Now before everyone freaks out, I would just like to make clear that I have nothing against video games. (believe it or not I use the Blender Game Engine to make a few games myself)
It’s just that latelly, I have found myself asking: “Has all this industrialization and obsession that surrounds video games today become more harmfull than entertaining? Could all this awsome new technology be used to serve a more critical need in our society? Something that could translate to benefit people in the real world, rather than just dragging everyone further into virtuality?”
This track of thought has been with me for some time, but it only started to really spin in my head after the recent “PS3 shooting” event, and the whole “camping outside of the store” phenomena that’s become almost common place whenever a new console is set to release. Not to mention all the MTV shows, along with commercials that seem to run every hour, on the hour.
I could be wrong, but I’m really starting to believe that the whole “gaming” thing, took a few bites too many out of that cooling pie that is american youth.
What do you guys think?
PS: Again, I’m not claiming that my belief is 100% right here. I’m just asking a question, thats all.
i agree. i like playing games, but the recent uprising of newer, faster processors and such has made me wonder this as well. Most of these new computer enhancements are just for playing games, but they are expensive and come out so rapidly that nobody can keep up with the times.
I think games can be a good way to escape for a while, but many people are taking that to the extreme. Almost all the new games released lately are just rehashes of the same old genres; not much thought seems to go into making them, or playing them, for that matter. Still, people keep buying them. I do generally think that gaming is a waste of time because, for me anyway, it’s not all that relaxing and any enjoyment I get out of it is very temporary. Of course, there’s the rare game that has a very engaging storyline (e.g. Zelda, yay) and does require you to think somewhat, but then it becomes more like a good movie or book rather than mindless button mashing.
Excessive gaming, which we see everywhere now, takes away from more useful activities. “Useful” meaning, imo, things like improving one’s physical and mental capabilities such as through sports or music or reading, etc. Video games also preclude creativity; video game addicts never get bored anymore and try to think of other things to do. The games are readily available and require hardly any effort.
That aside, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the huge demand for games and hardware has also stimulated somewhat technological advances. I’m sure all the processing power could be put to better use, and much of it is already through the @home simulations and things like that. Still, I don’t think advertising “protein folding calculation power” or something like that is going to generate much public interest. If they could make a game out of it though… that’d be cool.
Games are like any pass time: they’re fun and even beneficial (most are) as long as you don’t play 'em for 6 hours in a row.
I used to be a hardcore gamer, but ever since several things happened in my life, I gradualy quit.
Now I work casualy with Blender, being careful not to slip into an addiction (the kind of “What are you still doing behind the pc at 3 am?!”).
As Aorus already noticed, most games just keep on recycling themselves with few original ideas. Pokémon was a great idea, but then they just kept on repeating it and now I don’t like it anymore because of the lack of innovation.
I think there’s too much focus on looks than on gaming value. Like they say: when making a video game you are in fact creating a demo for E3 and then you polish that demo to sell it.
So instead of playing video games which keep on repeating themselves, why not do something fun in the physical world?
I agree that the scarcity of a newly released console brings about un-necessary violence sometimes, however violence follows the scarcity of anything that is deeply desired or needed (like food or money for example).
The video game industry is flourishing with new technologies (like the cell processor of the PS3) and innovative (active) gameplay that excercises your body (such as the joystick for the Nintendo Wii). Things are changing for the better in the video game world. Do you ever wonder why kids know so much about their Pokemon and yet are having trouble in school? Because the video game can be a way to communicate information to the brain while disguising it as fun.
Imagine if they had to learn all that pokemon stuff in a classroom with worksheets and homework? What happens then? It’s not fun anymore, and the child looses interest.
Now, try to imagine this on a higher level… Imagine if Hamlet were a video game where everything was done exactly by the book. It would make for a bloody game (just like the book) and it would be a quick and fun way to learn the story itself. Play the game, take the quiz, and pass.
Another example: The American Revolution as a game… The objectives would include gathering the forefathers and creating the Declaration of Independence and also winning the war against the Brittish.
I think video games are going to change many things soon because of the way way one can immerse themselves into the world of the game. If it fuses with education maybe we can learn a lot faster from games than we could from books or worksheets.
games are really bvad in my opinion these days they are all just copys of movies no art or thought goes into them anymore unlike the days of Myst where there was beuity art and puzzles bring back the good old 2d puzzlers where you had to think i say, plus movies that are just remakes annoy me to as it seems they cant think of anything new and good anymore
Games are very good in my eyes.
Because they are good entertainent for me.
But games should only be on consoles like the xbox360,ps3,nds etc…
Because everytime when a new game comes out you need to upgrade your pc.
With all that new technology and such it costs to much money to keep up with it.
I have a xbox360 and my favorite game is oblivion for the xbox360.
But the xbox360 has only 512 mbram and my pc has that to but my pc cant handle oblivion and the xbox360 can.
Because the xbox360 has 3 processors with a core of 3.2 ghz if i want that for my pc it will cost around 500 EURO and the xbox360 costs only 400 euro.
So thats why i dont play pc games. (I only create pc games )
Could the advances in technology be put to better use? They are.
Games (and porn and warfare) drive advances in technology. We all benefit from the technology improvements either through cheaper access to related technolgy (like VCRs, DVDs etc) or by the uptake of advanced technology in other areas (like remote surgery now possible due to high-speed networks).
Yes it could be, but I think it is a bit too naive to look at things this way. There are many things that could serve society much better then they do. Games just serve their part of the whole deal, beside entertaining people they are also making GPU tehnology to grow, making all kinds of improvement in other branches of tehnology.
And the shooting for PS3, terrible as it is, but people get killed every day for all kind’s of reasons. Too much pressure on kids is beeing done from media and their “instructions” that they must have this or that and that you will be so cool if you have PS3 before your neighbour that it will make you “kill someone”!
Similar thing was with GTA, people got killed and kids that did it had the game at home so media concluded that the game is to blame! And everyone belives them!!! Adults that is… So how can kids fight agaist media when they are telling them all day long “BUY THIS GAME, YOU’LL BE COOL, IT IS THE BEST GAME EVER”. And on top of all, when the news about the killing over PS3 is over they put war-horror-movie on TV.
So I don’t really blame the game industry, not that I am 100% behind it but there are much more other things to change before changing game industry.
And just to say something about the games them selves: in the early days of computer graphic games could not rely on graphic to simulate the enviroment and movements or strategies in games, they had to be inovative, simple and entertaining. And as a result we had a lot of great games from that time but there were also a lot of bad games. Same as today. But today games have to be visualy very good if you want to sell them. Once that all the games will look satisfactory, they will have to give more to people than just great looking enviroment, characters or whatever. Great things don’t come every day. So I belive that games will improve with time when they lay off on the visual look of the game.
EDIT: AndyD wrote similar thing minutes before me, so sorry for repeating it.
Well, first of all, the gaming industry drives itself, like any industry in a free-market system. Without the games, you would remove the profit base for all the technology being created. The technology does have better uses, but you can’t bring those to bear just by removing the gaming industry. It makes know sense.
And, yes, people getting held at gunpoint over a ps3 is insane. But why do you keep blaming the gaming industry? If people weren’t so idiotic, and there parents raised them right, this would never happen. There would be no tobacco industry if people didn’t smoke. There would be no drunken driving if people didn’t drink. And all the harmful effects supposedly caused by games wouldn’t exist if people had a lick sense and a logical view on reality. Blaming our problems on the things around us is not going to solve human stupidity. Taking responsibility for our actions is.
An interesting thing to note, is that a few hundred years, the novel was considered by some, a threat to human intellect. Next on the chopping block, television. Now, it’s videogames.
Ignore this post. I was posting a reply in the 6-word thread and somehow it ended up here. So I’m editing it to explain it’s existence. They should let you delete your own posts.
I think that games should be used like any other media. The best books, movies,poems, you name it, have a good story, symbolism, and leave you with ideas. There are games like that, as well. But things like GTA, and “shoot the living crap out of everything” games, while fun, aren’t enriching at all. That’s not to say they don’t have their place: they’re just like cheap novels.
It should be noted that the shooting incident likely had very little to do with the actual PS3 and had more to do with the perceived value of the game system. That is to say, if there wasn’t a (even remote) possibilty of making $2000+ off of reselling the system on Ebay, then it wouldn’t have happened.
People are more inclined to kill for money (or the potential for money) than for just a game system.
Video games are already used for educational purposes, but it’s usually only geared toward preschool kids (like the leapfrog system etc).
I don’t see any of the major game companies making “educational” games for the PS3 or the 360.
As some have already stated, on the mainstream consoles, games are usually all about blasting the hell out of something. Now that’s fine for entertainment, but pretty much useless beyond that scope.
I’m almost 100% sure that something like the revolutionary CELL processor can be used for more than just blowing stuff up in the virtual world.
Eagle Orion>
I never said that I wanted to remove the videogame industry.
spacestrudel>
Advancements in GPU technology, solely for the purpose of running faster and more complex videogames, is not really the greatest implementation of those advancements IMO.
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