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Niko Bellic... you're my only friend.
Posted on Monday, May 17 2010 @ 22:50:21 Eastern

Sometimes... I'm driving down the street and I wonder what it would be like to plow into a sidewalk full of pedestrians and children. I also, wonder what I would be like to take a helicopter to the top of a skyscraper and just start picking off people indiscriminately... These wonders bring me back down to reality when you think about all the carnage created - not to mention the damage done to the city and the trauma to family and friends. So - videogames have become my medium, the focal point in which I channel these thoughts. Bas Rutten said it best, "What good is virtual reality, if you can't maim people with a pencil." So, what separates me from Colin Ferguson (the convict not the actor)... Common Sense.?

Ok, so that example is a little overboard, but think about it - how many cool things have you done in a "realistic" video game (physics engine) and wondered how "Real" it would be compared to the game. I for one feel a lot more ready for the Zombie Apocolypse or Post-Apocolyptic U.S. thanks to Fallout 3 and Bioshock.

On a more serious note - I didn't know how to make an origami bird, until Heavy Rain. I couldn't play the drums for the life of me, before Rock Band. Tiger Woods golf has taken 5 strokes off of my game, and If it wasn't for the FIFA franchise the World Cup in South Africa wouldn't interest me at all (*silly american and his football).

So I ask you GR, take a second to REALLY think about this - Can people learn how to shoot/kill more effectively because of a virtual simulation? The United States Army sure thinks so - http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/us-military-to-step-up-video-game-training/1393996

Urban..Out.

Comments

oneshotstop
Joined: Sep 2008

Posted: Jun 2nd, 2010 at 8:17 pm
wow, I just had a big long post typed out for you, but I didn't know it had to be less than 1000 characters. That sucks! To sum it all up, I'm a cop in the US Air Force, and I thank you for channeling those thoughs into your games. Too often I find people who don''t. I'm glad I play the games that I play. It's easy to learn from them. You should check out my blogs. You may find that you could relate a little.

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Thee_BoBALOSA
Joined: Jan 2008

Posted: Jun 3rd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
My friend, you are asking a very big question between the people who grew up with video games vs the people/politicians(who want votes)/religious fanatics/extremely bored parents who do not read/research anything of this world who do not understand video games. its true people say whatever they want and not do the readings/research go on TV/websites/city council/who ever is listen. people will always try to stop progression, our society is built on prolonging this live style and not improve. a lot of people do not like change. im not sure if you studied western history or not but when you begin to look at some of the new forms of entertainment, ie. books that were NOT catholic base, the author would be burned, tortured, strung up for the people to see what happens when you write a non-catholic book, or house arrest if you're rich/famous. travel some 700 years in to the future, radios came in and "destroyed" the family unit/values...

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Thee_BoBALOSA
Joined: Jan 2008

Posted: Jun 3rd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Religious groups/again bored parents want the radio gone away with. it was not until furthering radios to be applied in more fields of work. ie. military,transport,shipping,entertainment. if you are ever bored, search the internet for some old radio dramas. man they were crazy fun. after the radios, comic books came in to the picture. at first comics were 'good', until yes again, parents,religious fanatics, people who do not understand wanted comics removed from children, the scary pictures, creepy/unnerving words were considered unfit for children eyes. the comics might give children negative/angry/violent/trouble teaching the "correct values". the end of the 1940s and during the 50s, we start to see the birth of the FCC (F.C.C go F.U.C.K yourself)...

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UrbanMasque
Joined: May 2007

Posted: Jun 7th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Oneshotstop- send me a message I'd love to hear your thoughts. In your opinion, can gaming teach you techniques or even better, Tactics, that may help you in a real life scenario? I'd be interested in finding out what a guy strapped with a weapon most of the day plays in his spare time. You probably scoff at Call of Duty, but games like the GTA series probably have more hints of reality in there than people would like to believe.

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UrbanMasque
Joined: May 2007

Posted: Jun 7th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
BoBALOSA - video games, much like books in the old days, expose people to concepts, ideas, and images that they may never have even come across otherwise. EA Game's motto "Challenge Everything" - is what really worries the suits in political office, religious establishments, and of course the unelected idiots at the FCC. I'm not too worried about the gaming industry, because it does a pretty good job at regulating/censoring itself and its seemingly growing and growing and GROWING, but I am worried about gaming becoming a substitute for real life...uhh.." uh oh, Urban's gone crazy again".. yea - don't worry i wont get into it.

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schimmel
Joined: Nov 2005

Posted: Jun 8th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I actually just read this blog (sorry, it takes me a while to actually get around to it) and I completely agree with you Urban. It's through games that I cut back and relax, and never have I once even dreamed of trying anything I do in a game out in real life... well there was that one time I tried skateboarding thanks to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and the few times I tried snowboarding, but nothing violent. And OnsStopShop's blogs are really good. I've read some and have always been impressed. It actually makes me wonder why he went into the army instead of becoming a journalist, because he could totally do it

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Thee_BoBALOSA
Joined: Jan 2008

Posted: Jun 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am
well these guys came in and said that is enough of comics. yes comics were almost erased from our lives. as time moves on, the 80s came, ewe. the comic book wars were finished, comics were allowed to be drawn without total censorship(FCC still around). throughout the 90s video games became better in graphics, bigger is size, detail to the world created. ie. GTA1 compared to GTA3. developers were able to put more content in to games, making them become more 'real'. now have flight/combat simulators( some do not let you fly in to buildings...made after 2001.) war simulators (Arma/AA/flashpoint) strategy games(Total war series (until Napoleon,shame on you), Company of heroes, Men of War, etc. in the 2000s, content in games grew. specs/facts on vehicles, planes, soldiers, cities, countries, battle formations, the list goes on...

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Thee_BoBALOSA
Joined: Jan 2008

Posted: Jun 10th, 2010 at 9:08 am
heir are a lot of traits that can be learned from videos games. i do understand real and not real (dont laugh, some kids are just too frakking stupid to understand, real/not real, having shitty parents does not help either.) which i am able to play any game without thinking, hey i should shoot some people today, because i believe im able to shoot a Kar42 because i played Call of Duty 1 (the only good one) which showed me how a gun loads. i enjoy seeing the real way to load a gun, because its adds realism. and not the reloading of guns from Golden Eye. i have read books on strategy from all back grounds of history. reading the Art of War, then applying the tactics on the total war series, its fun and exciting seeing your grand plan came in to action....sigh only 1000 at a time...

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