| Sins of the past - July 28, 2000 - Chris Jones Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the
participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is
coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. So little time, so many places
to eat. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Good golly gosh, I must have been smokin' something really weird last night. Oodles
(hate that word, but it works) of misstatements were made, but fortunately you guys were
there to correct me. And of course, we'll be talking about things without four sides.
Onward.
| Mistake #1 |
| The letter E is the most common one in the English language, not S! I'm
playing SaGa Frontier 2 now. Not really, though. I got bored by its annoying complexity.
Is it worth continuing?
Zohar Gilboa |
Yep, I screwed up. And I loved SF2, but if you're not liking it after about 5 hours of
sampling both storylines, you might want to try something else.
| Mistake #2 |
| Ah...Chris... Hate to pick on you, and be a stickler on this, but you
seem to be confusing Valkyrie Profile with Vanguard Bandits. The former is a Tri-Ace game
that is being distributed by Enix, will be out this fall (cross-my-fingers) while the
latter is the latest RPG distributed by Working Designs, the one that comes with the Lunar
2 demo...not out yet, just out now (and doing decent business already)... I know, I know,
it's easy to lose track of who is putting out what, when... especially w/ the way we're
being bombarded w/ RPGs this year... The only reason I remember VP is by Tri-Ace is
'cause I liked Star Ocean: Second Story enough that I had to go visit "the Museum in
Tria's Palace", and that's how I stumbled on Valkyrie Profile at first...BTW looks
like a game that would make old schoolers proud, even with all the button mashing (which
isn't entirely new at Tri-Ace...when a certain company named after the four sided
equilateral poligon came up w/ the R1 button being used as a trigger for a gunblade
...Star Ocean influence IMHO). Damn, that's yet another game I'm going to have to find
time to play somehow. There go my 4 hrs of sleep...now how long can one forego sleep
before going into a psychotic state, again? I know there was a study out there on it...
Princess Jemmy, who feels Agent-X's pain..
..triangle...unnamed shape...pentagon...hexagon...heptagon...octagon...aaarrghh!! It
just doesn't sound right, ya know? |
Yep, I screwed up once more, and on two separate days. If nothing else, this probably
suggest I need to pay more attention to non-Square games. I'll do better, Jemmy, I
promise, just don't take away my Playstation again!
| Mistake #3 |
| Just a couple of random thoughts: I think Bandai should make a gundam
RPG. Be it 0080, 0083, or wing(which theyre making a gauntlet style game of) it wouldnt
matter, cuz that would be cool. A rhombus is not a ***RADIO EDIT***. It does not have 4
90 degree angles. But a ***RADIO EDIT*** is a rhombus. Man, I sound like a dork sayin'
that.
-Scott, who just sent a crappy and rushed letter |
Well, this isn't exactly a mistake - if I said I was rhombus free, then I'd also be
free of "them", wouldn't I? Still, this is included for your edification.
| Mistake #4 |
| Hello Dr. Agento, You mentioned 'them' yesterday. You cited my
favorite game (which starts with an 'X') as an example.
Wing Zero |
It's true, and I didn't even notice it. Somebody also mentioned the name of a button
which shouldn't have been mentioned. I'm sorry, it was late. Won't happen again, I
promise.
| Less than 5 hours left, as of the time of this
writing |
| Hey Chris This isn't completely a game related letter but anyways
...... In regards to Napster being Shut down, It makes me cry (j/k) my number one source
of Videogame and Anime OSTs has all but been killed! Why Cruel world by the gods I am now
deprived of the art of Yasunori Mitsuda,Nobuo Uematsu and Yoko Shimomura. If anyone can
tell Me a good site a get Game related mp3s please tell me |
In all honesty I gotta admit that my stance on Napster isn't as harsh as my stance on
emulated RPGs. I don't have it myself, but I'll listen to a few tracks acquired via
Napster if a friend sends them. I feel ok with this because A) I buy 90% of what I listen
to on Napster, and B) everything else I listen to I could tape off the radio. And since
even major chain stores now have listening stations, listening to a musical sample isn't
all that uncommon.
At the same time, I gotta say that getting game music via MP3s as opposed to buying it
is not terribly productive. Obscure stuff is somewhat understandable, but guys like
Mitsuda and Uematsu could conceivably get published by a mainstream label if demand is
high enough, which would lead to cheaper prices for all of us. So do your part and buy the
US edition of the FFIX OST when it comes out, or be doomed to import prices forever.
| It's always the other guy |
| Hey Chris. It's refreshing to hear some new topics around here. Anyway,
ImpermanentOne's letter about the studies between video games and violence prompted me to
share my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.
I've been playing video games for...quite some time. Started with the Dragon Warrior
series and moved onto...whoa! Sorry, almost screwed up.
Anyway, I've spent enough time with my NES, SNES, and other consoles so if they have
any influence on anyone, they oughtta have influenced me. It's not so easy for me to see
that though.
Yet I can a number of my friends are influenced my movies and games and the like. For
example, some of my more violent-minded friends watch/play a lot of bloody movies/games.
I've always been repulsed by that kind of stuff.
But when I thought about it some more, a lot of what I think is influenced by the games
I play too. Sometimes I even find myself (without consciously thinking of it) acting like
the characters from certain RPGs.
My point is...it's hard to see how the media influences ourselves, but easier to see
how it influences others. But I still think there's an influence.
Or then again, maybe naturally violent-minded people are inclined to violent movies and
games? People influence the games, not the other way round. Or maybe not.
-Pepper 2000 |
This is pretty much dead on, as far as I can see, and it's one of the big reasons for
my ambivalence on the topic. You may think you're not effected by DOOM, and indeed, most
of us don't run around with automatic weapons shooting whoever emerges from cubicle mazes.
But at the same time, I can't help thinking from time to time that a gunblade, used at
just the right moment, could clear a lot of frustration from my life. Is that an influence
of games? Yes. Is it a valid argument against them? Probably not, but, as Pepper points
out, how can you really tell?
| BioWare's sinister console plans revealed |
| Agent, You don't know why Bioware has experience with the Dreamcast?
They made MDK2 for the system, of course! Plus, there's also rumors of them porting
Neverwinter Nights over to it as well. I don't know what they've done with the PS2 though.
Maybe that's a sign they're bringing Baldur's Gate to the system?
-BadMonkey |
Well, any Western company that puts an anthropomorphic four-armed dog on a console
can't be all bad, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for the Star Wars
RPG. But if I see one hint of J*r J*r I start shooting people... hmm, maybe I am being
influenced by games.
| A thread on game violence degenerates into a
bloodbath. How ironic. |
| Now, while cruising the GIA's message boards a while back, I noticed a
thread on videogame violence. It quickly denigrated into the usual flamewar, though
admittedly not one that lasted as long as some others have, but I did manage to salvage this from it. It's a link to
an interview with someone that I think is a far more recognizable expert on violence, both
in real life and video games, than anyone that either the medical community or the
sensationalistic book-writing community. It was so interesting, in fact, that I bookmarked
it, for whenever someone mentiones "Videogame induced" violence. - Tron (who
enjoys the occasional bloodbath in anime, and is ready for a full mecha console in an
arcade shooter, and somehow managed to avoid mentioning the name that shall not be
spoken.) |
On the one hand, I've got to respect guys like John Mullins and David Hackworth,
because they've done more for this country on any given day than I'll probably do in my
entire life. They're intelligent, competent, and extremely savvy. If they have and opinion
on something - in this case the unlikelyhood of FPS games really being "murder
simulators" - then you'd best listen.
At the same time, I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that virtual violence
could translate into a tendency toward aggression in real life. Even if the finally honed
reflexes of a real soldier can't be gotten from Quake III, the "kill anything that
gets in your face" reflex can't be helpful. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna run out and
get System Shock 2, tho.
| The Once and Future Sega |
| Hallo Mister Jones - I was thinking about the seemingly imminent fall
from grace of our good friend Sega. Especially after reading Wiretap, I was wondering,
where did it all go awry? I remeber paying a Sega Master System in my dentist's office
once, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever...next to my NES at home. But then, the
Genesis hit the streets, and I begged, bargained and pleaded for my parents to get me one.
Even at my youngish age, I was a hardcore Sega buff...I told all of my friends with SNES's
that they were stupid, that playing Altered Beast and Sonic was WAY cooler than all of
those stewwwpid Mario games (now I kick myself for being so biased...I missed out on some
really good games...). I rented and borrowed Sega CD's from Blockbuster and my friends
(the big bulky one that went under the system...heh...), and the biggest accomplisment of
my young gaming life was beating the retrospectfully god-awful Sewer Shark. But dammit, it
was a hard game (I think...) and I was proud. I even bought a 32X (hanging my head in
shame) and thouroughly enjoyed all six games that came out for it. By the time the Saturn
came around, though, my parents and I had had enough; we bought a PlayStation instead.
Even still, I wished I could get my hands on Panzer Dragoon and Shining Force III. Now, as
I patiently wait for my PS2 to come in to EB, I see Space Channel 5, Grandia 2, and Crazy
Taxi and almost consider going with a Dreamcast instead. But alas, it looks like our old
friend will be around for one more competitive holiday season, and then perhaps sent to
greener pastures. But hey, if we can get some of that software on the other consoles,
maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Get out of the hardware market so they can produce even
better software for systems people actually buy.
Sega is dead. Long live Sega.
Peace, love, and grease, people.
Pikafoo |
As accurate as I generally find our own Mr. McGlothlin's analysis, I think the DC may
have a little more life in it than he's letting on, especially since games like PSO have
yet to make their debut. There's a prime window between the effective death of the US PSX
(end of 2000, near as I can tell) and the time good PS2 games start coming out (maybe as
late as Fall 2001) where the Dreamcast could step in and clean up. Heck, my own take on
the Dreamcast is that it's not selling software because what's already out there is too
damn good. I've been playing Soul Calibur since the beginning of the year, and have yet to
get tired with it.
Also remember that you don't exist in a vacuum - perhaps the reason the DC isn't
selling well is because of people like you. If conditions become favorable for you to
invest in Sega, chances are thousands like you will follow, thereby strengthening the
system as a whole.
Think about it.
| Eagle Scouts who play games and the crimes
they don't commit |
| Chris, As an avid videogame player who in the past worked with
troubled kids, and currently works part time in law enforcement, I feel that violence in
the media plays less of a role than many allege. Kids who are well grounded can watch
violence without feeling a need to perpetuate it on others. I was watching Clint Eastwood
and Dirty Harry with my dad at tender age, and have played and enjoyed violent titles as
far back as NES's Freedom Force, and as recently as Playstation's Fear Effect. Despite the
thousands if not millions of acts of violence I have watched, I am an Eagle Scout and a
grad student who has never in any trouble at school and has never been in any trouble with
the law. I know that violence in the media can be entertaining, but it isn't real. People
are real, and I never seriously contemplated hurting someone (okay, maybe one time when I
was almost broadsided by an idiot who was too busy talking on the cellphone to pay
attention to extraneous things like other drivers, but I resisted the urge). Someone who
plays a game, no matter how violent or realistic, and feels the compulsion to go out and
reenact that scene on the streets has larger issues, is missing something inside.
That being said, there are a lot of parents out there who lack the time or the
inclination to spend a lot of time with their kids (who consequently tend to have
something missing inside). While the parents are out, whether it is at work or at play,
they let the media raise their kids. Resident Evil, Doctor Dre and John Woo are great
entertainers, but they are very bad parents. Needless to say, the media in its attempts to
amass viewers, does not always appeal to our best instincts. However I think rather than
trying to strip the media of all bad things, it would be better for parents to get more
involved with their kids. If a loving, attentive parent(s) is at the center of a child's
life, that kid is going to be okay, but if videogames are at the center of a child's life,
that kid is probably not going to be okay. A well-adjusted kid that plays Resident Evil is
not going to be moved to violence, while a troubled kid that plays Mario 64 might wind up
knocking someone down and jumping up and down on their head. I expect politicians in
campaign mode or trial lawyers looking for the next deep pocket will use the latest
'expert' findings to blame corporations for the rise of youth violence, but I sincerely
hope that average parents simply continue their extensive involvement in their children's
lives and bad parents resolve to do better.
- Mark |
Again, not much I can disagree with here, except to say that if we agree that parents
should be the ones deciding if kids are fit to play Half-Life, etc, then the system as it
stands is fairly effective. After all, my parents never had a problem with me seeing The
Godfather when I was 14, because they knew I wouldn't get the urge to put a horse's head
under someone's sheet. At the same time, I'm just as happy there's a system that at least
tries to keep kids out of R movies, because there's a certain category of 16 year old
moron I'd just as soon not see Fight Club, for fear I'd wake up one day to see a giant
burning smiley face on the cover of the morning paper.
Closing Comments:
If the five second snippet I heard on NPR was correct, then Napster has been saved, for
now. College students everywhere party down, I suppose. AK returns tomorrow after
recuperating from his epic 9-day stint last week, so be kind, he's probably still a little
sore. See you Monday.
-Chris Jones, writing this while waiting for a table at the Hula Hut |
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