Games, Sketches, and Thoughts

I just got news from several gaming blogs that Rockstar just announce a new game: Bully. This is the description of this game, taken from Aerospace: http://www.aeropause.com/archives/2006/08/rockstars_bully.php

The premise for Rockstar’s Bully, a school-experience meets sandbox game is a 15-year-old boy named Jimmy Hopkins, who must defend himself against school bullies at a ficticious U.S. boarding school named Bullworth Academy. Befitting title, that. Some weapons of choice will include bats, stink bombs and bags of marbles to name a few. The game won’t contain blood or characters dying, so they say…

And if you want to see the trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfbyfPI9rC0

The thing that crossed my mind was: What The Heck

I mean, why the heck someone releases another violence game while there are still hot discussions in about to ban that kind of game? And even worse, this game is about violence in school environment.  Isn’t that silly, just like when you ask someone not to smoke in front of you but what that person does is ignoring you and even blowing the smoke directly to your face

Sure that this game will trigger more video-game-ban actions. I am not surprised if anti-videogame regulation will be legalised someday

Although it is about someone who stand against the bullying and corrupt school system but it promotes violence act in order to solve problem. Forget about negotiation, diplomacy acts, political movements, and forget about using your brain. Just  use your weapon, or anything that you can grab and just beat up your enemies

Kotaku, a gamer’s blog, did a good interview with John Carnell, a founder at Bullying Online, an anti-bullies foundation. You can check full interview at http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/feature–talking-with-the-antibullies-193472.php.  I found this one interesting:

John Carnell: “The world just doesn’t need a game that glorifies bullying as fun even if it is as Rockstar are spinning it one where a child stands up to the bullies. In most cases standing up to the aggressor or fighting back gets the victim into trouble and the bully gets away with it. This is a message that we just don’t need in education right now”

Ah, just forget what I’ve just said. Forget about arguing this topic. Most gamers won’t listen. It’s just useless

I think it was very long time ago, when I was 5 or 6 years old. It was this ‘water game’, my first gaming device

I don’t know why but I was just fascinated to see how those plastic gems (or rings) move around when I pushed the button. And I had five or six of this water game.

Then I fell in love with Game & Watch, the LCD handheld games from Nintendo, just immediately after my uncle showed me his new Nintendo FIRE. Since then, everytime I went to my friend’s house, I always asked whether they had any LCD games. Sometimes we exchanged our games for several days. My parents and grandparents always gave me LCD games for my birthday presents.

Snoopy Panorama Screen, my favourite one

When browsing some websites, I realized that I actually owned 20 games and had played 50-60 titles  Most of my games were Casio and I don’t have them anymore. Some are gone or break

Check out these websites and see what games you have played:
http://www.gameandwatch.com/
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/

This is a very hot topic which has been discussed since a very long time ago. And it’s still hot until now. What’s my opinion about it?

I really think that violence in game COULD cause negative effect for gamers

What? You’re a GAMER. A gamer is not supposed to say that

Yes, I am a gamer but I am just saying something which is true. Most of gamers will deny this fact and start cursing to people who against or blame the violent video game. They’ll judge me as a video game blamer

I think nowadays games are simulating violence. Because of the realistic visualization and game engine, a console or PC game could simulate how a human head explode when get shot, people being cut by a chainsaw, or how to use a real machine gun in a war. Compare to ten years ago, some games could be categorized as cartoon violence (according to current categorization method). But now, some video games are more like murder simulator.

Not only the visualization, but also the game play exposed too much violence. For example, when you beat a bad guy, the game system allows you not only to kick him in the ass, but you can beat him to the death, shoot him, cut him into two or do other unthinkable actions

I am not surprised if one day someone will produce a game where you play as Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of The Lambs (1991) and Hannibal (2001). All you do in game is capturing people, torturing them to death, slicing and finishing all stuff by eating them

Those all violence from video game can make gamers become more tolerant to violence. It is bad when people is getting used to violence. Maybe they will not commit any murder ever but they will not care if someone gets killed as long as it is not them. Gamers will become more heartless or aggressive in negative way.

There are only a few video-game-inspired crimes, but people never forget the Columbine High School Massacre. Just like the Chernobyl disaster. It is a very rare case, but once it’s happened, the impact will be unbearable.