(1) the Video Game Critic's Atari 2600 Reviews
http://www.videogamecritic.net/2600.htm
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway - "Violence" (Game Trailer)
Restaurant City by Playfish
Facebook Games Addiction
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Just playing? -the ethics...Article 3
"Computer Game Ethic"Reeder, Sara. Compute. Greensboro: Jan 1992. Vol. 14, Iss. 1; pp. 100-104 (accessed 15Nov,2009)
Consider these notes from the computer-gaming press:
In 1983, Atari seeks to halt the distribution of Custer's Revenge, an independently produced game in which the player's objective is to rape Indian woman bound a post.
In 1987, one of the most popular Macintosh programs on the market is MacPlaymate. an adult-oriented game in which the player undresses an animated woman and stimulates her with a wide variety of sex toys.
In the summer of 1990, California Assemblywoman Sally Tanner introduces a bill to prohibit the depiction of alcohol and cigarettes in computer games distributed in the state. The bill is defeated in committee.
In 1991, an underground game creates a small flurry in the American computer press. The game, which is circulated on BBSs in Europe, put players in charge of a Nazi concentration camp and rewards them for the quantity and brutality of their executions.
For game designers, software publishers, and parents who are already uneasy about their children's all-encompassing Nintendo obsessions, news items like these strike an ominous chord. As the novelty of personal computers wears off and electronic games find their way into the mainstream of American culture, thoughtful developers and consumers are starting to face the tough ethical questions. What effect do these games have on kids? Why are they so violent? And, perhaps most centrally, what cultural values do computer games communicate to their users?
The questions aren't new, but they're becoming more pressing as the market grows. The time is fast approaching when game designers and publishers must reckon with the moral questions that have dogged their colleagues in other media for decades.
IS THE MEDIUM THE MESSAGE?
"Computer games are definitely not value-free," asserts Chris Crawford a veteran designer noted for the strong ethical content of his games. "We can't argue that they're mindless entertainment with zero moral value, because it's obvious that there is some form of cultural communication going on whenever someone sits down to play a game. And I think it's very appropriate for people to be concerned about what messages are being communicated."
Roberta Williams, head of development or Sierra On-Line and designer of dozens of games for both children and adults, agrees. "Computer games communicate values the same way any other medium you watch or participate in--movies, books, TV, or magazines And I'm not convinced that we should hold games to any different moral standards than we hold the movie or TV industries to."
According to Crawford, computer games do get extra scrutiny, mainly because they're perceived as children's entertainment. "Freedom of speech is paramount when you're creating entertainment for adults, who are better able to accept or reject the values presented to them. But we've also established the legal principle that freedom is appropriately restrained when you're addressing children. Right now, computer games are closely associated with children, and I think that the public debate about their moral content comes largely out of that association. Our ima
ge as a 'kiddie medium' gives us increased exposure to censorship."
DEATH, WAR, AND GORE
As any parent can tell you, most of the ethical concerns about computer games centers around their notoriously high levels of violence. "It's the one issue that cuts directly to the heart of the industry," says Crawford. Computer game violence comes in a variety of flavors, including the following.
Repetitive death games in which the player's character dies over and over. After each "death." you typically insert another quarter or reload the saved game and start over. (Nervous adults have expressed concern that kids who spend too much time with driving simulations might actually think you can drive that way.)
Military games that simulate (and some say glorify) war. "A goodly portion of Americans find the rather strident militarism of these games objectionable," says Crawford, who has designed several war simulations.
"They often present war as an exciting adventure, a noble quest by brave men and women. In short, they tell the player that war is fun."
In his games, Crawford attempts to redirect this message by working some humanity into the manual or right into the game itself. Take, for example, his upcoming game, Patton Strikes Back.
"After each major battle, there are these interruptions that stop the game to tell you personal stories about Patton and other people in the war--how this battle affected them personally. Some of them are quite graphic. People will still be entertained, but I hope they also walk away with a deeper sense of how horrific a real battle is."
Sid Meier of MicroProse, a company known for its war simulations, takes a different attitude. "You can make a case that war is full of terrible consequences--but I don't think that's news to anyone. There are a lot of movies and books about war, with a lot of different points of view. And I think that's because 'war is terrible' is not the only lesson to be learned; there's also the decision making and leadership and personal growth that occur because people have been through that situation. In our simulations, we want you to come to understand the decision process, the tradeoffs that are involved, the kinds of things people in battle are faced with.
Shoot-'em-up games in which the object is to blow away everything that moves. "It's instructive that all the early computer games were shoot-'em-ups," notes Meier. "In the beginning, it was just technically easier to do those kinds of games. And people didn't know what computer games were all about, so you had to make it clear who the good guys and the bad guys were. It's easy to do that in a battle context." These days, notes Meier, the last bastion of the shoot-'em-up is "your classic Nintendo game, where violence is the focal point of everything that happens."
"This sort of generalized bloodthirstiness, which a lot of games have, makes people very uncomfortable, and I think rightly so," muses Crawford. "This sort of rampant, dehumanized killing generates an aura of tawdriness that does our industry no favors."
Blood and gore. Designers are widely divided about the morality of showing up-close-and-personal scenes of blood and death. "Of the games I've done, I've stayed away from gore; I don't think it adds anything to the game to show blood and arms and legs flying around," says Meier.
Tom Loughry, who designed the close-range combat simulation Gunboat for Accolade, wrestled long and hard before coming to the opposite conclusion "The fact is, when you shoot people, they bleed and die. You're not telling them the truth about war if you sanitize the death scenes."
Why are computer games so violent? According to most of the designers interviewed, they don't need to be. "Violence is a symptom of lazy design," asserts Crawford. "All games must have conflict of some kind, and violence is the most direct and intense form of conflict there is. As the industry matures, we should move away from it, but for that to happen, people have to make the effort to design games that take other approaches."
Several thoughtful designers and publishers are already making the effort "We've all but banned death from our games," boasts Brian Moriarty, a senior game designer at Lucasfilm Games. "The possibility of death is a convenient and easy way to create game conflict which is why you see so much of it. But I don't buy the notion that you need it to create dramatic tens on. There's almost always a more elegant way to move the plot along if the designer is willing to think a little more creatively. Our perception is that people equate death with failure. And failure is not fun."
Among Moriarty's more recent games is Loom, "which took this idea even further--not only can't you die, you can't fail. The fun of the game is in making choices for your character. like all good stories, it also has a strong moral.
"After all, computer games do teach people things about the world," he concludes. "If our ideas of conflict are limited to violence, we've got a lot to learn about art, storytelling, and game design."
Moriarty, Crawford, and Williams project that shoot-'em-ups, war games. and other types of violent games will soon be only small niches in a much broader market. In fact, the game she f at your local Egghead might ultimately be as diverse as your local video rental store with a full spectrum of comedy, drama, mystery, adventure, and children's software. And the analogy may extend one step further to include X-rated adult games behind a curtain in the back of the store.
FOR ADULTS ONLY
Games with strong sexual content have been around almost as long as personal computers. Along with the infamous Custer's Revenge, the more notable efforts include Interlude, a 1982 text adventure that contained several X-rated scenarios; Leather Goddesses of Phobos, a 1986 game that was actually a lot tamer than its hype led one to think; and Sierra's Leisure Suit Larry series, a tacky spoof on the hot-tubs-and-gold-chains singles lifestyle.
Perhaps the most famous of all, however, are MacPlaymate (1986) and its second incarnation, Virtual Valerie (989). "They're probably the most pirated games in the history of Macintosh," sighs creator Mike Saenz, who cobbled MacPlaymate together in just three days. "I don't even think the games were very erotic. I did them for laugh because I think the idea of interactive sexual computer entertainment is patently absurd. MacPlaymate was a spoof of all the fetishistic trappings of the average male's preferred sexual imagery."
Saenz says there's no question that his two products objectify women as sexual playthings. "It's like having your own 'Stepford date-on-a-disk'; you don't even have to send her roses," he muses. "But I was hoping that the absurdity of it would sink in, that by putting it into such bold, simplified relief, men would realize how unreal it is to expect women to behave that way sexually. I was hoping to make some of this outrageousness clear. But I overestimated my audience; it ended up in the hands of a bunch of nerdy guys who'd never talked to a woman besides their mother.
Although it seems that there are always one or two popular adult-oriented games on the market at any given time, most mainstream publishers regard X-rated games as a very small niche. "Every company has its moral or ethical limits," says Williams. "There might be some company that decides it wants to make money doing Playboy-type games. But that's not what Sierra is about. We decided at the time we did Larry that that was our absolute limit, as far as the R-rated stuff is concerned."
Williams adds that some of her designers approached her about doing a more explicit game, but she refused. "It's not just that I don't like the way women are portrayed in these games. It's also that we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot if we sold them. We might sell quite a few to the men who buy that kind of thing, but over the long run, we'd lose the respect of our market. Even those same men would hesitate to buy our kids' games for their families--and women wouldn't go near us. It would be a long-term loss for us. If some other company decided that that's who they were, fine, but we're in the business to make software for everybody."
Saenz admits to feeling a similar backlash. He recently published a mainstream fantasy game called Spaceship Warlock--"an old-fashioned space opera that's nostalgic in a Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers sort of way, complete with sophomorically bombastic dialogue. Unfortunately, if you really try to capture that 'golden age of science fiction' feel, it will inevitably be somewhat chauvinistic, although it looks very liberated compared to, say, the first Star Trek series. Still, because of MacPlaymate and Valerie, people are looking for me to have this attitude. It turns out that there are a whole bunch of people who love what I do--a lot of closet Mike Saenz fans out there--and a lot of other people who think, 'That guy's sick." I've been typecast as a terrible misogynist."
OF DEMONS, DRUGS, AND CENSORSHIP
Sex and violence may be the big ethical issues, but they're not the only ones. Over the years, the television, film, recording, and publishing industries have felt pressure to watch their language (as in the recording industry's well-publicized debate over parental warning stickers), Just Say No (as part of the federal government's much-ballyhooed War on Drugs), and beware of demons (at the behest of the fundamentalist Christian movement). Through it all, though, computer game developers have managed to stay well out of the range of fire.
You would think that Mike Saenz, for example, would be an obvious target. "But none of the pressure groups seem to have found me yet," he marvels. "I haven't heard from Tipper Gore or Women Against Pornography. I think the hardliners and fascists must be very small groups that exert a lot of focused pressure--and right now they're going after the record companies."
"Sure, we've all gotten letters from parents who scream that hack-and-slash fantasy games are inspired by the devil," concurs Crawford, "but the numbers are so small that we tend to think of it as a marginal concern."
As computer games go mainstream, though, they're starting to attract at least some attention. And, surprisingly, one of the early battlegrounds wasn't violence or sex, but drug abuse. "Drugs and tobacco just aren't usually a part of the context of most games," says Moriarty. Crawford echoed this, adding that "sometimes players will come across a vial that says, 'Drink me' like in Alice in Wonderland, and you float over the river or something as a result of taking it. But nobody's ever suggested that this promotes drug abuse."
Because designers and publishers regard drugs as such a nonissue, the introduction of California Assembly Bill 3280 in June 1990 took them completely by surprise.
The bill, introduced by Assembly woman Sally Tanner (D-El Monte), would have prohibited designers from placing any alcohol or tobacco company logos in games or showing characters holding or using alcohol or tobacco products. Even though it was drafted with the loftiest of intentions, the computer game industry was quick to perceive a threat and moved quickly to block the bill. "We ship a children's product called Mixed-Up mother Goose, which has been wideley used in classrooms for years," says Williams. "In the game, King Cole loses his pipe, and the child helps him find it. It didn't make sense. Under this bill, reading a book of nursery rhymes would be perfectly legal, but I could go to a jail for animating the same nursery rhyme. I don't like my kids seeing people smoke or drink, either, but to be restricted where other media aren't isn't fair."
A KINDER, GENTLER FUTURE?
All the designers and publishers interviewed for this article were optimistic that the ethical nature of computer games will continue to improve as the audience broadens in numbers and sophistication.
"Right now, we're locked into a traditional, hobbyist market that has a specific set of expectations about the kinds of games they want," Moriarty observers. "A lot of us want to move beyond those expectations but feel held back. Still, I'm convinced that there are a lot more computer owners out there who are interested in using their machines for entertainment but aren't attracted to the traditional offerings."
He's pleased that Loom has been very popular with first-time gamers and women--two groups outside the core market--but complains that publishers are often reluctant to support games that fall outside of standard genres, even if they might open up the world of computer gaming to a broader market.
As game developers look toward the big time, they're taking their cues from the film and recording industries. Many publishers have long adhered to their own internal standards. At Sierra, for example, games are categorized as either adult games, like Leisure Suit Larry and Space Quest; family games, like King's Quest, that children and parents will likely play together; or children's games, in which blood, death, and violence are entirely banned. "Our goal is to make software for everyone," says Williams.
There's also wide spread talk to an industrywide rating system based on the system the MPAA uses to rate movies. "We're kind of in this window where we don't have a rating system yet because we're still a new industry and not all the pieces are together." Saenz says "But I think a ratings system would be useful because you'd know where boundaries exist and it would help both the developers and the audience clear up a lot of the confusion in the marketplace. I don't want to limit freedom of expression, and a rating system might be one way to protect it."
Crawford points out that, as with books and movies, the truly outrageous games appeal only to very small and specialized niche markets. (The numbers bear this out. MacPlaymate, despite its tremendous popularity, was only available through mail order. The concentration-camp game is only distributed via BBS, and no American game designer interviewed had actually seen it.) "Mass marketing will be the key to improving the ethical climate in computer games." Crawford predicts. "You can only push people so fast, but the messages we communicate will certainly improve as we slowly learn how to design games for a larger audience."
Comment:(1) BESIDES the PROBLEM of violence AND sex in GAME, drug abuse ACTUALLY IS THE BIG PROBLEM since Drugs and tobacco always is the context of games!!!!!!!!!! WHAT MORE ... that not many people aware of and consider it as a problem !!!!! it already encourages people to smoke and drug abbuse.
(2) the game can express the culture message of different coutries... and the culture can be exchange via playing.
Consider these notes from the computer-gaming press:
In 1983, Atari seeks to halt the distribution of Custer's Revenge, an independently produced game in which the player's objective is to rape Indian woman bound a post.
In 1987, one of the most popular Macintosh programs on the market is MacPlaymate. an adult-oriented game in which the player undresses an animated woman and stimulates her with a wide variety of sex toys.
In the summer of 1990, California Assemblywoman Sally Tanner introduces a bill to prohibit the depiction of alcohol and cigarettes in computer games distributed in the state. The bill is defeated in committee.
In 1991, an underground game creates a small flurry in the American computer press. The game, which is circulated on BBSs in Europe, put players in charge of a Nazi concentration camp and rewards them for the quantity and brutality of their executions.
For game designers, software publishers, and parents who are already uneasy about their children's all-encompassing Nintendo obsessions, news items like these strike an ominous chord. As the novelty of personal computers wears off and electronic games find their way into the mainstream of American culture, thoughtful developers and consumers are starting to face the tough ethical questions. What effect do these games have on kids? Why are they so violent? And, perhaps most centrally, what cultural values do computer games communicate to their users?
The questions aren't new, but they're becoming more pressing as the market grows. The time is fast approaching when game designers and publishers must reckon with the moral questions that have dogged their colleagues in other media for decades.
IS THE MEDIUM THE MESSAGE?
"Computer games are definitely not value-free," asserts Chris Crawford a veteran designer noted for the strong ethical content of his games. "We can't argue that they're mindless entertainment with zero moral value, because it's obvious that there is some form of cultural communication going on whenever someone sits down to play a game. And I think it's very appropriate for people to be concerned about what messages are being communicated."
Roberta Williams, head of development or Sierra On-Line and designer of dozens of games for both children and adults, agrees. "Computer games communicate values the same way any other medium you watch or participate in--movies, books, TV, or magazines And I'm not convinced that we should hold games to any different moral standards than we hold the movie or TV industries to."
According to Crawford, computer games do get extra scrutiny, mainly because they're perceived as children's entertainment. "Freedom of speech is paramount when you're creating entertainment for adults, who are better able to accept or reject the values presented to them. But we've also established the legal principle that freedom is appropriately restrained when you're addressing children. Right now, computer games are closely associated with children, and I think that the public debate about their moral content comes largely out of that association. Our ima
ge as a 'kiddie medium' gives us increased exposure to censorship."
DEATH, WAR, AND GORE
As any parent can tell you, most of the ethical concerns about computer games centers around their notoriously high levels of violence. "It's the one issue that cuts directly to the heart of the industry," says Crawford. Computer game violence comes in a variety of flavors, including the following.
Repetitive death games in which the player's character dies over and over. After each "death." you typically insert another quarter or reload the saved game and start over. (Nervous adults have expressed concern that kids who spend too much time with driving simulations might actually think you can drive that way.)
Military games that simulate (and some say glorify) war. "A goodly portion of Americans find the rather strident militarism of these games objectionable," says Crawford, who has designed several war simulations.
"They often present war as an exciting adventure, a noble quest by brave men and women. In short, they tell the player that war is fun."
In his games, Crawford attempts to redirect this message by working some humanity into the manual or right into the game itself. Take, for example, his upcoming game, Patton Strikes Back.
"After each major battle, there are these interruptions that stop the game to tell you personal stories about Patton and other people in the war--how this battle affected them personally. Some of them are quite graphic. People will still be entertained, but I hope they also walk away with a deeper sense of how horrific a real battle is."
Sid Meier of MicroProse, a company known for its war simulations, takes a different attitude. "You can make a case that war is full of terrible consequences--but I don't think that's news to anyone. There are a lot of movies and books about war, with a lot of different points of view. And I think that's because 'war is terrible' is not the only lesson to be learned; there's also the decision making and leadership and personal growth that occur because people have been through that situation. In our simulations, we want you to come to understand the decision process, the tradeoffs that are involved, the kinds of things people in battle are faced with.
Shoot-'em-up games in which the object is to blow away everything that moves. "It's instructive that all the early computer games were shoot-'em-ups," notes Meier. "In the beginning, it was just technically easier to do those kinds of games. And people didn't know what computer games were all about, so you had to make it clear who the good guys and the bad guys were. It's easy to do that in a battle context." These days, notes Meier, the last bastion of the shoot-'em-up is "your classic Nintendo game, where violence is the focal point of everything that happens."
"This sort of generalized bloodthirstiness, which a lot of games have, makes people very uncomfortable, and I think rightly so," muses Crawford. "This sort of rampant, dehumanized killing generates an aura of tawdriness that does our industry no favors."
Blood and gore. Designers are widely divided about the morality of showing up-close-and-personal scenes of blood and death. "Of the games I've done, I've stayed away from gore; I don't think it adds anything to the game to show blood and arms and legs flying around," says Meier.
Tom Loughry, who designed the close-range combat simulation Gunboat for Accolade, wrestled long and hard before coming to the opposite conclusion "The fact is, when you shoot people, they bleed and die. You're not telling them the truth about war if you sanitize the death scenes."
Why are computer games so violent? According to most of the designers interviewed, they don't need to be. "Violence is a symptom of lazy design," asserts Crawford. "All games must have conflict of some kind, and violence is the most direct and intense form of conflict there is. As the industry matures, we should move away from it, but for that to happen, people have to make the effort to design games that take other approaches."
Several thoughtful designers and publishers are already making the effort "We've all but banned death from our games," boasts Brian Moriarty, a senior game designer at Lucasfilm Games. "The possibility of death is a convenient and easy way to create game conflict which is why you see so much of it. But I don't buy the notion that you need it to create dramatic tens on. There's almost always a more elegant way to move the plot along if the designer is willing to think a little more creatively. Our perception is that people equate death with failure. And failure is not fun."
Among Moriarty's more recent games is Loom, "which took this idea even further--not only can't you die, you can't fail. The fun of the game is in making choices for your character. like all good stories, it also has a strong moral.
"After all, computer games do teach people things about the world," he concludes. "If our ideas of conflict are limited to violence, we've got a lot to learn about art, storytelling, and game design."
Moriarty, Crawford, and Williams project that shoot-'em-ups, war games. and other types of violent games will soon be only small niches in a much broader market. In fact, the game she f at your local Egghead might ultimately be as diverse as your local video rental store with a full spectrum of comedy, drama, mystery, adventure, and children's software. And the analogy may extend one step further to include X-rated adult games behind a curtain in the back of the store.
FOR ADULTS ONLY
Games with strong sexual content have been around almost as long as personal computers. Along with the infamous Custer's Revenge, the more notable efforts include Interlude, a 1982 text adventure that contained several X-rated scenarios; Leather Goddesses of Phobos, a 1986 game that was actually a lot tamer than its hype led one to think; and Sierra's Leisure Suit Larry series, a tacky spoof on the hot-tubs-and-gold-chains singles lifestyle.
Perhaps the most famous of all, however, are MacPlaymate (1986) and its second incarnation, Virtual Valerie (989). "They're probably the most pirated games in the history of Macintosh," sighs creator Mike Saenz, who cobbled MacPlaymate together in just three days. "I don't even think the games were very erotic. I did them for laugh because I think the idea of interactive sexual computer entertainment is patently absurd. MacPlaymate was a spoof of all the fetishistic trappings of the average male's preferred sexual imagery."
Saenz says there's no question that his two products objectify women as sexual playthings. "It's like having your own 'Stepford date-on-a-disk'; you don't even have to send her roses," he muses. "But I was hoping that the absurdity of it would sink in, that by putting it into such bold, simplified relief, men would realize how unreal it is to expect women to behave that way sexually. I was hoping to make some of this outrageousness clear. But I overestimated my audience; it ended up in the hands of a bunch of nerdy guys who'd never talked to a woman besides their mother.
Although it seems that there are always one or two popular adult-oriented games on the market at any given time, most mainstream publishers regard X-rated games as a very small niche. "Every company has its moral or ethical limits," says Williams. "There might be some company that decides it wants to make money doing Playboy-type games. But that's not what Sierra is about. We decided at the time we did Larry that that was our absolute limit, as far as the R-rated stuff is concerned."
Williams adds that some of her designers approached her about doing a more explicit game, but she refused. "It's not just that I don't like the way women are portrayed in these games. It's also that we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot if we sold them. We might sell quite a few to the men who buy that kind of thing, but over the long run, we'd lose the respect of our market. Even those same men would hesitate to buy our kids' games for their families--and women wouldn't go near us. It would be a long-term loss for us. If some other company decided that that's who they were, fine, but we're in the business to make software for everybody."
Saenz admits to feeling a similar backlash. He recently published a mainstream fantasy game called Spaceship Warlock--"an old-fashioned space opera that's nostalgic in a Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers sort of way, complete with sophomorically bombastic dialogue. Unfortunately, if you really try to capture that 'golden age of science fiction' feel, it will inevitably be somewhat chauvinistic, although it looks very liberated compared to, say, the first Star Trek series. Still, because of MacPlaymate and Valerie, people are looking for me to have this attitude. It turns out that there are a whole bunch of people who love what I do--a lot of closet Mike Saenz fans out there--and a lot of other people who think, 'That guy's sick." I've been typecast as a terrible misogynist."
OF DEMONS, DRUGS, AND CENSORSHIP
Sex and violence may be the big ethical issues, but they're not the only ones. Over the years, the television, film, recording, and publishing industries have felt pressure to watch their language (as in the recording industry's well-publicized debate over parental warning stickers), Just Say No (as part of the federal government's much-ballyhooed War on Drugs), and beware of demons (at the behest of the fundamentalist Christian movement). Through it all, though, computer game developers have managed to stay well out of the range of fire.
You would think that Mike Saenz, for example, would be an obvious target. "But none of the pressure groups seem to have found me yet," he marvels. "I haven't heard from Tipper Gore or Women Against Pornography. I think the hardliners and fascists must be very small groups that exert a lot of focused pressure--and right now they're going after the record companies."
"Sure, we've all gotten letters from parents who scream that hack-and-slash fantasy games are inspired by the devil," concurs Crawford, "but the numbers are so small that we tend to think of it as a marginal concern."
As computer games go mainstream, though, they're starting to attract at least some attention. And, surprisingly, one of the early battlegrounds wasn't violence or sex, but drug abuse. "Drugs and tobacco just aren't usually a part of the context of most games," says Moriarty. Crawford echoed this, adding that "sometimes players will come across a vial that says, 'Drink me' like in Alice in Wonderland, and you float over the river or something as a result of taking it. But nobody's ever suggested that this promotes drug abuse."
Because designers and publishers regard drugs as such a nonissue, the introduction of California Assembly Bill 3280 in June 1990 took them completely by surprise.
The bill, introduced by Assembly woman Sally Tanner (D-El Monte), would have prohibited designers from placing any alcohol or tobacco company logos in games or showing characters holding or using alcohol or tobacco products. Even though it was drafted with the loftiest of intentions, the computer game industry was quick to perceive a threat and moved quickly to block the bill. "We ship a children's product called Mixed-Up mother Goose, which has been wideley used in classrooms for years," says Williams. "In the game, King Cole loses his pipe, and the child helps him find it. It didn't make sense. Under this bill, reading a book of nursery rhymes would be perfectly legal, but I could go to a jail for animating the same nursery rhyme. I don't like my kids seeing people smoke or drink, either, but to be restricted where other media aren't isn't fair."
A KINDER, GENTLER FUTURE?
All the designers and publishers interviewed for this article were optimistic that the ethical nature of computer games will continue to improve as the audience broadens in numbers and sophistication.
"Right now, we're locked into a traditional, hobbyist market that has a specific set of expectations about the kinds of games they want," Moriarty observers. "A lot of us want to move beyond those expectations but feel held back. Still, I'm convinced that there are a lot more computer owners out there who are interested in using their machines for entertainment but aren't attracted to the traditional offerings."
He's pleased that Loom has been very popular with first-time gamers and women--two groups outside the core market--but complains that publishers are often reluctant to support games that fall outside of standard genres, even if they might open up the world of computer gaming to a broader market.
As game developers look toward the big time, they're taking their cues from the film and recording industries. Many publishers have long adhered to their own internal standards. At Sierra, for example, games are categorized as either adult games, like Leisure Suit Larry and Space Quest; family games, like King's Quest, that children and parents will likely play together; or children's games, in which blood, death, and violence are entirely banned. "Our goal is to make software for everyone," says Williams.
There's also wide spread talk to an industrywide rating system based on the system the MPAA uses to rate movies. "We're kind of in this window where we don't have a rating system yet because we're still a new industry and not all the pieces are together." Saenz says "But I think a ratings system would be useful because you'd know where boundaries exist and it would help both the developers and the audience clear up a lot of the confusion in the marketplace. I don't want to limit freedom of expression, and a rating system might be one way to protect it."
Crawford points out that, as with books and movies, the truly outrageous games appeal only to very small and specialized niche markets. (The numbers bear this out. MacPlaymate, despite its tremendous popularity, was only available through mail order. The concentration-camp game is only distributed via BBS, and no American game designer interviewed had actually seen it.) "Mass marketing will be the key to improving the ethical climate in computer games." Crawford predicts. "You can only push people so fast, but the messages we communicate will certainly improve as we slowly learn how to design games for a larger audience."
Comment:(1) BESIDES the PROBLEM of violence AND sex in GAME, drug abuse ACTUALLY IS THE BIG PROBLEM since Drugs and tobacco always is the context of games!!!!!!!!!! WHAT MORE ... that not many people aware of and consider it as a problem !!!!! it already encourages people to smoke and drug abbuse.
(2) the game can express the culture message of different coutries... and the culture can be exchange via playing.
Just playing? -the ethics...Article 2
"SMART WAYS TO STAY WELL, EAT RIGHT, GET FIT". Goodhealth: Health NewsGood Housekeeping. New York: Dec 2009. Vol. 249, Iss. 6; pg. 59 (accessed 13Nov2009)
Think Young, Stay Healthy
Holding negative stereotypes about seniors may be harmful to your health. In a long-term Yale study, younger adults whose views on aging were the most negative were almost twice as likely to later have a heart attack or other cardio problem as those with more positive attitudes on the topic (25 percent versus 13 percent, 30 years after the study's start). People who feel pessimistic about getting older take poorer care of their health, so forming unkind caricatures becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, explains study leader Becca Levy, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology. "To break the cycle, think about independent older people you know or see on TV," she says, "and ask yourself if your views would apply to them."
Retail Therapy Explained
If you grab a candy bar when you have PMS, you're likely to recognize the hormonal connection. But what if it's your credit card you're reaching for? Turns out that spending may also be influenced by hormones. When psychologists surveyed 443 British women about their spending habits over the previous week, they threw in a seemingly unrelated question -- "When was your last menstrual period?" What they found: Women were much less in control of their purchases in the 10 days before their periods than at other times of the month. Almost two-thirds bought something on impulse, with more than half going over their usual spending limit (some by hundreds of dollars). When it's that time of the month, researchers say, women may shop to relieve feelings of stress, irritability, or depression. To better deal with negative emotions, try hitting the gym or taking a walk outside, suggests study leader Karen Pine, Ph.D., of the University of Hertfordshire: "It's much cheaper and will leave you feeling more uplifted than a trip to the mall." For the holiday season, when you can't avoid shopping, you may need reinforcements during the premenstrual part of your cycle, especially if you are on a tighter budget (and who isn't?). Stick to a list, Pine advises, or deputize a friend to help you nix an impulsive purchase. Despite your good intentions, there is still a strong urge to give in to emotional spending.
HER NOSE KNOWS (BUT HIS PROBABLY DOESN'T) Men may hope their cologne will mask underarm odor, but women aren't fooled, research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia found. While six of 32 scents tested disguised the smell of male BO from other men, none of the fragrances worked for women. To the showers, guys! (And don't forget the deodorant.)
Another Reason We Love the Wii
The Nintendo Wii is cropping up on prescription pads as well as Christmas lists this season, after researchers reported "amazing" improvements in people with Parkinson's disease who used the popular video games. In a small study, 20 Parkinson's patients without serious walking impairments rotated among Wii tennis, bowling, and boxing for one hour, three times a week. After a month, participants had significantly better motor skills, more energy, and practically zero depression. They had to use it or lose it, though: When the group laid off the Wii for a subsequent month, symptoms increased and depression began creeping back. Researcher and occupational therapist Ben Herz, OTD, of the Medical College of Georgia, suspects that chemistry may underlie Wii's value. Exercise and video games both increase levels of dopamine -- a brain chemical essential for normal movement. Since Wii combines the two, it may be especially beneficial for people with Parkinson's, whose levels of dopamine are significantly depleted. Now on the research agenda: Wii for patients with gait problems. So far, it looks good. "One woman walked in with assistance and went out dancing," says Herz.
Split Decision on Pills
One way to save money on drugs is to ask your doctor to write a prescription for double-dose tablets (which often cost the same as your regular Rx). Splitting the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, for example, can save you $330 a year, reports insurer UnitedHealthcare. But only some pills lend themselves to halving -- specifically, tablets that break easily without crumbling (the ones that are scored split best), those that don't have a special enteric coating (which keeps pills from being destroyed in the stomach), and tablets designed to release medication slowly over time. If your doc gives the OK, buy a pill-splitting device -- less than $10 at drugstores -- then practice on vitamins or other inexpensive tablets to perfect your technique before doing it for real. Even pros need practice: When researchers halved 15 tablets each of six commonly divided medications, nearly a quarter of the half-pills were outside the standard allowable variation, a University of Arizona College of Pharmacy study recently reported.
ANOTHER KIND OF MAC ATTACK
If Santa delivers a new computer to your house, take extra care when you set it up. Every year, over 6,000 people end up in the ER because of broken toes from dropped laptops, bashed knees from tripping over cords, or other computer-related injuries. Such accidents have gone up eightfold, a recent survey found; add to that a seasonal hazard, holiday clutter. "You wouldn't believe how many people get hurt because they trip over something while carrying a computer," says researcher Lara B. McKenzie, Ph.D., of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH.
[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPHS, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: ISTOCKPHOTO (2); JUPITERIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES.
[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPH BY DIGITAL VISION PHOTOGRAPHY/VEER
Comment: playing game can encourage people to do exercise... as it actually can be regaerd as an exercise... I rather play video game than do exercise as it has more fun and both of them are effective.. e.g. relax, improve our skill like motor and become health.
Just playing? -the ethics...Article (1)
Activision Publishing, Inc.; Activision Publishing Releases Nickelodeon's iCarly for Wii and Nintendo DS/ Nintendo DSiAnonymous. Leisure & Travel Week. Atlanta: Nov 14, 2009. pg. 19 (accessed 13Nov2009)
(c)Copyright 2009, Leisure & Travel Week via NewsRx.com
2009 NOV 14 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) and Nickelodeon announced the iCarly videogame is now available for WiiTM and Nintendo DSTM/ Nintendo DSiTM in North America. The game lets fans of Nickelodeon's hit television series join the cast of iCarly in a virtual experience. Inspired by the show's theme of using technology to be creative, iCarly has special features for the Nintendo DSiTM that let players interact with their surroundings using the system's camera and microphone.
"iCarly encourages creativity with its great characters and storylines," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "The iCarly video game incorporates these elements from the TV show into an energetic gameplay experience that is non-stop entertainment!"
"Part of what has made iCarly the top show with kids and teens is allowing them to participate in their viewing experience through the website," said Steve Youngwood, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This game extends that concept even further by tapping into kids' creativity to provide them with endless fun."
In the iCarly video game, players help Carly, Sam, Freddie and the other characters from the hit TV series craft all-new "webisodes" of the show in an original storyline written exclusively for the game. Over 80 frenetic challenges--presented as show segments - capture the creativity of the series, and allow players to collaborate with the show's main characters through new adventures. The innovative iCreate mode provides opportunities for gamers to add their own unique touches to the webisodes by swapping out props, characters, color schemes, audio, intros, outros and more. Up to four players can either compete or cooperate together on Wii to complete the skits and earn Web-Cred, which can then be used to purchase new items, props, accessories and locations from in-game virtual websites.
Nickelodeon's iCarly - a web show within a show - ranks as the number-one program on all of television with kids between the ages of 2 to 11, year to date.
For more information on the iCarly videogame, visit http://www.activision.com/.
Keywords: Activision Publishing, Inc., Electronics, Entertainment, Leisure, Nintendo, Technology, Television, Video Game
This article was prepared by Leisure & Travel Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Leisure & Travel Week via VerticalNews.com.
Comment: creativity can be improved by playing such game. that's fun!!
(c)Copyright 2009, Leisure & Travel Week via NewsRx.com
2009 NOV 14 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) and Nickelodeon announced the iCarly videogame is now available for WiiTM and Nintendo DSTM/ Nintendo DSiTM in North America. The game lets fans of Nickelodeon's hit television series join the cast of iCarly in a virtual experience. Inspired by the show's theme of using technology to be creative, iCarly has special features for the Nintendo DSiTM that let players interact with their surroundings using the system's camera and microphone.
"iCarly encourages creativity with its great characters and storylines," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "The iCarly video game incorporates these elements from the TV show into an energetic gameplay experience that is non-stop entertainment!"
"Part of what has made iCarly the top show with kids and teens is allowing them to participate in their viewing experience through the website," said Steve Youngwood, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This game extends that concept even further by tapping into kids' creativity to provide them with endless fun."
In the iCarly video game, players help Carly, Sam, Freddie and the other characters from the hit TV series craft all-new "webisodes" of the show in an original storyline written exclusively for the game. Over 80 frenetic challenges--presented as show segments - capture the creativity of the series, and allow players to collaborate with the show's main characters through new adventures. The innovative iCreate mode provides opportunities for gamers to add their own unique touches to the webisodes by swapping out props, characters, color schemes, audio, intros, outros and more. Up to four players can either compete or cooperate together on Wii to complete the skits and earn Web-Cred, which can then be used to purchase new items, props, accessories and locations from in-game virtual websites.
Nickelodeon's iCarly - a web show within a show - ranks as the number-one program on all of television with kids between the ages of 2 to 11, year to date.
For more information on the iCarly videogame, visit http://www.activision.com/.
Keywords: Activision Publishing, Inc., Electronics, Entertainment, Leisure, Nintendo, Technology, Television, Video Game
This article was prepared by Leisure & Travel Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Leisure & Travel Week via VerticalNews.com.
Comment: creativity can be improved by playing such game. that's fun!!
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Do some research on one of the following game and write a brief description of it on your blog.
Mary Flanagan: [domestic] 2003
a) Features of game
- a 3D game
- relates to personal memories
-creating a particular sense of scale and abstracted sense of space
-mix of photographic images and unstable texts layer the environment
-approaches interactive storytelling conventions
(http://www.maryflanagan.com/domestic/,11nov.2009)
B) Art or not? WHY?
- I think it is an art
-it is because
a) it is a creative idea... there is the first game about people mind
b) it has its content - the memories last a long time of even for good.
c) some of the elements are with aesthetic merit eg. the second photo above, i think that it is good
Mary Flanagan: [domestic] 2003
a) Features of game
- a 3D game
- relates to personal memories
-creating a particular sense of scale and abstracted sense of space
-mix of photographic images and unstable texts layer the environment
-approaches interactive storytelling conventions
(http://www.maryflanagan.com/domestic/,11nov.2009)
B) Art or not? WHY?
- I think it is an art
-it is because
a) it is a creative idea... there is the first game about people mind
b) it has its content - the memories last a long time of even for good.
c) some of the elements are with aesthetic merit eg. the second photo above, i think that it is good
Digital games - But are they art?
a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
Art divided into a number of types:
1.literary arts :the presence of narrative
eg Film, writing
2.Fine arts: eg.sculpture, painting
3.decorative arts: wallpaper, industrial design
-Art should have content ( should be expressive)
-Art can make us feel something
-Art can lasts
-Art has a form of communciation
-Not formalaic
-Should be original / exception - appropriation (taking other art + representing in a new way to create create new meanings)
-Narrative elements
-Aesthetic value
-Aesthetically interesting
b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?
- aesthetic merit eg.rhythm
- the structure of basic elements
- force the player to see thing in a new way
- must experiment with the medium (must take artistic risks & break new ground)
-must be the subject of genuine criticism ( be studied and analyzed as work of art and aspects of culture)
Art divided into a number of types:
1.literary arts :the presence of narrative
eg Film, writing
2.Fine arts: eg.sculpture, painting
3.decorative arts: wallpaper, industrial design
-Art should have content ( should be expressive)
-Art can make us feel something
-Art can lasts
-Art has a form of communciation
-Not formalaic
-Should be original / exception - appropriation (taking other art + representing in a new way to create create new meanings)
-Narrative elements
-Aesthetic value
-Aesthetically interesting
b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?
- aesthetic merit eg.rhythm
- the structure of basic elements
- force the player to see thing in a new way
- must experiment with the medium (must take artistic risks & break new ground)
-must be the subject of genuine criticism ( be studied and analyzed as work of art and aspects of culture)
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Should game be more like fantasy + less like real-world war?
i agree that there should be less like real-world war...
it is because those games encourage people to act or to solve the problem by violence.
although those game can make people relax ,do what thing that they can not do in the real world..
however, if people play such game for a long time... those violence may be bear in mind and become their behaviour ....
However, i think it is no need for the game to more like fantasy..
as i think there are other ways for us to imagine.
In addition, game is just a means for us to do something that we cannot do but we want to do!
it is a place for fun and it should be look like the real would in order to fake people to relax.
because it is a please for me to feel free but we cannot do so in the reality and thus the game should be more like the real world in order to let let people believe that they are feel free in the reality....
i agree that there should be less like real-world war...
it is because those games encourage people to act or to solve the problem by violence.
although those game can make people relax ,do what thing that they can not do in the real world..
however, if people play such game for a long time... those violence may be bear in mind and become their behaviour ....
However, i think it is no need for the game to more like fantasy..
as i think there are other ways for us to imagine.
In addition, game is just a means for us to do something that we cannot do but we want to do!
it is a place for fun and it should be look like the real would in order to fake people to relax.
because it is a please for me to feel free but we cannot do so in the reality and thus the game should be more like the real world in order to let let people believe that they are feel free in the reality....
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