Historical-War Based Video Games ~ Good-Bad-Worthwhile?

[rabu 9]

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We are by nature a violent species, and we began illustrating that in our technology from the beginning. Oral history passes down tales of great battles in native cultures, as do ancient pictograms and hierogryphlics. When we began writing and printing books, some of the favorite topics were war, and death, and killing. Same subject matter served as a mainstay when we developed the ability to make movies. Radio brought such stories into the average home in the first part of the last century, and television introduced yet another aspect of depicting violence into those same homes. Now it's video and computer games, and the argument against them is the same argument that was made against other past depictions of violence in our technology. It would be nice if we as a species could separate ourselves from our violent nature, but I don't imagine that will ever happen as long as the human race exists. All we can do is what we have been trying to do for centuries, suppress our violent side when living in a civilized setting. Conversely, we have also set that violent side free when we feel we have to fight for survival of our way of life, and then we find ways to justify the violence. We are a complicated lot.

 

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Good post, Lou. This can also get into a really interesting discussion, and it actually relates to the thread too. There is a concensus growing in the psychology and socialogy world today that violence itself is a thing of evolution, being only necessary in a world where violence creates violence.. so Jesus was right after all. In other words, as a community becomes more civilized and learns to take care of the needy around them, gives up greed or foreciably controls it for the betterment of everyone, on all levels, there is genetic evolutionary change. The children born of that civilization begin to genetically change into less agressive and less violent thinking humans, physically and emoationally. But just the opposite can happen as well, or in parallel. I feel pessimistic that we are going in the negative direction, that the violent, greedy thinkers out weigh those who are generous and are looking for peace and harmony. Maybe that's why we are seeing more and more violence in the media, entertainment and game industry, and maybe, as I stated earlier, violent video games and other media are just a way of preparing youth for what they will have to face in later life. I noticed back in the 50's-60's there wasn't nearly as much graphic violence in the media, comic books and movies as there is now and it was a much less oppressed economic time we lived it. At the same time, in Mexico, where there was severe poverty (and still is), you had that same graphic violence in comic books and literature and the media that we are now seeing more and more of in this country.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

You're basically correct about even owning a firearm himself wouldn't have protected the chap in the bar, but whoever was pissed at him, painted a rather clear message

 

However many times when someone is attempting a forced entry into your home, you might be there, but the Policeman ain't. We can't all live in an urban enviornment where the police are 3 minutes away, awaiting our phone call.

 

And with the illegal alien problem being what it is, I'm glad Florida is a long way from Mexico

 

I think that we should ask ourselves, baring firearms related Deaths how many think they're Superman and try flying or stopping a train, or even die due to automobile mishap

 

Ah yes....The chap who breaks into my House in the middle of the Night.. will find either my 13th Century Broadsword, My Samurai Sword...or My Morning Star embedded in his thick skull!

(I prefer to see the whites of his eyes...before they cloud over.....permanantly!)

Edited April 17, 2010 by UK_Widowmaker