Sunday
I had all of the intentions of waking up this morning, going to Borders, drawing and/or reading and having a quiet, leisurely start to the day.

But you know what they say about good intentions and the road to Hell.

I woke up at 11:45. I didn’t get to bed until after 5:00, so sleeping that late was not a completely unexpected thing. So, having wasted more of the morning than I had planned… I wasted more of it. But this time, I spent it at the computer. And, I did look at a few different news websites, so I wasn’t completely lax. Just “mostly.”

and I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for cooking out. Kate, Perry, Max and Bill came over. The grill was fired up. Meat and vegetables were cooked. A good time was had.

It was a quiet and restful day.
Selah.

Random Access

He’s got a problem with is power
With weapons on patrol
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control.
     “New World Man,” Rush (from the CD “Signals”)

Maddox sent me a link to an article, an interview with Jack Thompson about videogame violence. (I also found the first follow-up article, an interview with Ctrl+Alt+Del‘s Tim Buckley.)

I have avoided going into this before because it basically boils down to the same thing as other topics I’ve covered before: It’s about parents and parenting. But, I think that I have a couple of particular points against this article that I want to make.


I’ll be among the first to admit that videogames have become more violent as they have evolved. Of course, it’s hard to be “violent” with two rectangles and a square “ball.” But, let’s go back and take a look at some early games and see how violence appears in them:

  • Pac-Man – What could be less violent than a character running around a maze eating dots and fruit? But, wait… There are four ghosts pursuing Pac-Man. Their goal is to tag him… causing Pac-Man to die. In his defense, there are four “Power Pellets” scattered throughout the maze that give Pac-Man the chance to turn the tables and eat the ghosts, instead. Hello, can you say ‘cannibalism,’ boys and girls? But, the ghosts’ deaths are transitory. They return to their base, are regenerated and rejoin the chase.
  • Joust (One of my all-time favorites!) – Fly on your ostrich (Yes, I know that they don’t fly, but I didn’t make the game.) and joust (actually, when it’s person-to-person, it’s called “Tilting.” And I only know this because jousting – for rings – is Maryland’s official state sport.) with evil knights in a cavern with magma for a floor. There are also pterodactyls and an evil hand of flame against which you must battle.
  • Donkey Kong – Plumber meets girl. Ape steals girl. Plumber saves girl. And so, the Nintendo Empire was born. I don’t know many Generation X’ers – and a few ‘Boomers – who didn’t drop quarters in this game. On the surface, the game sounds simple. But what I, to this point, have left out are: Donkey Kong hurls barrels at Mario. Mario removes supporting rivets from the structure on which the ape stands. Fireballs chase Mario around the board. Donkey Kong, showing unusual intelligence for an ape, uses high-tension springs and bins of cement – both of which cause Mario to die, upon touching them – to impede the plumber’s progress.
  • Jungle Hunt – You control the actions of a Tarzan-like character as he fights his way through the jungle, warding off different animals with only his trusty knife.
  • Punch-Out – You’re a boxer trying to work your way up the ranks to World Champion. If I have to spell this one out for you, you should just stop reading now.
  • Rush ‘N’ Attack – Kill the Commies! Use a knife, flamethrower, even your bare fists… but make sure that you stop the Reds!
  • Burgertime – Help the chef construct artery-clogging beefy sandwiches. Piece of cake. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. And while you’re putting together the burgers, beware of the wandering hot dogs, eggs and pickles… whose tough means instant death. In your defense, you have pepper which you can throw on the enemy foods and stop them in their tracks. Whomever came up with this idea must have been hitting the bong pretty hard.
  • Paperboy – This game seemed innocuous enough: You’re a kid on a bicycle delivering papers. At face value, this is fairly tame. But, you could also lob papers at neighbors’ houses and shatter their windows. You could also use them against their barking dogs, if I remember correctly. Mmm. Gotta love a game with a little vandalism and cruelty to animals in it…
  • Frogger – Cross the road. Simple. Avoid becoming roadkill. That made things a little more “interesting.” And, if you get across the road, you still have to navigate a river. Complete with hungry crocodiles.
  • Gauntlet – I’m sure that many of you will remember this: “Warrior needs food quickly! In this game, you chose a fantasy persona (Warrior, Valkyrie, Elf, Wizard) and roamed through dungeons in search of treasure. Oh, and you fought. A lot. Against all manners of creatures who sought nothing more than to gnaw on your fleshy hide. If you made it through one level of the dungeon, your proceeded to the next… complete with more creatures.
  • Choplifter – Rescue the hostages (that’s right: “Hostages”) and fly them to safety. And do it without getting shot down.
  • …and I don’t think that I need to elaborate on the straight-up “Come over here so I can beat on you” games like the Tekken and SoulCalibur series.

I think that shows that violence is hardly new to videogames. Even in the most “innocent” of games, it’s been there for decades. It will be there, in whatever forms later generations of games take, for decades to come.

To simplify the argument down to “Person X did Horrible Action Y because they played Violent Videogame Z” is an asinine as saying that I am going to tie a cape around my neck and try to save the world because I play superhero videogames. (The fact that I dressed up as Green Lantern for Hallowe’en doesn’t count.) Or that just because someone studies and becomes highly proficient at a martial art that they are going to wander the face of the earth looking for their next potential victim… just because they can. Most martial arts teachings are about seeking balance and calmness within one’s self. The fact that the person can also whip some ass and defend her-/himself using the more physical aspects of the art is an added bonus.

Let me use another, more personal, example:

When I was in college, I played Dungeons & Dragons with my dorm-mates. It was new to me and it was incredibly fun. We would get together on the weekends and spend hours exploring our characters’ world. While my father was fine with it, my mother wasn’t overly keen on it. As a teacher, she had heard different groups speak about the inherent evils of the game. And then, she heard about a group of gamers who had commited murder… because it was something that their characters would do. I think that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. It wound up leading to a family meeting (read: “Intervention”) when I got back home. My mother, stepfather and a few close family friends had a little chat about the game. They asked questions. I gave them answers. In the end (many hours and another discussion later), they figured that I had my head on straight and that they didn’t have to worry about me hovering over their beds with a +2 battle axe. Besides, I typically played elves; I would have used a bow and arrow…

Yes, there are some people who “can’t let go.” I don’t just mean the murderous gaming group that I mentioned above. These people exist in all walks of life. There is a ‘Toaster below about science fiction fans not being able to say goodbye to a TV show that they like. There was a woman who sued for the right to wear a Starfleet uniform as her regular clothing… for jury duty. I won’t say that she’s mentally unstable or deny that it is her right to dress as she chooses, but I will say that it’s a bit “odd.” And, let’s not forget: “Jedi” is recognized as an official religion in Australia.

Tim Buckley put it nicely in his interview:

“I think that if someone plays a video game, and then goes out and harms another human being, or themselves because of what they just saw in the video game, they were screwed up in the head long before they got their hands on a controller.”

When I remember that I have two game consoles and three computers – and that’s just in my office – and plenty of games for each, I like playing videogames. As I mentioned, I enjoy a good superhero game. I also like shoot-em-ups. Nothing says “love” like a well-placed sniper rifle shot in HALO/HALO 2 or “death from above” in MechAssault. Yes, I’m going to build a small ‘Mech in the yard (out of wood), but I’m not going to run around town taking potshots at people just because I like those games.

Games are a tool. Period. They allow you to put aside aspects of your life and escape the world for a bit. And this applies to pretty much any game. Need to satisfy your Napoleonic tendencies? Have at a game of Risk or Civilization. Want to fly around outer space? Try Star Fleet Battles or any of the Star Wars-related titles. Has “The Man” put you down? Get back at him with a red dot between the eyes in Ghost Recon or Splinter Cell. Has City Hall once again proven their ineptitude at managing the local budget and policies? Put in Sim City and show them how it’s done.

…and when you’re done, fold up the game board or turn off the computer and come back to (what passes for) reality.

If parents are so worried about Little Johnny and Susie being exposed to violence in Game Q, they should take steps to see to it that the kids don’t play the game. The first way to do so would be to not buy it for them. Additionally, if the kids go to Harry’s house, and Harry has the game, they should ask Harry’s parents to see to it that Johnny and Susie don’t play it. Or do what my parents did: Sit them down and talk about it. Find out what it is that appeals to them about the game and make sure that they understand that it is a game and that the behaviors that they exhibit in the game environment are not generally acceptable in the real world.

Unfortunately, the television and the videogame and/or computer have become the babysitters of the 21st Century. It’s so much easier to push a button and have the kids out of one’s hair than it is to sit down and develop a relationship with them. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be almost laughable to think that so many parents/guardians wonder “Why don’t I know my kids?”

It seems to me
As well make our own few circles ’round the block
We’ve lost our senses
For the higher-level static of talk.
     “Dog Years,” Rush (from the CD “Test for Echo”)

And that’s my 2¢ worth.

Thanks to Lawrence Gold for providing data about some of the classic videogames referenced above.

Stray Toasters

  • I almost typed this section header as “Stray Taoists” again.
  • For , by way of Chuck Dixon’s site (Dixonverse) comes: Junior Pirates.
  • In the words of William Shatner: “Get a life!” – Can sci-fi fans face the future?
  • I actually know a few people like this:
  • I’ve been a fan of Mike Wieringo‘s comic art for a few years now. Some would say that his style is “too cartoony.” It’s a comic book, for Pete’s sake. Get over it. I think that it’s “just fine.” But, I digress… Take a gander at his site. Check out the gallery. Enjoy.
  • I am sitting here looking at the collection of PC games that are sitting on my desk. I should install them. Soon. But, I’ve been sucked into the Marvel videogame world of X-Men: Legends. And I am having a grand time. I finally beat Mystique and The Blob. Now, I keep getting killed by a tank. Not fun.
  • DMX. That’s all I’m sayin’.
  • By way of Backwash comes an interesting article from TurnOUT!: Common Arguments of the Radical Right
  • “Do you like anything?”

  • Sometimes, when I intend to type “above,” I type “about.” I don’t know why. But it makes me laugh.
  • Self-deprecating humor. I love it.

Namaste.