tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post3930969724756226150..comments2023-06-01T05:24:16.094-07:00Comments on H. T. Parnell's: Common ThreadWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15480452524845413806noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-60756439467618149932010-03-05T01:17:55.922-08:002010-03-05T01:17:55.922-08:00Some may feel squeamish about eating it, but rabbi...Some may feel squeamish about eating it, but rabbit has a fan base that grows as cooks discover how easy they are to raise — and how good the meat tastes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-83431564314429864992008-08-15T14:30:00.000-07:002008-08-15T14:30:00.000-07:00I agree with Orange-Fell that desensitization isn'...I agree with Orange-Fell that desensitization isn't a <I>hilarious</I> thought, but I also think it's less than obvious. An Army recruit using a semi-VR setup built and used with the express purpose of teaching him how to get over his instincts about a combat situation is not an obvious analogue to a completely non-VR setup built and used with the express purpose of entertainment. At least it isn't obvious to me.<BR/><BR/>That doesn't mean that they <I>aren't</I> analogues, but you'd have to do more than point to the two systems and say, "Hey, look, they both use monitors!" There's also the question of how effective the Army has found such setups, as opposed to more traditional systems like MILES that involve holding an actual weapon and moving your actual body. I don't know how effective the Army "video game" systems are, but if I recall one of its main selling points is it's they're cheap.Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12662787003156000207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-16225342390413703222008-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:002008-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00Actually, I find the comment fascinating. General...Actually, I find the comment fascinating. General Leo is a little more obscure than Aeris, but I find it interesting that Portal has made the jump into the conciousness of the internet literate non-gamer, probably just because of the sheer saturation level it achieved.<BR/><BR/>Regarding de-sensitization, I think it's very possible, but the sticky question becomes how far you can extend it. Suppose that playing an FPS makes me less hesitant to fire a gun. Does it make me more likely to purchase a gun? Or use it inappropriately as a problem solving device? None of these additional facts are self-evident, I say. (Which doesn't mean they're untrue). All in all, beats the hell outta me...Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15480452524845413806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-69087522556835027552008-08-13T23:24:00.000-07:002008-08-13T23:24:00.000-07:00Oh, also, I know why the Cake is a Lie, but I neve...Oh, also, I know why the Cake is a Lie, but I never heard of Aeris or General Leo.<BR/><BR/>You may delete this comment if this admission is too shocking for your eyes. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-21932364272446197722008-08-13T23:18:00.000-07:002008-08-13T23:18:00.000-07:00I don't think people are arguing that video games ...I don't think people are arguing that video games are causing an *increase* in violent crime, because like you said, that's just ignoring the facts. I also don't believe that myself. But what do you say to the hypothesis that violent video games may instill a pattern of seeing people as scores or kills? First-person shooters are used as some kind of training in US armed forces, and I have seen it cited that this sort of "virtual reality" dramatically decreases soldiers' hesitation to fire their real weapons in training. Is it really so hilarious to propose that the same sort of desensitization might also be occurring to civilians? Thoughts?<BR/><BR/>Your final thesis is very true and is also total proof that the geeks and nerds have won the day. When we were babies in the 80s, you could never have said that video games were a way of sharing context or identity with large numbers of people, or that they were going to attract the creative minds of the future. Now even as a non-gamer, I can see that all of those things have happened. Yay Generation Y, or whatever we are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-82744586016537885552008-08-12T12:31:00.000-07:002008-08-12T12:31:00.000-07:00@Natalie:Unfortunately, I'm not even sure that gam...@Natalie:<BR/>Unfortunately, I'm not even sure that games "generally" try to teach artistically responsible lessons. Blizzard has a decent track record, Max Payne 2 was clearly an artsy game, but most? I'm not so sure.<BR/><BR/>Also, I'll be sure to look into that book, especially since I'll be seeing the both of you (hopefully) soon.<BR/><BR/>@Corvus:<BR/>I think there's some overlap here, actually, with the idea of a core fantasy. Something is able to give us shared context because it has a message associated with it larger than the thing itself. If I happen to be wearing the same jeans as you, we might have a little bit to talk about, but there's no <I>real</I> connection there until the jeans <I>mean</I> something, or the soda, or the game.<BR/><BR/>I strongly agree with you that games have the potential to be a more transformative experience than other mediums to this point, and that no one has really nabbed the holy grail of how to be that effective.<BR/><BR/>This jury is still out in my case as to whether big business driving the medium is actively hampering its development (as opposed to being the next step of evolution before we can all agree to buckle down and talk about the emotional aspect of gaming). Maybe that just means I haven't been in the industry long enough. =PWilliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15480452524845413806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-88886938341239133702008-08-11T17:58:00.000-07:002008-08-11T17:58:00.000-07:00I'm actually going to peel your question into two ...I'm actually going to peel your question into two parts, Natalie.<BR/><BR/>1) Yeah, it's a concern about most pop-culture. It tends to rely upon cultural norms and stereotypes without providing meaningful perspective. However, I recognize the irony in saying that as Shakespeare, Dickens, and (dare I say) religious texts were the pop culture of their day. Of course, they were pretty substantive by today's mass produced disposable pop culture.<BR/><BR/>2) I think games are a more potentially transformative experience than most other pop culture media and I think they have the power to reach greater heights (or depths, if you will). The fact that they are being driven and defined by big business is actively hampering their development as a meaningful medium and I find that disappointing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-81929873406925187382008-08-11T16:45:00.000-07:002008-08-11T16:45:00.000-07:00Corvus,Is that risk you see different from non-vid...Corvus,<BR/><BR/>Is that risk you see different from non-video game aspects of pop culture? Or would you say that generation-specific pop culture has the same risk?Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12662787003156000207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-56828791679979394762008-08-11T03:10:00.000-07:002008-08-11T03:10:00.000-07:00I think that shared context is a valuable benefit ...I think that shared context is a valuable benefit of video games, but so is drinking the right soft drink, listening to the right pop music and wearing the right jeans.<BR/><BR/>For that matter, so does reading Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and the religious source text of your culture. The added benefit to these activities is that you can share a context with multiple generations and gain a clearer understanding of much of the other media that surround us.<BR/><BR/>The risk, I feel, is that video games often seem to be aimed at catching the marketability of the former, without containing the even a small portion of the substance of the latter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750861558902561769.post-83904529293287198422008-08-10T00:08:00.000-07:002008-08-10T00:08:00.000-07:00I've always thought that one of the most socially ...I've always thought that one of the most socially responsible things video games can do is to reinforce socially responsible messages by making those messages a theme, core fantasy, or both. One of the messages <A HREF="http://dmeroit.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html" REL="nofollow">I took away</A> from <I>Bioshock</I>, as you know, is that violence is messy and bad but sometimes the right answer. I'd say that's a pretty socially responsible message (especially when you pair it with the message that mercy is rewarded in the end, as <I>Bioshock</I> does).<BR/><BR/>I agree with you that video games don't generally try to teach "socially responsible" lessons, but I do think they generally try to teach <I>artistically</I> responsible lessons. Pretty much all Blizzard games try to teach the lesson that the ends never justify the means. Is that socially responsible? I suppose. But I get the distinct impression Blizzard cares a lot more about whether that lesson makes you feel something genuine. <I>Max Payne 2</I> teaches the lesson that love conquers all. Socially responsible? That's debatable. But it's certainly a valid lesson for an artist to put out there.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, on the topic of what video games "teach" us in terms of skills or mental development, Lara David lent me a very interesting book she read as part of her education MA entitled <I>What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy</I>, by James Paul Gee. The author's basic premise is that successful video games (financially successful) take advantage of many sound principles of learning that are ignored in the modern classroom. His ultimate call to action is for educators to present their message with a more informed view of how people actually learn, but the book also makes out a decent case for the proposition that video games provide valuable forms of mental exercise that <I>do</I> enhance one's general mental performance in ways that are unlikely to be exercised or practiced elsewhere. I've still got the book, if you want to borrow it (though we should probably ask Lara first).Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12662787003156000207noreply@blogger.com