2)are socially closed to games and 3)have never played games - don't like games shouldn't matter to people as much as this article proves it does.
Look at your culture, man! The fact that we're embracing interactive entertainment instead of passive narrative is something to be proud of. The people who tell you your feelings are not valid, the people who tell you that you are wasting your time, the people who don't view video games as a form of artistic expression DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. Literally, honestly, they wouldn't know Grand Theft Auto from Super Mario Brothers. Stop worrying about it, and talk to your peers, not the establishment.
Warning! The link to the 2 legit article above attempts to install something from IE Plugin LTD, a spyware program which, amongst other things, tracks your surfing habits, pops up advertisements, and opens a backdoor for future program updates. Their terms can be found here.
If this is not just a fluke page served up by allrpg's advertising company, please remove the above article. Such behavior is not acceptable in a public forum. Companies should not abuse Slashdot as a way of sliming spyware onto people's computers.
Now I need to give this computer a bath.
The ______ Agenda
People who criticize video games are hypocrites -- every single one of them. They would never DARE to level a complaint against any of the other trite, meaningless forms of entertainment.