The Christian Examiner Online has published what it claims to be an "in-depth" report on videogame violence -- a report so deep, in fact, that it refers to Grand Theft Auto IV as "GT4" and is loaded with anti-game comments from religious spokesmen and family groups. That's right, this so-called in-depth feature is shallower than a sparrow's c*nt.
"While shopping for a new video game recently with my 13-year-old grandson, I previewed several of the latest releases," stated one of the article's sensational interview subjects ... a random grandmother from Alabama. "Most were filled with intense violence, involving killing and torture. Others involved witches and wizards."
WITCHES AND WIZARD! WON'T THE GOOD LORDY LORD SAVE US FROM VIDEOGAMES AND THE ARCANE MAGICKS SEALED WITHIN THEIR SATANIC PANDORA'S BOXES!? Among other hilarious claims in this article is the accusation that games "control the hearts and minds" of children, creating "a monotonous, zoned-out new reality."
Would it have hurt to speak to some Christians who actually played or worked with videogames? Many such Christians exist, but it appears as if the writer of this piece couldn't find a single one. This is why I'M paid to talk about games, and they're paid to talk about God.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
10:38 AM on 08.06.2008
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This really doesn't make me look forward to aging; if you ask me, its them who are the zombies. They cling to their anachronistic ways and point fingers and condemn all that which they do not understand. Hopefully none of us end up that way.
good article jim
One of the best ones I remember was a dad came in with his 15 year old son and made him trade in "Overlord" because he performed magic spells.
So instead the kid picked up Call of Juarez (which has a blow job reference in the first 10 minutes) and, what else, Sand Andreas.
Fucking people.
what about God/Jesus?
not to mention the "games controlling hearts and minds" of children. hahaha.
SLAY THE DRAGON WIZARD OR YOUR GOING TO HELL!!!
Lord Sterling, thats the second time you have made me spit Mountain Dew.
I consider myself a non-denominational Christian with my own conclusions and theories which I have plucked from various texts and conversations. With that in mind, I am entirely sure that I won't go to hell because I drink, watch pornography and play violent video games. (I believe there is no such thing as hell).
Religious dogma and fundamental tradition is harming this planet exponentially more so than a videogame. But I'm preaching to the chior here, so I'll shut up.
I appreciate that last paragraph. I am one of those Christians who play AND work in the field, and I often have to grit my teeth and bear with the inane attempts at "holiness" that right-wing (for lack of a better term) Christians try to impose on culture they don't understand.
Basically, I'm glad you were wise enough not to lump all Christians into the same mold. Hopefully, Christians can be wise enough to do the same with the different games out there, looking at each with a gracious eye on a case-by-case basis.
-Nas
It's the Christians who drown themselves in their own mythology that can't tell the difference between myth and reality. They're so blind to it, that anything dealing with a mythological subject become reality to them. Video games about witches and wizards? IT MUST BE TRUE!!! You killed a mobster in your game? YOU MUST BE A HIRED HITMAN!!!
Anus: What are the good points?
Though I'm more disappointed with the Christian side of this story, cause pointing out 'evils' is not what we're called to do.
"Many parents do not have a clue what kind of gaming activity kids are participating in. Many don't preview the games their kids buy. I encourage parents to know what kind of games their children are playing and restrict the amount of time they spend playing them.”
This is EXACTLY what Jim and others encourage right here. That is a good point. Here's another:
"Parents should place limits on children’s media use, including when, where, and how much they can participate. And we should be ready to address common myths that are often portrayed in the media: such as the myths that to be worthwhile you have to be beautiful, that money buys happiness, that sex is merely recreation and has no consequences, and that violence solves problems."
While there is a certain amount of bias presented from an older generation that is wary of the games media, the general drive of the article is to be aware of what's out there, and not think that games are still Pong and Pac-Man. Seems ridiculous to those of us who are well versed in gaming, but to folks with no experiance, it's just trying to point out the possible issues if left unchecked. I don't think it's a problem at all to warn folks that they might want to check a rating on a game, or have some interaction with they're kid's hobbies. If anything, it can bring the family closer, and raise good discussions between generations.
There are some uninformed statements, to be sure. But read the actual article to get the gist, not just the linked commentary.
-Nas
killias2, the main problem that these people seem to have with games is that people obsess over playing games sometimes and build their lives around them when they should be interacting with the real world. This is true, but they make the increasingly common mistake of assuming that all video games are evil because of it. Instead of preaching on how GTA4 is a tool of Satan, they should use those extreme examples to show the dangers of already-established sins like sloth, greed, wrath, etc.
“It’s a very big epidemic,” said Menconi, who operates his Al Menconi Ministries from Carlsbad, Calif. “Withdrawal is very similar to drug withdrawal.”
Now, I've never seen a coke addict go through withdrawal, but I'd be surprised if it's the same as someone who can't get a tetris fix. The fact that they quote this guy as an expert points how slanted and shallow the article is. (He has a bachelor's degree in social sciences, and started a ministry focusing on media and religion)
Death caused by Religion: Couple of millions.
...
Its about time we stop all this videogaming in our society.
My beef lies more with the people he interviewed. These are people who are clearly less qualified to speak on the subject than the author himself. No one in the real world gives a shit about a grandmother who is afraid of wizards and witches. What is this? 600 years ago? Get out of my house.
@Everyone else who doesn't know this - The reason why most Christians tend to bash on violent videogames or scream bloody murder about games that involve demons or magic is because they live by the decree of guarding oneself against what convicts them, and most of the time the ones speaking as "expert" about it are old-school Christians who were probably burning records back in the day because they fell in to the hype that discs contained satanic messages.
They don't understand it as an entertainment medium and quickly brush it aside as if it is "the devils work".They're not zealots...they're just misinformed and their defense mechanism to guard against what they perceive as a bad influence kicks in and out spews condemnations and ignorance.
As a Christian Gamer I can honestly say that not all of us (Christians) are like this and there are plenty of us with a decent head on our shoulders who aren't filled with all of this "fire and brimstone" rage that most of the old elders are.
Sidenote: The Left Behind game, while I never played it, did indeed look awful. Not to mention the premise behind the game was just weird in the way it was presented.
All in all I wouldn't take what the writer says to heart or as insulting because he/she is obviously commenting on something they are very unfamiliar with and thus are casting judgments without any type of evidence to show that they actually studied up on what they were condemning.
Honestly, I'm all for gamers calling bullshit on the scaremongering harpies that would have all risqué entertainment banned, but this article referenced a lot of the things that we, in general argue for the video game industry. It seems silly to bash anything that isn't 100% supportive of our passion, partly because that's exactly what religious fanatics do, but also because it's dishonest to pretend that games are angelic works of purest goodness.
Okay, so it's not cool to be a cunt and talk about how shit everything is, but at least I feel good about myself for being measured and calm. Now I'm going to go donate some orphans to a homeless person.
Death caused by videogames: ZERO
Death caused by Religion: Couple of millions.
People don't kill *because* of video games. They kill because they are psychopaths. They may try to re-enact video game violence, but that doesn't mean the video game caused them to kill. The video game never instructs a person to go out and kill another. Murderers are influenced by all kinds of things, but the ultimate *cause* of their violence is their own mental instabilities and warped sense of reality.
Religion on the other hand, provides many situations in which murder is demanded by god. In this case, you can say that the religion causes the violence. There is no such causation found with video games.
Judgement without knowledge is exactly what I and others find insulting. Peple are allowed to not understand and brush aside things, but they are then not allowed to present themselves as authorities on these things.
Damn you Gauntlet!
And dont think I'm not looking at you, Banjo Kazooie..
Youre magicks and spells have flung me into a downward spiral and now all I ever think about is satan.
dammit
Remember, only crazy people make big headlines, new would be very boring if was on the 95% of people who are normal.
You're indeed correct, but i was rather refering to the Chinese dudes who died after playing videogames non stop for 48 hours. But as you said, it is naturaly their own stupidity's fault, not the videogames.
That's all I ask. Just one playthrough of Nocturne.
I guess if you believe in one fable full of magic men and miracles, you can't really deny the 'truth' of other stories about 'magiks' and whatnot.
Its not /thread until somebody link this classic:
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp
Bronze age logic in the pre-Nano age world (what else would you call it, space age and nuclear age are a little stale?).
Eh, okay. I think you're reading too much into it. I don't believe this man has some kind of underhanded agenda to make video games look like social turds, I think he just made a few silly errors.
Yes, the article wasn't in depth; it was long, which isn't the same. Yes, the article should have asked what gamers thought; asking a spurious grandma adds little to the validity of the piece. Yes, he obviously doesn't know much about video games, and you'd think if you were going to write an article on something, you'd double check you sources on it. But it also offered what I consider to be logical, leval headed advise.
The track record up until now has been little more than "BAN THIS SICK FILTH," literally. It's become a parody of itself - that's the thing I have a problem with. Some irrelevant person's opinion isn't going to threaten my delicate freedoms. People can bleat their opinions in chorus as much as they like, hell that's what we do all the god damn time. What I don't like is when that scaremongering desire takes over all rational discussion. My priorities aren't with convincing everyone that games are lovely. I just don't want them telling me that I can't play them because they inflame my desire to be a psychotic asshole.
most games i really don't care what's referenced as long as there's nothing hugely obscene in there.. as long as the game is fun to play and has a good story behind it, i'll play it..
there are people who would think that just because i play a game, i must do the exact same thing in real life... if that were the case, there would be a lot of people in a rock band.