While I have consistently prefered other consoles over the Playstation platforms, I cannot deny the impact that Sony has had on the gaming culture as a whole (both positive and negative). There is a good possibility that gaming would not be as prevelant and pronounced in our culture had it not been for the PS1/PS2.
Mr. Kutaragi, I rarely agree with your opinions on the business of video games, as well as your opinions on what gamers "want". However, you are still an icon in the industry and I respect you as such. Godspeed to you, sir.
In all honesty, no I don't disagree with a game that uses pedophilia as it's central theme.
What would you rather have, pedophiles stealing children they meet on the internet, or pedophiles sitting at home on their PS2 playing a pedophilia simulator?
Is it sick? By many people's standards, yes. Frankly, I would still rather that pedophile be abusing digital representations of kids rather than real kids...wouldn't you?
No, I throw a hissy fit when someone refers to a videogame as realistic; hence, they cannot discern fantasy from reality...which was exactly my original point.
I am more worried by someone that thinks a videogame is realistic than I am by someone who is entertained by something they recognize as fantasy.
Because it is one of the most primal instincts that we as humans have seconded only by sexual desire.
We are violent animals by design. Transform yourself into an insect, or some creature living in the forest or on the savannah. Their lives are just as violent as ours, we are just able to kill more living things in one blow than they are.
The world is a violent place not because of humans, but because of the way that nature functions at it's most basic level. To me, violent videogames commenly reffered to as "murder simulators" are simply a way for us to tap into our primal unconcious that no matter what happens we will never abolish from our race as humans.
Think about this. If EVERYONE played violent video games every time they wanted to kill someone/start a war, the world would be 100% at peace. A strange and slightly warped concept perhaps, but that would indeed be the outcome.
yes, I did mean unrealistic.::rethinks the logic::
Nope, still adds up to me. When all is said and done, I know that I have the ability to tell the difference between killing someone in GTA and beating the shit out of someone on the street.
Your post is exactly why I support games like Super Columbine Massacre RPG.
By BEING the "killer" and forcing yourself into that mindframe, it allows you to identify a small SLICE of what those feelings actually are. EVERYONE should play or watch something they are repulsed by.
As a young child, my parents allowed me to watch or play any game or movie that I wanted. Now, yes, I am desensitized to violence. This is a GOOD thing. It allows me to view violence in the "real world" without any knee-jerk reactions or face covering. It allows me to view what has occured without any cloud in my mind because I am not distracted by what it LOOKS like.
By not being distracted by what it looks like, I can focus on what it feels like and what the consequences of said violence are.
In aincient times (and to some extent today) warriors were desensitized to pain...desensitizing yourself to violence works exactly the same way. It doesn't mean you can't recognize it, it simply means you can view it objectively for exactly what it is without it being wrapped up in some fantasy.
There are people that are entertained by some very disturbing media (even if no actual person was used/harmed in its making).
The key part of that sentace is what is in parenthesis. In my own eye, nothing is overly disturbing (likely because of what I have been exposed to) If no actual person is harmed/used in it's making, then I don't have a problem with it. If someone was harmed/used in it's making,::shrug:: that person is already harmed/used.
I will sound VERY cold hearted when I say this, but I don't really give a shit. Bad things happen to people. Bad things have happend to me. Bad things have happend to you. My opinion is not because of feelings of resentment of something from my childhood, it's because I honestly just don't give a fuck.
Cold hearted, perhaps....but at least it's honest.
Then you as a (good) parent make the decision to not allow him to play them. You have actively decided that they are not for your son, and that's a sign of good parenting.
Don't forget, however, that being a good parent also means knowing when to step out of the way. In my own PERSONAL opinion, if your son shows no real-life violent tendencies, then there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn't play overly violent games. My early exposure (as young as the age of 6) to violent movies and games has allowed me to become desensitized to it.
Many people view this as a bad thing, but I view it as one of the best decisions my parents ever made. Because I am desensitized to it, I can view it and understand it without a knee-jerk reaction. I can understand violence for exactly what it is, because it is something I was raised with since a very young age. I don't have some fantastical fantasy view of it skewed by what the brainwashing of general society gives to kids.
I was provided with an urealistic view of violence in order to identify what is and isn't "real".
Honestly, the only thing in there for me would be kiddie porn, and that's only because children are too young to know what they were doing.
There is no entertainment value to be gotten from them except for people who need help.
Based on the number of people that are currently seeing psychologists on a monthly/weekly/daily basis, that would imply the market for it is rather huge. Beyond that though, never forget one thing: the outlet for your frustration and anger is NOT the same as everyone elses. Many people would find The David offensive simply because he is naked...even though it is one of the most important artworks of our entire human history.
I'm not comparing Manhunt to The David, I'm simply stating that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
It is like saying that it is useless to fight against some drugs by increasing the budget for border police because drug dealers always find some way to import drugs, it is partially true but it is still better than nothing.
Fixed. Never forget kiddies, if it isn't taxed, it's bad for you!
When you get home from work, what do you do? Do you ever watch TV? Smoke a cig? Maybe have a beer? Read the paper? Take a dump?
Everyone has something they do to unwind at the end of the day. EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. To answer your question, yes, you should allow your son vent time. If you were to be an integrel part of that vent time, not only would you understand your son better, but he would understand you better as well.
I can give you a valid reason. Many people (myself included) are angry people, yet we understand and acknowledge that just because we WANT to do something doesn't mean that we SHOULD. If you ever read JTHM from Jhonnen Vasquez, he has said in an interview that JTHM represents things he has wanted to do to people, but he KNOWS that he shouldn't do them. So, as a way of venting his frustration and anger with society, he draws an overly violent comic which, at the same time, has some of the most important and insightful social commentary I have ever read.
Games like Manhunt/Manhunt 2 provide an outlet for those feelings. Yes, I could lift weights (which I do) or play sports (which I don't), but my outlets of choice are music and videogames.
People always talk about how videogames push people over the edge and make them murderers. They never stop to think that maybe the videogames help keep people in check by providing a harmless outlet for their anger.
The very idea of banning ANYTHING entertainment-related in a 1st world country/area is completely stupid.
Any newscast will be covering events at least as horrible if not worse than anythin you will find in a video game. The difference is, when you hear about someone getting brutally murdered on the news, a person actually died.
I've always felt those that say videogames/movies/whatever that are too violent are the sick ones, for they apparently cannot discern fantasy from reality.
Not really, although there are HUGE numbers of recorded raid encounters and PvP Battleground fights on the net...a quick google will give you a myriad of options.
Youtube has a large number of them up as well...natrually, on Youtube the quality of the video itself is degraded due to the size/resolution/whatever, but it still works.
The more wealthy you get in the USA, the thinner you get, statistically speaking. Is that weird? Not at all. It's just that our notions of "poverty" and "abundance" need to be reexamined, particularly in light of the notion of wealth envy. I.e., "I'm poor because I don't have as much stuff as my next-door neighbor!"
Actually, if you kept yourself on a strict diet and exercise scheduel you would realize the incompitance in this line of thinking.
Healthy food is MUCH MUCH MUCH more expensive than junk food. Don't believe me? Work up a budget living off of junk food/ramen compared to eating healthy (a lot of fruit, lean protein, low-no fat, etc.) You come back here and try to tell me that eating healthy is cheaper than eating like crap. Do it, and I will call you a dirty fucking liar, because that is exactly what you would be.
I both love and loathe gold/item farmers.
First, the reasons why I loathe them (most of these should be obvious to anyone that plays any MMO...I will stick to WoW since that is what most people play) For one, it helps to drive low-level blue prices to completely INSANE levels. Yes, I am aware that this is also because of twinks, but I am quite sure many people twink their toons out with gold that they have purchased. A general increase in the cost of everything (due to more players having gold in hand) also occurs...thus you have speed potions which sell for as high as 10 gold per stack of 5 on some servers, etc. Farmers also inevitably make it harder for a player to farm for him/herself; I like farming the same places they do for the same reasons that they do!
Now, for why I love them. As previously stated, someone on the other end is indeed being fed and kept warm because of gold farming...Blizzard makes even more money due to the multiple account purchases meaning they have more money to invest back into the game. Gold farmers also help increase the supply of items on the AH (unfortunately, they are generally overpriced though...)
All in all, the biggest issue I have with it are people standing in the cities with an incomprehensible name spamming of/say adverts for various gold-selling sites. If it weren't for the in-game economic impact (which isn't as drastic as people think it is) and the/say spam, I frankly wouldn't have a problem with WoW farmers at ALL.
Besides. It makes it easy to tell if someone actually PLAYS the game or not (Hint: if they are decked out in BoE blues/purples, they don't play the game.)
....starcraft is isometric because it is a RTS....
I can't even name a major RTS title made in the last ten years that was anything else...I mean, you have those crazy RTS-action hybrid games, but those again are not plain ol' RTS...
I don't know about you, but I would trust the fate of the world with youtube people before I would trust it to the people who's hands it currently rests in.
At least the youtube folks are entertaining without causing anger that rivals the size of a whale penis.
Slashdot Mirror
While I have consistently prefered other consoles over the Playstation platforms, I cannot deny the impact that Sony has had on the gaming culture as a whole (both positive and negative). There is a good possibility that gaming would not be as prevelant and pronounced in our culture had it not been for the PS1/PS2.
Mr. Kutaragi, I rarely agree with your opinions on the business of video games, as well as your opinions on what gamers "want". However, you are still an icon in the industry and I respect you as such. Godspeed to you, sir.
In all honesty, no I don't disagree with a game that uses pedophilia as it's central theme.
What would you rather have, pedophiles stealing children they meet on the internet, or pedophiles sitting at home on their PS2 playing a pedophilia simulator?
Is it sick? By many people's standards, yes. Frankly, I would still rather that pedophile be abusing digital representations of kids rather than real kids...wouldn't you?
No, I throw a hissy fit when someone refers to a videogame as realistic; hence, they cannot discern fantasy from reality...which was exactly my original point.
I am more worried by someone that thinks a videogame is realistic than I am by someone who is entertained by something they recognize as fantasy.
Because it is one of the most primal instincts that we as humans have seconded only by sexual desire.
We are violent animals by design. Transform yourself into an insect, or some creature living in the forest or on the savannah. Their lives are just as violent as ours, we are just able to kill more living things in one blow than they are.
The world is a violent place not because of humans, but because of the way that nature functions at it's most basic level. To me, violent videogames commenly reffered to as "murder simulators" are simply a way for us to tap into our primal unconcious that no matter what happens we will never abolish from our race as humans.
Think about this. If EVERYONE played violent video games every time they wanted to kill someone/start a war, the world would be 100% at peace. A strange and slightly warped concept perhaps, but that would indeed be the outcome.
yes, I did mean unrealistic. ::rethinks the logic::
Nope, still adds up to me. When all is said and done, I know that I have the ability to tell the difference between killing someone in GTA and beating the shit out of someone on the street.
Thanks for playing though.
Your post is exactly why I support games like Super Columbine Massacre RPG.
By BEING the "killer" and forcing yourself into that mindframe, it allows you to identify a small SLICE of what those feelings actually are. EVERYONE should play or watch something they are repulsed by.
As a young child, my parents allowed me to watch or play any game or movie that I wanted. Now, yes, I am desensitized to violence. This is a GOOD thing. It allows me to view violence in the "real world" without any knee-jerk reactions or face covering. It allows me to view what has occured without any cloud in my mind because I am not distracted by what it LOOKS like.
By not being distracted by what it looks like, I can focus on what it feels like and what the consequences of said violence are.
In aincient times (and to some extent today) warriors were desensitized to pain...desensitizing yourself to violence works exactly the same way. It doesn't mean you can't recognize it, it simply means you can view it objectively for exactly what it is without it being wrapped up in some fantasy.
The key part of that sentace is what is in parenthesis. In my own eye, nothing is overly disturbing (likely because of what I have been exposed to) If no actual person is harmed/used in it's making, then I don't have a problem with it. If someone was harmed/used in it's making,
I will sound VERY cold hearted when I say this, but I don't really give a shit. Bad things happen to people. Bad things have happend to me. Bad things have happend to you. My opinion is not because of feelings of resentment of something from my childhood, it's because I honestly just don't give a fuck.
Cold hearted, perhaps....but at least it's honest.
Then you as a (good) parent make the decision to not allow him to play them. You have actively decided that they are not for your son, and that's a sign of good parenting.
Don't forget, however, that being a good parent also means knowing when to step out of the way. In my own PERSONAL opinion, if your son shows no real-life violent tendencies, then there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn't play overly violent games. My early exposure (as young as the age of 6) to violent movies and games has allowed me to become desensitized to it.
Many people view this as a bad thing, but I view it as one of the best decisions my parents ever made. Because I am desensitized to it, I can view it and understand it without a knee-jerk reaction. I can understand violence for exactly what it is, because it is something I was raised with since a very young age. I don't have some fantastical fantasy view of it skewed by what the brainwashing of general society gives to kids.
I was provided with an urealistic view of violence in order to identify what is and isn't "real".
Ditto
Based on the number of people that are currently seeing psychologists on a monthly/weekly/daily basis, that would imply the market for it is rather huge. Beyond that though, never forget one thing: the outlet for your frustration and anger is NOT the same as everyone elses. Many people would find The David offensive simply because he is naked...even though it is one of the most important artworks of our entire human history.
I'm not comparing Manhunt to The David, I'm simply stating that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Fixed. Never forget kiddies, if it isn't taxed, it's bad for you!
When you get home from work, what do you do? Do you ever watch TV? Smoke a cig? Maybe have a beer? Read the paper? Take a dump?
Everyone has something they do to unwind at the end of the day. EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. To answer your question, yes, you should allow your son vent time. If you were to be an integrel part of that vent time, not only would you understand your son better, but he would understand you better as well.
By all means, give your son vent time.
Forgive me for not spelling out the obvious. I would hope that you, as a human, have the ability to tell what is meant by a statement.
I'll remember to make a really long, drawn out novel next time.
I can give you a valid reason. Many people (myself included) are angry people, yet we understand and acknowledge that just because we WANT to do something doesn't mean that we SHOULD. If you ever read JTHM from Jhonnen Vasquez, he has said in an interview that JTHM represents things he has wanted to do to people, but he KNOWS that he shouldn't do them. So, as a way of venting his frustration and anger with society, he draws an overly violent comic which, at the same time, has some of the most important and insightful social commentary I have ever read.
Games like Manhunt/Manhunt 2 provide an outlet for those feelings. Yes, I could lift weights (which I do) or play sports (which I don't), but my outlets of choice are music and videogames.
People always talk about how videogames push people over the edge and make them murderers. They never stop to think that maybe the videogames help keep people in check by providing a harmless outlet for their anger.
It isn't called the war on some drugs for nothing, you know...
The very idea of banning ANYTHING entertainment-related in a 1st world country/area is completely stupid.
Any newscast will be covering events at least as horrible if not worse than anythin you will find in a video game. The difference is, when you hear about someone getting brutally murdered on the news, a person actually died.
I've always felt those that say videogames/movies/whatever that are too violent are the sick ones, for they apparently cannot discern fantasy from reality.
You obviously don't play WoW (or apparently any MMO) so I will translate.
twink = to deck out a low level "toon" with overpriced "blues" that they would otherwise be unable to afford.
toon = player-created charector
blues = the colour of a certain class of items...commons are white, uncommons are green, rares are blue, epics are purple, legendarys are orange
I was simply giving the guy an example of a movie he likely has heard of.
;-)
If he hasn't heard of Gaiman, what do you think the chances are of him having heard of McKean?
Not really, although there are HUGE numbers of recorded raid encounters and PvP Battleground fights on the net...a quick google will give you a myriad of options.
Youtube has a large number of them up as well...natrually, on Youtube the quality of the video itself is degraded due to the size/resolution/whatever, but it still works.
Ever seen the movie Mirrormask? That was Neil Gainman's child.
Do yourself a favour and read "The Sandman" series of graphic novels. Some of the most beautiful and original storytelling ever told.
Actually, if you kept yourself on a strict diet and exercise scheduel you would realize the incompitance in this line of thinking.
Healthy food is MUCH MUCH MUCH more expensive than junk food. Don't believe me? Work up a budget living off of junk food/ramen compared to eating healthy (a lot of fruit, lean protein, low-no fat, etc.) You come back here and try to tell me that eating healthy is cheaper than eating like crap. Do it, and I will call you a dirty fucking liar, because that is exactly what you would be.
ugh. sorry for the "one paragraph", I meant to hit plain text but completely forgot -_-;;
I both love and loathe gold/item farmers. First, the reasons why I loathe them (most of these should be obvious to anyone that plays any MMO...I will stick to WoW since that is what most people play) For one, it helps to drive low-level blue prices to completely INSANE levels. Yes, I am aware that this is also because of twinks, but I am quite sure many people twink their toons out with gold that they have purchased. A general increase in the cost of everything (due to more players having gold in hand) also occurs...thus you have speed potions which sell for as high as 10 gold per stack of 5 on some servers, etc. Farmers also inevitably make it harder for a player to farm for him/herself; I like farming the same places they do for the same reasons that they do! Now, for why I love them. As previously stated, someone on the other end is indeed being fed and kept warm because of gold farming...Blizzard makes even more money due to the multiple account purchases meaning they have more money to invest back into the game. Gold farmers also help increase the supply of items on the AH (unfortunately, they are generally overpriced though...) All in all, the biggest issue I have with it are people standing in the cities with an incomprehensible name spamming of /say adverts for various gold-selling sites. If it weren't for the in-game economic impact (which isn't as drastic as people think it is) and the /say spam, I frankly wouldn't have a problem with WoW farmers at ALL.
Besides. It makes it easy to tell if someone actually PLAYS the game or not (Hint: if they are decked out in BoE blues/purples, they don't play the game.)
Of course, shills such as yourself must hope your competitors stay IN buisness.
After all, who will pay you to do your best if there are no competitors left to troll about?
....starcraft is isometric because it is a RTS....
I can't even name a major RTS title made in the last ten years that was anything else...I mean, you have those crazy RTS-action hybrid games, but those again are not plain ol' RTS...
Apples to oranges...
I don't know about you, but I would trust the fate of the world with youtube people before I would trust it to the people who's hands it currently rests in.
At least the youtube folks are entertaining without causing anger that rivals the size of a whale penis.