Difference between revisions of "Video games"

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(Liberal denial discourages people from recognizing the problem.)
(Education in Video Games: improved while questioning if any educational value exists compared with alternative activities that could be pursued)
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== Education in Video Games ==
 
== Education in Video Games ==
  
While most popular video games are experiencing an increase in violence, language, and sexuality, other gamers and game developers are beginning to view video games as an educational opportunity. Firaxis Games, a noteworthy video game development company, has been creating a video game series called ''Civilization'' for nearly a decade. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/company/ </ref> Civilization is a simulation game that allows the player to lead a nation from ancient times to modern day. It features a dynamic military system, politics, trading, and historical content. It has been recognized for its unintentional educational properties. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/community/teacher.php </ref>
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It is unlikely that there is any educational value in video game usage, compared with better activities that could be pursued.
  
Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a video game being recognized for its unique educational properties. <ref> http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/Pages/InfoEducators.aspx </ref>
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But Firaxis Games, a noteworthy video game development company, has been creating a video game series called ''Civilization'' for nearly a decade.<ref> http://www.firaxis.com/company/ </ref> Civilization is a simulation game that allows the player to lead a nation from ancient times to modern day. It features a dynamic military system, politics, trading, and historical content. It has been recognized for its unintentional educational properties.<ref> http://www.firaxis.com/community/teacher.php </ref>
  
The popularity of several of the favourite sports video games has led to an uptake in children wishing to take part in them. If an adult plays video games with their children, they can learn about their child's personality and interests.
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Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a video game that may have some slight educational value.<ref> http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/Pages/InfoEducators.aspx </ref>
  
 
== Faith in Video Games ==
 
== Faith in Video Games ==

Revision as of 02:49, February 15, 2016

See young mass murderers for their link to video games.

A video game is any electronic game, typically addictive and violent, which is played on a computer or console. As some wake up to how harmful violent video games are, the video game industry declined in 2012,[1] though it remains much bigger than Hollywood. Video games are likely the single biggest cause of bright young men dropping out of college. While video games were originally designed for children and adolescent males, video games have become all too popular with adult males who will often neglect family and work to spend a copious number of hours playing video games including online games as World of Warcraft in a video game addiction. Liberal denial discourages people from recognizing the problem.

Video games have been linked to murders by young people and other violence, stress-induced health problems (including unexpected heart attacks),[2] atheism, obesity,[3] and sexual immorality. Several prominent murderers in recent years were inspired by video games.[4] Young mass murderer Adam Lanza was "immersed in a perverse video game world" and "killed himself to prevent law enforcement from taking his 'points.'" He plotted his rampage far in advance and "learned the principles of ... the tactical reload" from his video games. Video games has also been used as "murder simulators" by American army, in order to desensitize young man, into triggering the gun better, and with less doubt, thus killing enemies more efficiently. [5]

After a murderous rampage by another video game user in Norway:

A number of Norway stores have pulled violent video games from sale - including several Call of Duty games and World of Warcraft - in the wake of the massacre carried out by Anders Behring Breivik on July 22.
[6]

Unbeknownst to many, the video game industry is partly subsidized by taxpayers, even in the conservative Texas. In 2015, a spat broke out between the video game and film industries about the millions they would receive from government.[7]

Nature of Video games

The games vary greatly in type and complexity, but all games are alike in that they translate player input (from a controller, mouse, keyboard or motion sensor) into onscreen actions. Games are usually stored on some sort of digital media - ROM cartridge, CD, DVD, or even cassette tape for early computer games - though older or more inexpensive games may have dedicated chips which are pre-programmed to play certain games only. In recent years, game developers have moved to digital distribution, allowing anyone with a credit card or Paypal account to purchase games online. On PCs, this is often done through Valve corporation's Steam service, or Electronic Arts' Origin service, while the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have their own digital distribution services.

Home consoles are classified by generation to indicate their relative power and date of release. The current major consoles (XBox360, PS3, Wii) are considered seventh generation. Handheld consoles are not generally put into generations due to their more irregular release schedules.

Video games have also been shown to help people to become more attuned to their surroundings and increase coordination, and in the future may be used to treat people with visual problems and to train soldiers. [8]

Various genres

Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and separated from one another. Genres can now include first person shooters, racing, simulation, role-playing, sports, action, strategy, masssively multiplayer online, puzzle and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as Mass Effect (Role Playing and Third Person Shooting), or not fit nicely into any genre, like The Mystery of the Druids. The most popular genres tend to be shooters, action, and roleplaying games. Many video games are based off of movies, such as Star Wars.

Popularity & Controversy

Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.

Video games are addictive activities targeted at teenagers, sometimes with tragic results.[9] Certain genres of games are becoming increasingly violent and offensive, attracting the attention of legislators in many states to protect the exploitation of children by them. Games such as Grand Theft Auto are very violent, sexually explicit, and feature criminal behavior. These games are rated "M 17+" for "Mature," but courts have stricken down laws preventing retailers from selling them to children, under an interpretation that the First Amendment protects offensive video games even for children.[10] After a Conservapedian filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to consider this issue, it surprised liberals by granting certiorari.

However, in 2011, the Supreme Court denied a ban on the sale of violent video games in California, claiming they were protected as they "qualify for First Amendment Protection" and pointing out that there has historically been no shortage of violent imagery in children's fairytales, classical literature, and comics. Writing for the majority, Justice Scalia pointed out that "disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression", and continued that any effects of violent video games on children "are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media".[11]

It has also been suggested that it is the role of parents to regulate what their children play, and that laws restricting video game vendors are an effort to replace parents' decisions with the government's decisions.[12] [13] [14]

Violence

Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violence in video games, as pioneered by Doom, Quake, and the Grand Theft Auto series.

Some people point out that violent video games cause violent behavior in some children. The effects of violent video games on the developing psyche of children and adolescents vary greatly and of course have much to do with the mental stability of the subject in question. Serious crimes have often been associated with video games. For example, a 14-year-old brutally murdered a video arcade employee one morning and his cousin stands trial for murdering the store manager when he entered the store shortly thereafter.[15] In the USA, all retail games carry ratings from the ESRB, a video game ratings organization.

Some claim that kids who don't play video games at all seem to show more violent tendencies. Of course, as expected, those who played violent video games for large amounts of time also showed violent tendencies, however the study claims that this is a "risk marker", not an actual cause.[16]

Multiple studies have shown a correlation between violent video games and levels of real life violence, caused by playing some of the aforementioned video games.[17]

Sexuality

Although nudity is not prominent in western video games, there are various products containing sexually-suggestive material. One reason for the relative lack of explicitly sexual material in western games may be the refusal of retailers including Wal-Mart[18] (the leading distributor of video games in the United States) and Toys R Us[19] (the world's largest toy themed retailer) to sell games carrying an "Adults-Only" rating. One notable target of controversy is the Grand Theft Auto series after a third-party mod was released that allowed the player to engage in a mini-game containing explicit sexual material. Mods are, as "third-party" would imply, fan-made and are not the responsibility of the game's developer. Other sources of this criticism relate to the game Tomb Raider as it was one of the first games where a female character (the protagonist) is depicted and advertised as a sex symbol.[20]

Video Games & Society

As video games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the Halo series, as well as Grand Theft Auto. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.

Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. Second Life, an Internet-based virtual world, has attempted to blur the lines between real-world and virtual world, and companies such as Adidas, Reebok, and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. Reuters also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.

Education in Video Games

It is unlikely that there is any educational value in video game usage, compared with better activities that could be pursued.

But Firaxis Games, a noteworthy video game development company, has been creating a video game series called Civilization for nearly a decade.[21] Civilization is a simulation game that allows the player to lead a nation from ancient times to modern day. It features a dynamic military system, politics, trading, and historical content. It has been recognized for its unintentional educational properties.[22]

Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a video game that may have some slight educational value.[23]

Faith in Video Games

Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre, such as Spiritual Warfare and Bible Adventure for the Nintendo, or The Bible Game for various systems. Bible Adventure in particular is infamous for its poor design and playability.

The Bible, or other such religious texts, tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. Turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences.

Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The Breath of Fire series and the Shin Megami Tensei games, in particular, use a god as a main antagonist in many of its incarnations. Other games to use religion in some way include the Final Fantasy series, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, Black and White, Heaven and Hell, Xenogears, Okami, and the Tales series, particularly Tales of Symphonia. Unfortunately, many (not all) of the aforementioned games (And nearly any Role Playing game from East Asia) present religion (or it's respective church and followers) as evil, fake, or having ulterior and nefarious motives.

Games may include a fictional religion as part of the setting if the use of a real religion may invite undesirable controversy.

Video game reviewers have sometimes unjustly attacked and reviewed games where real-world religion plays a notable role. One of the most prominent examples of this is the game Left Behind: Eternal Forces.[24].

See Also

External Links

References

  1. http://www.nbc12.com/story/20289219/us-video-game-sales-drop-11-pct-in-november
  2. Teenager dies from a video game addiction
  3. Childhood Obesity Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved Sept 18th 2011
  4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-316491/Teenager-gets-life-Manhunt-murder.html
  5. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lupica-lanza-plotted-massacre-years-article-1.1291408#ixzz2NuWeFMNO]
  6. http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/871121-norway-stores-pull-violent-video-games-including-call-of-duty-after-massacre#ixzz1erUdaLo5
  7. http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/27/drama-between-film-video-game-groups-dooms-funding/
  8. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html
  9. Some claim that 2/3rds of videogamers are over 18 years old, but far more people are over that age and a much higher percentage of minors are videogamers.Only a third of videogamers are under 18
  10. http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/148962.html
  11. BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL.
  12. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/45083/
  13. http://www.gameculture.com/2010/11/10/editorial-parental-responsibility-and-today039s-media
  14. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-games28-2009feb28,0,1556900.story
  15. http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1212467732102240.xml&coll=1
  16. http://wii.qj.net/New-research-reveals-kids-who-don-t-play-videogames-at-all-are-more-at-risk-of-violent-tendencies/pg/49/aid/118505 New research reveals kids who don't play video games at all are more at risk of violent tendencies
  17. http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html
  18. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=440903
  19. See Toys "R" Us's video games policy
  20. Ashley, Robert. "The Secret History of Videogame Sex." Official Playstation Magazine Feb. 2006: 96-99.
  21. http://www.firaxis.com/company/
  22. http://www.firaxis.com/community/teacher.php
  23. http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/Pages/InfoEducators.aspx
  24. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/left_behind