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Gaming Does Good
bippy writes "Tired of hearing about all the bad things games do? I've mirrored a list on Kotaku of recent positive research done into gaming. All told, the list includes six studies and books summarized into bite-sized morsels with quotes and links. Finally, something to throw in the face of all those obnoxious politicians and sue-happy lawyers."
But thanks for throwing a punch for the rest of us. :)
There was a recent report on British TV where two well known presenters did a short segment on the 'evil' Grand Theft Auto. They talked about the negative aspects of the game, such as gang killings etc. What amazed me was the complete lack of any representative view of a gamer's opinion. The majority of people seem to be happily under the illusion that all video games are just cartoony and kid friendly, so when they purchase a game with an '18' rating slapped on the front, they feel justified in acting surprised and horrified when they find their child playing it.
People should be educated that games are similar to any other modern medium, in that there will be some universal content, and some content for adults. Whilst these articles can go some way to confirming gamer's feelings that games aren't inherently 'evil', they will fall on deaf ears with the general public who will undoubtably find it easier to label all games with the same brush, instead of looking at the actual issue. That said, perhaps the fact that a large body such as the American Medical Association has expressed doubt as to whether violent content causes violent behaviour may gain some mainstream recognition.
I'm not stressed. I'm just terribly, terribly alert.
Growing up my parents had some moderately strict rules on playing video games, but the TV rules were not nearly as strict. I still see this idea today... people will kind of snicker if I mention I play video games more than watch TV. Am I taking crazy pills or what?! At least I am doing something (moving my hands, THINKING) instead of just being shoveled what is on the TV.
Please stop linking to inane "articles" on Kotaku.
Even the 4 question long interview with Garriot was better than this.
Perhaps the issues of children are deaf upon their disassociated parents. Too much to do in their own life (watch CSI?) to bother really being a part in their child's. You can expect politicians to target the values of the apathetic elite, but as the video game generation starts raising their own children you can expect those values to change.
Politicians sell what is popular, and once they realize we're all tired of their propaganda they'll move onto the next hot button.
Just sit tight, video games are still new in popularity and the slow to self-educate middle-aged are soon to become the rotting in homes elderly.
Television and newspapers will always be more likely to publish anti-video game articles, its one way to try to win back viewers/readers! As for me its Google news and 23.75 hours of world of warcraft! :-P
We can get the majority to realize that a couple of serious incidents out of the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of children and others who play games isn't that bad. How about taking a look at the violent acts caused by playing or watching a sports, I don't recall any video game ever causing a on ice brawl or a soccer riot.
Multi-tasking/problem solving (possibly somewhat graphic and violent) versus staring lifelessly down the barrel of an electron gun getting the scoop on the latest shit to buy for 50% of the 30min slot your trying to watch.... I gave up on tv when it stopped informing me and became the loudest most abnoxious billboard known to man. Oh and btw on the occasions that I am watching it and the commercials come on 10x louder, it just motivates me to go back to my computer, and feel like I have some control over what I'm being fed
I remember growing up in the 1980s and buying into the philosophy that becoming elite in video games will make you elite in other facets of life. You had the Last Starfighter, where they selected a kid based on his video game skills. You had Robotech, where the ace fighter was also an ace video game player. There was a host of media that said if you spent enough time in simulators, you'd be good at real life tasks. I guess this is taken up with America's Army to an extent today. I really dedicated myself to video games, and as a result, I'm really good at video games :P When you beat your favorite video game, you have all sorts of ideas on how it could have been done better. So tons of people want to be game designers and programmers. Programming is a marketable skill. Also, you get skills in video games, and learn strategies for problem solving. In school, they feed you the information and you just have to 'accept' it. In video games, you're the one that gets to choose your strategies for gain. The strive to become better at a game is a good goal, and helps you strive to become better in life. I could go on forever about this stuff because its a philosophy I bought into for over 20 years.
God spoke to me.
People need to read up on the early history of marijuana. I just watched the IMAX movie of its history so I'm armed to the teeth with examples of activists (Anslinger) who sowed enough misguided fear into the populance to get laws in place in every state, in the federal government, and in the U.N. This is the same thing they're trying to do with video games.
Until La Guardia commissioned a study on marijuana the general assumption was that reefer caused madness (Reefer Madness) and general homicidal activities. After that was debunked Anslinger got the country believing that marijuana led to the consumption of heroine. A study in Palo Alto debunked that one basically saying that marijuana only did exactly what users said it did, made them happy, hungry, and tired. In the 70s pot was a great way to clean up hippies and returned veterans alike which did nothing more than prove that marijuana laws were silly. Then started the campaigns showing that marijuana use caused laziness and a general disinterest in productive activities. The campaign still continues today on whatever footing it can find.
A quote from American Magazine sometime in the 30s. It has the same theme video game fear-mongerers use today:
"An entire family was murdered by a youthful addict in Florida. When officers arrived at the home, they found the youth staggering about in a human slaughterhouse. With an axe he had killed his father, mother, two brothers, and a sister. He seemed to be in a daze... He had no recollection of having committed the multiple crime. The officers knew him ordinarily as a sane, rather quiet young man; now he was pitifully crazed. They sought the reason. The boy said that he had been in the habit of smoking something which youthful friends called "muggles," a childish name for marijuana."
Direct away from face when opening.
Since playing GTA my hooker killing activities have gone up 32% and my randomly killing strangers on the street have gone up a shocking 67%.
-Dipster
This CNN story says video games calm kids before surgery, more effectively than tranquilizers or parental presence. Doctors found that allowing children a few minutes to play the games reduced their anxiety until the anesthesia took effect. Dr. Anu Patel conducted the study after noticing a friend's 7-year-old son was so absorbed with his Game Boy at a restaurant that he ignored the adults and the food at his table.
Seen on Blue's News and copied from my Web site.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
In the fifties, cigarettes were sold something that promoted health and outdoor living. These days drug companies are famous for doing 15 clinical trials, and submitting the three that came out positive to the FDA to get drugs approved. People would be shooting down an MS TCO study in seconds, but these results have not yet been questioed, because they match our own biases. You have to answer three questions before even beginning to consider their findings:
Who paid for these studies?
Who paid for the studies ? and last, but not least
Who paid for the studies ?
Tired of hearing about all the bad things games do?
I haven't heard any bad things at all besides eyestrain due to certain displays. The fact that some psychotic angry mom thinks games will damn us all to Hell doesn't mean anything. A bunch of brainless lies really don't count as bad things.
I am NOT a number! I am a - oh wait, I'm number 761710. Look! 761710!
When you think that the *number one* killer of teens today are Motor Vehicle Crashes, wouldn't it make sense that something that IMPROVES hand-eye coordnation would increase a teen's chance of survival? Just think of the headline, "Video-Games may save your child's life." I'd love for Sony to sponsor a study. It would end this argument forever.