BLAMM!! Recent highschool massacres in Germany have politicians fighting against “Killerspiele” – so-called “killer games”. Nobody really knows what this means, although most have the faint idea that it is about shooting and maltreating fellow humans as part of the game. At the same time, most people talking about this in the newspapers and on TV admit to never having played these games before.
I also note a distinct lack of enthusiasm to combat so many forms of real violence. It seems that we still have sex slavery (at least one shady brothel in the area advertises it’s sex workers like cattle: “New! Thai Women! New! Thai Women! New! Thai Women!” Now that should make a grown man cry.
The Germans still have troops in Afghanistan. There was a scandal recently because German soldiers have been posing with skulls of unknown origin on their vehicles – and – get this! – took pictures of themselves. First, I note the incredible stupidity of the soldiers, and their total lack of empathy. And second I note again how many fail to understand that training people to shoot and kill will result in changed men. They are no longer selling groceries, studying Japanology, or painting ceilings. They’re deep in enemy territory. War changes men. Even if you win, these soldiers will have to return one day and live amongst us. This is has been true for Vietnam and Korea veterans, and it is true for Iraq and Chechnia veterans, and it will be true for Afghan veterans as well.
Even if I’m not descending into this snake pit. There’s full contact martial arts, boxing, paint ball, sado-masochism – all of it I find deeply disturbing. Games were players shoot imaginary enemies are amongst the least of our problems.
(As I wrote the previous paragraph I imagined some misguided fellow trying to tell me that sado-masochism is different because we’re talking about two consenting adults. This is not my point. When talking about “killer games” on computers, the point is that there’s often just *one* adult consenting to play.)
(Or are we trying to protect the little people inside the computer from harm? Sometimes cynicism is too easy… haha!)
#Games #Germany #Iraq #USA
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I agree - computer games are the least of our problems, but they are easy target. There’s still little proof that games of any kind are anything but a positive outlet for the stresses and emotion of ordinary life, but that doesn’t stop the *real* problem (the politicians and warmongers) from pointing at them instead of themselves.
Some folks game then go onto kill in real life, undoubtedly. I suspect they also eat Big Macs, sleep 8 hours a night and watch daytime TV, but none of those are blamed for the actions of one dysfunctional individual. Yet I can understand why watching Daytime TV would drive someone to kill more than I can understand someone playing Grand Theft Auto then wanting to steal a car.
It’ll be another 30 years before we can talk about Digital Right for Virtual People; then it’ll be illegal to *kill* a spambot. Imagine that.
I’m going into hiding now because I killed my Sims character the other day. I think the police are onto me 😄
– GreyWulf 2007-01-05 23:15 UTC
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The irony is that, at least in the United States, violent video game companies and the military are teaming up to provide:
1. “cheap and effective” training tools for soldiers,
2. free downloadable video games to recruit
For example, BBN who helped develop many of the technologies and protocols the Internet now runs on, now has defense contracts for building “Immersive Learning Technologies”.¹
– AaronHawley 2007-01-08 14:43 UTC
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I remember when the US army started using the Doom engine to train soldiers, and when the US army started to make an appearance at game shows. Scary stuff!
But it is not limited to games only. The Black Hawk Down (2001) extra material on DVD shows how the army provides training for the actors, and somebody on my blog or on #emacs mentioned how the US army will sponsor movies (and probably games) if they follow certain rules. I assume this means that you can show how the politicians make mistakes, and life as a soldier can be hellish, but you need to emphasize that the soldiers do it all in good faith, and “no man is left behind”, etc. Give the grunts some positive feelings, make kids consider signing up...
– Alex Schroeder 2007-01-08 16:04 UTC
