Thursday, April 11, 2013

Games and Such


Let me begin by admitting that I have been a gamer my whole life so my opinion on this topic is more than likely biased, but I digress.  Some of the arguments presented in class and in the reading I find to be very true and for some key reasons. The first portion I find true is the optimism that comes from video games. As I alluded to in class I am myself a bit of an optimist and I personally would contribute some of that to the experiences I have had vicariously through gaming. The feeling of an epic win is a real thing that exists in most games or else you weren’t attached to what you were attempting to accomplish and that’s just bad game design.
            I also happen to disagree with the opinion presented by the class that video games couldn’t help us solve world problems. The world’s problems are not only solved by the fruition of ideas, but also by how we mold the generation to come after us. Video games are a perfect platform (video game pun) for displaying basic values to children. Video games can also frame certain current events in different ways. Take the example of army games. Some games portray America as the good guys in a bang bang shoot em up sort of way. While on the other hand there are games such as The Line in, which your fellow American soldiers become your enemy as they abuse the local populace.
            So in the end Mario taught me two things. First even a small Italian man can jump three to four times his own height if he tries (optimism), and second that a princess (or prince) always deserves saving (values?).

Fun info graphic:     



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