With all publicity flying about the unshakeable presence of violent content in videogames, and the escalating court case to go with it, I felt it a good time for gamers and non gamers alike to listen to some opinions and accounts on the huge effects of videogames. Both of these videos are a few years old, but the refreshing absence of trash stereotyping and infuriatingly ignorant theories and statements, in favour of balanced, informed, and articulate expression, is particularly welcome at this time. While they are not specifically about the nature of violence in gaming, they do explore indirectly (along with multiple things) how it fits into the industry.
Gaming is an art populated by very talented people and the saying goes; “Art is only as good as its audience” think about that for a moment.
The topic of gaming’s place in society is in an essay I hope one day, someone will formulate to explain to all those who still scoff at videogames that the games we make and purchase reveal so much about us, and that it is something that needs to be understood instead of dissmissed. Maybe I’ll end up writing it, who knows…it’s a mammoth discussion to be documented.
The first video was made by a talented student called Michael Highland and it is titled “My Virtual Reality”. The second video was filmed at a TED conference earlier this year. The speaker is Jane McGonigal, some of you may have heard of her.
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